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WZ Articles

Welcome!
April 28, 2017|by Dave Thompson CFIPast, Present and Future
The foundation of our story begins in 1982 with two pioneers in the industry, Dave Zulawski and Doug Wicklander.  Taking the first major steps in the world of non-confrontational interviewing 35 years ago was not always an easy path, but one of evolution, adaptability and growth.  Throughout the last few...
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Police Interviewing, Professional Development
April 26, 2017|by Tom McGreal, CFILaw Enforcement is a Profession, Change is Constant, and People Fear Change
In January of 1977 this author reported to the Chicago Police Academy as a recruit and in June of 2006 he retired as a Detective. In May of 2008, this same author was hired by the Cook County State Attorney’s Office, spending the next six years as an investigator. Having...
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Interview Strategies
April 26, 2017|by Tammy Clark CFE CFIWhat’s Trust Got To Do With It?
Trust is an important aspect at all levels of an investigation.  Your supervisors and business partners must trust that you will conduct your investigation in-line with your organization’s policies and procedures.  Similarly, the victims or complainants must trust you are taking their report seriously and will investigate it accordingly.  Just...
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Interview Strategies
March 15, 2017|by Chris Norris CFIManaging Your Emotions During an Interview
Emotions can run the full gamut for both parties involved in an investigative interview.  Both the interviewer and the subject may feel the push and pull of a wide range of emotions.  From happiness to sadness, fear and surprise, disgust, anger and even contempt, the interview process can produce the...
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False Confessions
February 22, 2017|by Dave Thompson CFII Did It?! Why Innocent People Confess
It is hard to imagine why someone would confess to something they didn’t do. To voluntarily provide information that results in incarceration, embarrassment, loss of employment, restitution or loss of freedom seems unfathomable. However, not only are there several cases of this actually occurring but it continues to happen throughout...
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False Confessions, Interview Methods
February 22, 2017|by Dave Thompson CFIThe Making a Murderer Effect
Interrogation methods used improperly can cause a multitude of issues including involuntary or false confessions and make it increasingly difficult to identify the truth or obtain reliable information in an investigation.  This topic has been widely discussed in the recent months due to the popular Netflix documentary "Making a Murderer"...
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Behavior Interpretation
February 3, 2017|by Wayne Hoover CFILies, lies and more lies …the clever brain that lets liars get away easily!
Study shows lying gets easier for those who lie repeatedly!  A new brain study recently published in Nature Neuroscience focuses on the effects of lying on the amygdala, a small tucked-away part of the brain that processes negative emotions. Using live human volunteers who were incentivized to lie repeatedly, the...
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Loss Prevention, Professional Development
November 30, 2016|by Dave Thompson CFI5 Tips for Surviving the Holidays
This can be a stressful yet profitable time for the retail industry and, unfortunately, a season that can cause even the most vested employee to feel under-appreciated and overworked. 
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Behavior Interpretation, Body Language
October 27, 2016|by Dave Thompson CFIBurke Ramsey: A Lesson in Behavior Interpretation
If you have turned on your TV in the last couple of weeks or logged in to any form of social media, you would have seen that there are several “experts” suggesting different theories of what happened twenty years ago in the case of JonBenét Ramsey. There are a variety...
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Body Language
October 12, 2016|by Dave Thompson CFIDebating Body Language
If you are like me, it is getting more and more difficult to watch anything related to the current political affairs in the United States. However, it is a crucial election and a time when all of us want to be well informed of where we are and how we...
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