Hello, I want to know why the Gilroy Police don’t use a psychic when it comes to looking for that missing mom or teen. They are real, and they do work. It is true. There are other resources besides what they think they know.”
Red Phone: Dear The Truth Is Out There, Police have generally been wary of using psychics when it comes to solving crimes. While there may be some instances where a psychic has claimed success, many law agencies around the world don’t regard them as credible or as being too vague to be any use. Many of their “successes” have been attributed to general investigating or to confirmation bias, a tendency for people to echo back what they already believe.
Their credibility has largely been enhanced through the media and through novels. Newspaper editors foam at the mouth when they get a chance to use headlines like “Psychic Nailed it!”, an actual headline that appeared in the New York Post after psychics allegedly found a body in Long Island, N.Y. Well, that makes for a nice story, but the bodies weren’t found in a shallow grave as predicted. They were found above ground. The physic also mentioned that they would be found “overlooking a body of water”, and that “there was a ‘G’ in a sign nearby.” These locations could be just about anywhere.
While police don’t generally use physics, they may consider what they have to say even if it is with a grain of salt.
“We have not employed or received information from any psychic service,” said GPD Sgt. Chad Gallacinao. “We assess and prioritize all potential investigative leads – which may pertain to cases we investigate.”
The Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Department is following up on several leads including some from psychics in the case of Sierra LaMar, the missing girl from Morgan Hill, said Sheriff Laurie Smith.
But police and families who have been affected have to be careful of fraud. Sometimes people will pose as psychics to try to take advantage of families during their times of grief.
Red Phone is not convinced that psychics have made the impact they have claimed. But if they can help find Sierra, more power to them.
