Investigative Tool Helps Get Confessions in Crimes Against Children

December 16, 2025

by Laura L. Sullivan, Public Relations Specialist

Whether they are interviewing someone who is a suspect in a homicide, or an applicant for a sensitive job, a detective’s mission is to sift through any possible deception and uncover the truth. They may do this through conversational techniques, building a rapport, listening carefully, and paying attention to inconsistencies. But there are other tools to help an investigator determine if someone is being completely honest with them.

“Growing up, we’re taught it is better to tell the truth than to lie,” said Sergeant Jane Hanna. “When we lie, we know subconsciously that it’s a problem.” One of the ways the body responds to lying is by constricting the vocal cords. It’s not something you can feel, or even hear when you speak, but the vibrations of your voice are different when you lie than when you tell the truth. This can be measured, graphed, and analyzed by software in a Computer Voice Stress Analysis (CVSA.)

Sergeant Hanna is one of three people at the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) who are certified to administer the CVSA. Just like the polygraph, it can be used as a pre-employment screening tool, but it can also be extremely valuable in criminal investigations. It is most often used in cases investigated by the Crimes Against Children Unit. “When we investigate possession of child sexual abuse material, we also need to know if there were any victims that the suspect had in-person physical contact with,” Sergeant Hanna said.

Detectives in the Crimes Against Children Unit will conduct a full investigation, and frequently when they get to the point of speaking with the suspect, they deny everything. “So we can ask them if they would be willing to take a truth verification exam,” Sergeant Hanna said. “They often agree, hoping to demonstrate their innocence.”

The person who administers the CVSA isn’t involved in the investigation, to eliminate any bias. They are usually a detective working in another unit – Sergeant Hanna used to be a CAC detective, but she now works in the Administrative Investigations Division. “Before the interview, we’ll meet with the case agent to determine what they want to find out. We don’t learn all the details of the case, we just know the allegations, and what questions need to be answered in this test.” CVSA is only used for suspects, never for victims.

The process is very similar to the polygraph. First Sergeant Hanna builds rapport, helps them get comfortable, goes over the release form, and administers or reviews Miranda rights. The test generally consists of nine questions, all in yes/no format. There are three different types of questions – relevant, irrelevant, and control. “There are two relevant questions that pertain to the investigation.” These will ask specifically if the person did the thing they are suspected of.

There are also two control questions. “Those are questions that we instruct them to lie on.” The question is something simple and straightforward. If the wall of the room where they’re taking the test is white, the question will be is this wall white? The suspect is instructed to say no.

The five irrelevant questions are ones that they both know are true. Are we sitting down, is your name John, am I wearing a watch, are we in the city of Largo. The suspect will know all nine questions ahead of time.

CVSA is less intrusive than a polygraph, just a microphone clipped on the subject’s collar instead of wires and cuffs. When they answer yes or no to each question, the microphone picks up their voice and the software analyzes it, graphing the results. It only considers the yes or no answers, not any of the suspect’s other speech. The program analyzes the graph, and Sergeant Hanna is also trained to interpret the results. With honest answers, the graph rises, peaks, and falls, looking a little like a Christmas tree. Answers that indicate the stress that comes with deception graph with a flatter peak. Sergeant Hanna says it looks a little like Bart Simpson’s hair.

When the CVSA indicates deception, it gives investigators an opportunity to challenge the suspect’s story. Often when they are confronted with a graph of their own voice that shows they may be lying, they decide to confess. Though CVSA generally isn’t admissible in court, any admissions that come from being challenged by indications of deception on the CVSA are admissible. When people commit crimes against children and other crimes, CVSA is an investigative tool that can lead to confessions and convictions.

Remember to Stop for School Buses

by Laura L. Sullivan, Public Relations Specialist

When it comes to stopping for school buses, you probably have the best intentions. Nobody wants to put our children at risk when they get on or off the bus. But confusion about exactly when to stop, combined with distracted driving, can put kids in danger.

School buses do their best to attract your attention and make their intentions clear so you can make safe and legal choices when you’re driving near them. They’re a high-visibility orange-yellow with their own official paint color: National School Bus Glossy Yellow. The color is designed to be easily spotted, even in a driver’s peripheral vision. Buses have amber lights that flash as the bus is approaching a stop, to warn other drivers of its intention. When the bus stops to let kids on or off it will display red flashing lights and extend the stop signs from the side.

“You have to be stopped when the lights turn red,” said Deputy Sabrina Hazime of the Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP). “They flash yellow for a while first as a signal that the bus is about to stop, so drivers have plenty of warning to completely stop. Then they should stay stopped until the stop bar closes and the red lights stop flashing.”

In most circumstances it is mandatory to stop for a stopped school bus. Any time you travel in the same direction behind a bus that has its stop signs out and red lights flashing, you need to come to a full stop behind the bus.

Frequently, you are also required to stop when you are traveling in the opposite direction as the bus. On a two lane road – that is, one lane going in each direction – vehicles traveling in both directions must stop. On multi-lane roads where there is no division and the center is paved, vehicles in both directions must stop too. Many roads such as this have a center turn lane with no curb.

The only circumstances in which a vehicle traveling in the opposite direction of a stopped school bus doesn’t have to stop is when there is a physical barrier, a raised median, or an unpaved space at least five feet wide. Even then, drivers heading in the other direction should be aware of the bus and drive with enhanced caution. Think of it this way: if the road is continuous and you could drive across it unimpeded, you must stop in both directions. There is no circumstance in which a vehicle behind the bus doesn’t have to stop.

School bus stops are supposed to be set up so that kids don’t have to cross busy streets, but kids can be unpredictable. “You don’t know what side the child is going to go to,” Deputy Hazime said. “They may run right across the street, so it’s important that both sides stop.”

Deputies keep an eye on bus stops to enforce the law and keep kids safe. Some bus stops rarely have a problem, but other locations have frequent violations. Deputy Hazime has heard every excuse in the book. Drivers may forget that a central turn lane doesn’t count as a divided road, and not stop in the opposite direction. “A lot of people try to beat the bus – like they might try to beat a red light – and speed up when the lights are yellow,” Deputy Hazime said. “But the yellow lights are telling you to slow down. Just stop for the bus.” An excuse she’s heard surprisingly often is that the driver is late for their tee time. But there’s no excuse for not stopping for a school bus and protecting kids.

Violators face a $373 fine for their first offense, and although deputies will sometimes issue a warning instead of a citation for other moving violations, school bus laws are so vital that violators are rarely cut any slack.

School buses are remarkably safe, and in fact are statistically the safest way to transport kids to school, having overall far fewer crashes than personally owned vehicles. Every year there are an average of 108 fatalities related to school bus crashes, but the majority of those are occupants of other vehicles. But despite the many safety advances on school buses and the laws designed to protect kids, young pedestrians are still being hit by vehicles that fail to stop for buses. Make sure you stop for school buses and let kids get on, off, and cross the street safely.