Investigations

Sometimes when we conduct an investigation, we're so focused on the specific incident or type of crime that was committed that we forget to think outside the box about what else that person could have done. Check out this week's video tip for more.

Often, at the end of an interview, we as the interviewers become mentally drained and exhausted. As a result, we sometimes take shortcuts on the written statement. That's really a dangerous and costly mistake. Check out the video tip for this week - and check out a bonus tip from the archives!

Simply stated, embezzlement involves a breach of trust. The nature of embezzlement can be either minor in nature (for example, a dishonest employee pocketing a few dollars from the cash register), or involve immense sums of money and sophisticated schemes.

Prior to walking in and having the conversation, many people, especially those who have certifications, can define the differences between a fact-finding question and a behavioral question–yet still sometimes during the interview, misplace these.

One of the most commonly held principles of shrinkage reduction, especially for shoplifting deterrence, is achieved by giving good customer service. This idea is...

If you're working a multi-party investigation, I would highly recommend that you use the same pool of questions for each person. You do not want multiple people to be separated during an investigation and find out that different questions were used.

Does technology-based employee monitoring reduce misconduct? Does it dampen or enhance worker productivity? What do you think?

I want to challenge you to broaden your scope when it comes to rationalizations. Think through different topics and rationalizations that you would be willing to wear in public: things like "exhaustion," or "lack of control."

It's amazing how witty we are when it's twenty seconds too late. But when we're in that room and people are uncomfortable, we need to anticipate both emphatic and explanatory denials, handle them properly, and return to rationalization.

In this week’s Wicklander-Zulawski / International Association of Interviewers interview and interrogation training tip, Brett Ward, CFI, divisional vice president for client relations and business development for WZ, kicks off a four-part series on the investigatory interview process.