This week’s International Association of Interviewers interview and interrogation training tip provided by Wicklander-Zulawski, has Tammy Clark, CFI, CFE, manager of online and simulated training for WZ, addressing the question of when an investigation is truly over.
Whether an anonymous complaint comes in, or someone approaches us internally, or we see an anomaly in an exception report, when we as investigators are tipped off to something that’s happening that should not be, we know it’s time to conduct an investigation.
It’s not uncommon for investigators to see the end goal of an investigation as the interview with the accused subject or involved subject.
Challenge yourself to look beyond that interview. When we as investigators go into the interview room, no matter what evidence we have or what investigation has been done up to that point, it is not guaranteed that we know the outcome of the conversation. We don’t always know everything.
Don’t look at the interview as the endgame, or the last and final step of the investigation. The investigation should continue beyond the interview. Take the information you’ve obtained in the interview and look at your evidence. Look at what additional information you could obtain. Can you corroborate what the subject said? Can you debunk it?
We need to continue beyond the interview room and make sure we are validating the information we’ve obtained and corroborating the evidence we already have. Otherwise, we need to make a different assessment about what the end decision should be.
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.
To learn more, visit www.w-z.com or www.certifiedinterviewer.com .