Saturday, August 16, 2014

Steven Varnell: Statement Analysis Book Review


I just purchased an excellent book from Amazon, on Statement Analysis which readers here will enjoy.

It can be purchased here at Amazon.

The author is Steven Varnell, a retired Florida State investigator who currently teaches as a Statement Analyst. From Amazon:

About the Author

Steven Varnell is a law enforcement training specialist recently retired after serving over 29 years with the Florida Highway Patrol. During his career he worked Patrol, Field Training, Criminal Interdiction, SRT, and K9. He has instructed Firearms, Baton, Felony Stops, and Criminal Interdiction Courses. He was an adjunct instructor for the MCTFT Program at St. Petersburg College where he taught Highway Interdiction, Officer Safety, Patrol, and Interviews and Interrogation classes for law enforcement agencies throughout the country. He was a part of FHP's criminal interdiction pilot program which began in 1983, where he served in interdiction and K9 duties for 27 year making him one of the most experienced interdiction officers in the country. Steve is the author of Criminal Interdiction and Tactical Survival, and Behavior Analysis and Interviewing Techniques (BAIT), three widely acclaimed books available through bookstores everywhere. He is a sought out instructor and speaker in the officer safety field. Steve has started a new lecture company called Interdiction and Survival Strategies (ISS), where with former partners; together they have established a new approach to criminal based training. For more information and training information on the ISS group, go to: isspolicetraining.com.

For readers here, you will find a solid course on Statement Analysis, with excellent examples, and principles highlighted.  His writing reveals a strong understanding of principle, as well as a familiarity with the language of humility.  This lends itself not only to excellence in writing, but an obvious gift of teaching, that is, an ability to not only communicate to readers, but he anticipates where readers might have questions.  
You'll enjoy his popular samples and recognize many of the words (Jodi Arias, Casey Anthony) but will still find the approach fresh. 
Varnell writes to communicate with the reader, not to impress, making it a very easy to grasp book.  Each chapter, covering principle, is readily prepared with samples affirming the principle. His style of writing reveals a man with a wealth of experience in listening.  
This is not only for law enforcement but for anyone interested in communication, and it is especially recommended for those in Human Resources (weed out liars before they come to bring harm to your business!) and those in the Social Services where the help you offer others is based upon your understanding of their communication.  
You'll enjoy this work and be left with much to take to the news stories of today for practice.  Next up with it is Christina, 14, who loves learning S/A.  
My only complaint is that I wish, given his style of writing, it was much much longer!  It's that good.

Perhaps he will do follow up volumes for us.  

3 comments:

Nic said...

Thank you, Peter! Recommendations are always appreciated.

Sus said...

Thanks. I'm going to order it right now.

Tania Cadogan said...

I have ordered this and the Behavior Analysis and Interviewing Techniques book as well (i can never have enough books)