Agency: HSCA
Originator: HSCA
From: BENTLEY, PAUL L.
Document date: 5/4/78
Document type: SUMMARY

## Page 1

JFK Assassination System

Identification Form

Agency Information

AGENCY: HSCA

RECORD NUMBER: 180-10105-10391

RECORD SERIES: NUMBERED FILES

AGENCY FILE NUMBER: 014454

Document Information

ORIGINATOR: HSCA

FROM: BENTLEY, PAUL L.

TO:

TITLE:

DATE:

PAGES:

SUBJECTS :

05/04/1978

5

BENTLEY, PAUL L.

DALLAS POLICE DEPARTMENT

TIPPITT, J; SHOOTING

OSWALD, LEE; ACTIVITIES OF 22-24 NOVEMBER 1963

POLYGRAPH TESTS

GREEN, LOUIS

DOCUMENT TYPE: SUMMARY

CLASSIFICATION:

Unclassified

RESTRICTIONS:

3

CURRENT STATUS:

Redact

DATE OF LAST REVIEW:

10/25/1995

OPENING CRITERIA:

COMMENT'S

Box 258.

v9.1

HH 54756

1

DocId: 32261322

Page 1

Date:

10/7/201

Released under the John

F. Kennedy

assassination Recorda

Collection Act of 1992

144 USC 2107 Notel .

Case#:NW 54756 Date:

40-31-2017

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## Page 2

014454

KENNEDY

INVESTIGATION INTERVIEW SCHEDULE

1. Identifying Information:

Name PaUL L BENTLEY

Address 9010 DUNMORE

City/State DALLAS, TEX

Date of Birth_ 6-29-21

social security 457-12-5378

2. Physical Description:

Height

Weight

Ethnic Group

Date _MAY 4,1978

1:450M:

Place RESIDENCE

Telephone 349-0795

Mors married

spouse Quenta Mozzele

children 1 fon

Color Eyes-

Hair

Special Characteristics

3.

Personal History:

Present Employment: 1E natl Baul in Dallas

Address_ 1401 Elm St.

Telephone 214/344-8242

b. Criminal Record

I. Arrests

2. Convictions

4. Additional Personal-Information:

a. Relative(s) : Name

Address

b. Area frequented:

c. Remarks:

Investigator

Ital Jough Bolei

NH 54756 DocId: 32261322 Pagate

Form #4-B

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SELECT COMMITTEE ON ASSASSINATIONS

NAME

Paul L. Bentley

Address_9010 Dunmore

Date_ 5/4/78

Place Residence

Iime 7:45PM

Dallas, Texas

Interview:

On this date, Staff Investigators John J. Basteri

and Albert Maxwell interviewed Paul I. Bentley regarding his

position as a polygraph operator with the Dallas Police Depart-

ment during the period of 1963.

Mr. Bentley is now retired from the Dallas Police

Department after twenty-one years of service. The major portion

of his service with the Department was spent as a polygraph

operator.

From October, 1951 to December, 1951 he attended

the Polygraphy School under the tutilage of D. W. E. Wheeler

which certified him as a qualified examiner. Beginning from

January, 1952 Mr. Bentley began his duties as a polygraph operator

for the Dallas Police Department. During this period he not only

performed these duties for the DPD, but also was called to assist

in polygraph tests for the Dallas Sheriff's Department, Dallas

County, all Texas police departments and for the bordering states.

He did this work for these units for four to five years until

such time when these departments obtained their own polygraph

operators. Mr. Bentley, while the Chief Polygraph Operator for

Signaturé

Basteri

(Typed)

Albert Maxwell

Date Transcribed May 17; 1978

NH 54756 DocLjr02261322 Page. 3

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## Page 4

Bentley interview

Page two

DPD did perform,along with his two assistants up to 1200 poly-

graphs per month. Because of this, he testified many times as

a polygraph expert and has handled almost every type of offense in

the penal code.

After Ruby's killing of Oswald, Mr. Bentley was

called to examine from eight to ten persons including police

officers and civilians. He could not recall the names of any

of those examined. Mr. Bentley did not remember the name of

Napoleon J. Daniels. After his memory was refreshed, he did

recall examining P. O. Vaughn. He believes, although he was

not certain, that the decision as to who was to be examined

was made from the office of Captain Fritz.' Also, he does not

remember anyone failing these examinations with the exception

of failing on only one or two questions. All records pertaining

to these examinations should be on file with the DPD. These

exams, when given, were conducted in a room with only the person

given the test and the person giving the test present. Adjacent

to the examining room, was an observation room and present in

this room at times was another polygraph operator and the person

requesting the examination. In this room all procedures could

be viewed and heard. The person being examined was not aware

of this room.

During the course of this interview it was learned

that when Bentley entered the department he was immediately

placed in the undercover unit. As such, he had firsthand knowledge

of the criminal activity in the Dallas area. While on this

HH 54756 DocId: 32261322 Page 4

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## Page 5

Bentley interview

Page three

assignment, he reported only to Officers Ganaway and Butler.

Mr. Bentley only recalls the Lois Green gang as having any

control in criminal activities in the Dallas area and surrounding

communities.

He knew of no other organization having any

control over crime in Dallas. The gang members he recalls were

Lois Green, Cecil Green, Nick Cascio, Jack Todd and R. D. Matthews.

He has never heard Jack Ruby's name mentioned in connection with

this organization.

The extent of their criminal activities

was gambling, burglaries, safe cracking, narcotics and women,

When we mentioned John Grizzaffi's name, Bentley described him

as a gambler, but not in the same league as the Green

gang. This

gang was disbanded when Lois Green was murdered by a gunman with

a shotgun in front of the Sky Club on Fort Worth Avenue. Jack

Todd, according to Bentley, was suspected for this killing for

a long time. Bentley does not recall any new gang forming to

replace the Green group.

Bentley stated that as the Chief Polygraph operator

at no time was there any scandal attached to the Dallas Police

Department. If such an investigation did exist he would be

called upon to examine members of the DPD involved in such a

scandal. The only scandal he does recall was the examination of

a Lieutenant and a police officer who were dismissed for stealing

suits during the commission of a burglary.

In the course of our interview, Bentley related

that he had been called to examine the auto of Officer J. D. Tippitt

HH 54756 DocId: 32261322 Page 5

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## Page 6

Bentley interview

Page four

for any signs of fingerprints.

We asked him about the window

on the passenger side of Tippitt's auto. At first, Bentley

replied that he believed the window was opened, but then stated

that the window may have been partially closed because he

faintly recalls taking some prints off the top of the window.

While there, word came over the police radio notifying that the

possible killer of Officer Tippitt was in the Texas Theatre.

He then proceeded to the theatre entering through the front

entrance while the other officer went into the building through

the rear. Bentley immediately went upstairs to the projection

room and requested that they put on the theatre lights.

Bentley

then went downstairs and saw Officer McDonald walking up the isle

from the front to the rear of the theatre. He then saw a male,

later identified as Lee Harvey Oswald, who was seated, get up and

draw a gun. Bentley said he was only a few rows back and he

jumped towards Lee Harvey Oswald and he and McDonäld subdued

him.

In doing so Bentley had injured his leg.

After disarming

Oswald, he was placed in the patrol car and taken back to head-

quarters. At the time they did not know that Lee Harvey Oswald

was also a suspect in the killing of President Kennedy. In the

search, Bentley had removed Oswald's wallet which contained

numerous identifications. Oswald denied doing anything wrong.

He made no other statement at this time.

HN 54756 DooId:32261322 Page 6

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