Although they admitted to stealing “X” amount, we believe the theft to be much higher.
If you have ever written, or said, the above statement, then this article is for you. While we may never know the exact dollar amount of a particular theft situation, we should always strive to obtain the most accurate amount through our interviews. I have found that most interviewers do well in obtaining admission, seeking truthful answers, and communicating their findings to the company, however, when it comes to reporting the dollar losses, we often fall far short.
When I attended my first class on interview and interrogation (W-Z 1992), I fell into the trap of focusing my attention on obtaining the admission/seeking the truth and the rest of the process got lost. Once the subject made their admission, everything else went blank. The more interviews I conducted and the more training that I attended, the more I realized that while the admission is important, I needed to show the whole picture, not just a small piece of it. I learned the importance of note taking and mapping out their statements to developing the admissions.
I created a system to track the amounts of clothing or money stolen while keeping it simple. When conducting an interview, notetaking must be done efficiently without distracting from listening to what the subject is saying. Also knowing that my notes may be used in criminal or civil proceedings, I needed them to be easily read without misinterpretation.
I developed a pattern of questions that elicit the best responses and, along with taking detailed notes and filling out a “Merchandise Worksheet”, the subjects’ written statements became much more detailed and complete.
My subjects’ statements went from, “I stole $10,000 worth of clothes” to, “I recall stealing 14 pairs of men’s jeans at $69.99 each, 17 men’s polo shirts at $49.99 each…I sold the jeans on (specific website/app)…I gave the shirts to my cousin for his business…I gave the jackets as Christmas presents to…” I think we all would agree that the latter is a much better statement. With that end in mind, I asked myself, “How do I get them to tell me all that detail?” The answer is simply to ask them. Therefore, I started asking, “What did you do with the product?” “Did you sell it or give it to other people?” “Who did you give it or sell it to?” You will no doubt recognize the framing of the question where either response is an admission. Those questions are as much for me as they are for the subject. The subjects realize that their initial admission is low and allow me to expand the admission.
Once we determined who the merchandise was for, if they sold it, where did they sell it, how much did they sell it for, we had to determine, as closely as possible, how much they recalled stealing and that is where the Merchandise Worksheet comes into play. The Merchandise Worksheet assists their recollection of each item, how many and what the cost was. To clarify, the worksheet is a table with columns. Our stores sell men’s, women’s and children’s clothes, those are the column headers. The first column however is the type of merchandise (i.e., short sleeve shirts, long sleeve shirts, hats, pants, etc.). It is just a matter of asking the right questions, such as, “How many men’s shorts sleeve shirts do you recall stealing?” This is followed up with questions to describe the various short sleeve shirts in the store (i.e., t-shirts, polo shirts, dress shirts, etc.) along with the price of each item. After going through all the items and prices, the total is generally higher than their initial admission.
When the interview is complete and the statement is written, the numbers rarely surprise the subject as they have discussed each item in detail. Developing the admission by asking follow up questions and documenting their responses on the Merchandise Worksheet led to a dramatic increase, from their original admission. By obtaining the detailed explanations, it also allows the interviewer to substantiate the admissions once the interview has concluded. While no one remembers every item, the statements have become more reflective of the true losses. Additionally, by going over the questions and their responses with them, it reduces the chance of false confessions. Most subjects are going to be unable to answer questions consistently if they are not being honest.
Interviewing is an art and we must be creative in order to succeed and grow. We should regularly review our processes and address areas of opportunity. The methods I have described have consistently demonstrated measurable success for me over the past 9 years. No one person has all the answers so by sharing the best practices I have developed with the IAI community, I am hopeful that you will do the same. If you have suggestions, success stories, comments, concerns or improvements, please pass them along. I look forward to hearing from you. $
(Editor’s Note: This article was first published in the Certified Forensic Interviewer (CFI) Insider Newsletter earlier this year. The writer, Greg Edwards, CFI is a friend and colleague. If you would like to contact Greg directly, you can do so at: GregEdwards@pvh.com)
