In this episode of Zone 7, Sheryl McCollum is joined by retired Secret Service agent and polygraph examiner Brad Beeler to discuss what 25 years of talking with suspects, witnesses, victims, and some of the worst offenders taught him about getting people to open up and tell the truth. Brad covers why trust has to come before truth, the damage one accusatory word can do to a conversation, and how respect gets people to open up faster than pressure ever will. He also shares practical signs that may indicate deception, why sometimes the best thing you can do is stop talking and listen, and how the same principles he relied on in high-stakes investigations can help anyone become a better communicator.

Highlights:

(0:00) Sheryl McCollum introduces retired Secret Service agent Brad Beeler and the moment she saw his commitment to a cold case firsthand

(5:30) Why making people feel heard, respected, and genuinely listened to can change a conversation

(8:00) The worst thing you can call someone when you are trying to get the truth

(10:00) Why Brad aims to listen 80% of the time and what investigators can learn when they stop talking

(15:45) “Create a space where truth feels safe enough to emerge”

(17:45) Why even the worst offenders have to be treated with respect if investigators want answers

(21:30) How Brad evaluates possible deception without relying on a single supposed ‘tell’

(23:15) Turning a story into a yes-or-no question to test whether someone will stand behind what they said

(24:30) Delayed answers, vocal inflection, overly specific responses, and qualifying words that may signal deception

(27:15) Why respect matters more than rapport when you have little in common with someone

(28:30) What protecting foreign dignitaries taught Brad about professional respect across cultural and political divides

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Brad Beeler is a retired U.S. Secret Service agent and polygraph examiner with 25 years of experience conducting high-stakes interviews and investigations. Named Secret Service Special Agent of the Year, he is also a recipient of the Director’s Service Award and Forensic Hero Award and a former instructor at the National Center for Credibility Assessment. He is the author of Tell me Everything: A Secret Service Agent’s Proven Strategies for Earning Trust, Revealing Truth, and Communicating with Anyone.|

Sheryl “Mac” McCollum is an active crime scene investigator for a metro Atlanta police department and the director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, which partners with colleges and universities nationwide. With more than four decades of experience, she has worked on thousands of cold cases using her investigative system, The Last 24/361, which integrates evidence, media, and advanced forensic testing.

Her work on high-profile cases, including The Boston Strangler, Natalie Holloway, Tupac Shakur and the Moore’s Ford Bridge lynching, led to her Emmy Award for CSI: Atlanta and induction into the National Law Enforcement Hall of Fame in 2023.

Social Links:

Email: coldcase2004@gmail.com

X: @ColdCaseTips

Facebook: @sheryl.mccollum

Instagram: @officialzone7podcast

TikTok: @Sheryl.McCollum

Sheryl’s new book, Swans Don’t Swim in a Sewer: Solving the Cold Case of the Flint River Killer’s Daughter, is available now wherever books are sold.