Skilled police interrogation tactics can lead even innocent people to falsely confess

A California man named Thomas Perez Jr. received a $900,000 settlement from the city of Fontana after enduring a harrowing 17-hour police interrogation in 2018[1][3][5].

Key details of the case:

- Perez reported his 71-year-old father missing after he didn't return from walking the dog[1].

- Police interrogated Perez for 17 hours, falsely claiming they had found his father's body and pressuring him to confess[1][3].

- Officers denied Perez sleep, medication, and threatened to euthanize his dog[1][3].

- Under extreme duress, Perez falsely confessed to killing his father and attempted suicide in the interrogation room[1][5].

- Perez's father was found alive at Los Angeles International Airport, but police did not immediately inform Perez[3][5].

- Perez filed a federal civil rights lawsuit, alleging unconstitutional psychological torture[1].

U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee stated that "a reasonable juror could conclude that [the detectives] inflicted unconstitutional psychological torture on Perez"[1]. The judge noted Perez was "sleep deprived, mentally ill, and significantly undergoing symptoms of withdrawal from his psychiatric medications" during the interrogation[3].

Perez's attorney, Jerry Steering, called it "the most egregious act of deliberate cruelty" he had witnessed in 40 years of practice[2]. He emphasized how skilled police interrogation tactics can lead even innocent people to falsely confess[3].

Three of the four officers involved in Perez's case remain employed with the Fontana Police Department, while one has retired[1]. The case highlights ongoing concerns about police interrogation techniques and their potential to produce false confessions, even from adults[1].

Citations:
[1] https://reason.com/2024/05/28/california-man-gets-900000-settlement-for-...
[2] https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/fontana-pays-900000-settlement-a...
[3] https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/may/24/california-fonta...
[4] https://www.reddit.com/r/AskConservatives/comments/1d94xho/what_do_you_t...
[5] https://www.sbsun.com/2024/05/23/fontana-pays-nearly-900000-for-psycholo...