In this week’s WZ / IAI interview and interrogation training tip, Dave Thompson, CFI discusses the importance of the witness in an interview, and specifically covers the factors in selecting the witness. A witness can play an important role in the interview, from recording notes, providing supplemental statements of what occurred as well as potentially being a subject matter expert.
When deciding who to utilize as a witness there are a lot of variables to consider such as; gender, supervisory level as well as relationship status. For example, a witness that is overly sympathetic or friendly with the subject, it may create an obstacle in which they would not want to disappoint the witness when admitting to their wrongdoings. It is also important to evaluate the potential implications during the development of a confession, and that the witness is not somebody that could be involved. A witness is an important piece of any interview to provide an unbiased reporting of the facts, the proper planning should take place before selecting a person to fill this key role.
Every loss prevention investigator should continuously strive to enhance their investigative interviewing skills as part of an ongoing commitment to best-in-class interviewing performance. This includes holding ourselves to an elite standard of interview and interrogation training that is ethical, moral and legal while demanding excellence in the pursuit of the truth. The International Association of Interviewers (IAI) and Wicklander-Zulawski (WZ) provide interview and interrogation training programs and additional guidance to investigators when dealing with dishonest employees, employee theft, sexual harassment, policy violations, building rapport, pre-employment interviewing, lying, denials and obtaining a statement.
By focusing on the latest information and research from experts in the field as well as academia, legal and psychological resources, these video tips provide interview and interrogation training techniques that can enhance the skill sets of professionals with backgrounds in Law Enforcement, Loss Prevention, Security, Asset Protection, Human Resources, Auditors or anyone looking to obtain the truth.