November 8, 1992 Voice of the People Chicago Tribune 435 N. Michigan Ave. Chicago, IL 6061

November 8, 1992

Voice of the People
Chicago Tribune
435 N. Michigan Ave.
Chicago, IL 60611

To the Editor:

     In the subtitle of your story, "Weird Science" about
"psychic detectives" (Tempo, October 27), the question of "What
can it hurt?" is asked.

     There are several answers.  First, time spent by the police
to follow up on the so-called leads given by "psychics" could be
much better spent doing actual police work.  "Psychic detectives"
generally give many, widely separated "leads".  If one is even
remotely close, they claim credit.  Looking into each of these
"leads" can take hours of police time and return no positive
results.

     Second, and probably more important, is the detrimental
effect that the use of "psychic detectives" can have on the
family involved in the case.  For example, in the case of Tiffany
Sessions, a woman who disappeared from the campus of the
University of Florida, her mother has used approximately 25
"psychics" without any success.  In one case, two "psychics" led
Mrs. Sessions to a field in Gainesville to dig for Tiffany's
body.  When nothing was found, they told her that Tiffany's body
had probably been cut into pieces and burned.  (The information
on this case was reported on the Jan. 27, 1992 "Eye on Tampa Bay"
show on WTVT-TV.)

     Not only do "psychic detectives" provide no help to police,
but it is quite clear that they can be extremely detrimental in
more ways than one.




                                        David Bloomberg