Investigations

It's not uncommon for investigators to see the end goal of an investigation as the interview with the accused subject or involved subject.

The Wicklander-Zulawski (WZ) method is a non-confrontational interview that allows the interviewer to build credibility through a brief introductory statement—and then show understanding through rationalizing.

To the extent possible, it’s good to keep high-value assets and critical material separate from employees, but that’s not always practical.

Even though there's going to be a third person in the room, we need to create a one-on-one conversation with the subject.

At first, this may seem like an issue that involves only the retailer. However, the decision to ignore generally accepted cash and merchandise controls has far-reaching implications.

What's really important when it comes to fact-gathering interviews is an understanding of question formulation. It's necessary to understand when to ask an open-ended, expansion, closed-ended, enticement, assumptive, or even echo question.

Even though we might ultimately deny a request, we don't want to do so in a way that creates an adversarial relationship with the subject. Think about it like this: nobody likes being told no.

"Where the heck is that file? I know I just had it." "It's right over there." I said pointing at the file. Then I noticed my...

A well-crafted statement freezes the moment of the admission or confession, providing the reader a snapshot into the mind of the guilty party.

What we have to remember is that it isn't personal. It's not about us. It's not personal to anyone except the individual who was involved in the incident.