Jim Smyth

Detective-Sergeant Jim Smyth began his career with the York Regional Police (in Ontario, Canada) in 1988 before joining the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) in 1997. His interest was working in the Violent Crimes Division. In 2003, Smyth completed the International Criminal Investigative Analysis Fellowship Understudy Program, resulting in certification as a criminal profiler. In 2006, Jim completed the Canadian Police College Polygraph Examiner's course resulting in his certification as a forensic polygraph examiner and forensic interviewer. Smyth's interrogation techniques have earned the attention of other police agencies, law school classrooms, and even the general public. Many people, such as journalist Michelle Lund, have commented that Smyth's soft-spoken interrogations (before he goes for the throat, trampling the criminal's arrogant certainty that Smyth can be fooled) are now literally textbook examples. Probably the most famous example is Smyth's 9-hour interrogation of Colonel Russell Williams. Smyth showed no sweat, no anxiety; but within an hour, kidnapper/rapist/murderer Williams was telling lies every which way but loose, while his body language confessed that he was lying; and halfway through the afternoon, Williams cracked and confessed to all his crimes. In 2007 Smyth began working with the Ontario Provincial Police force's Polygraph Unit, Behavioural Sciences and Analysis Services. Smyth has also taught forensic interviewing and forensic behavioural science at Toronto's Seneca College. In December, 2011, it was announced that Smyth was assigned to the Criminal Behavioural Analysis Section of the Ontario Provincial Police and is the Unit Coordinator for the four member Polygraph Unit. In 2012, Smyth was recently promoted to the OPP's major Criminal Investigations Branch as a major case manager.