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If you have a rudimentary understanding of how police interrogation sometimes works (or if you’ve ever watched Law and Order), then you know all about the good cop/bad cop routine. A suspect gets brought in for questioning (ideally without their lawyer present). At first, they refuse to confess or tell the cops what they want to know. One cop gets angry at the suspect, yells at them, maybe roughs them up a little, and describes all the dire consequences that will befall them if they don’t confess.

The other cop then intervenes, tells their abusive partner to stop, sends them out of the interrogation room to cool off, and offers the suspect a cup of coffee or a cigarette. Speaking calmly, the second cop says they understand the terrible bind that the suspect is in and they just want to help, and then they suggest that the smart thing to do is to admit what they did in exchange for gentler treatment. Rattled and desperate, but grateful for the apparent show of sympathy, the suspect tells the good cop whatever they want to know and sometimes even confesses to a crime they didn’t commit. Case closed.

If you have a rudimentary understanding of how police interrogation sometimes works (or if you’ve ever watched Law and Order), then you know all about the good cop/bad cop routine. A suspect gets brought in for questioning (ideally without their lawyer present). At first, they refuse to confess or tell the cops what they want to know. One cop gets angry at the suspect, yells at them, maybe roughs them up a little, and describes all the dire consequences that will befall them if they don’t confess.

The other cop then intervenes, tells their abusive partner to stop, sends them out of the interrogation room to cool off, and offers the suspect a cup of coffee or a cigarette. Speaking calmly, the second cop says they understand the terrible bind that the suspect is in and they just want to help, and then they suggest that........

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