Originally published on LinkedIn · March 2017.
Full disclosure: I am not an expert in investigative interviewing. I am a practitioner — one with over 20 years of corporate security experience that includes this work — and that is a distinction that matters.
I have trained through The Reid Technique’s basic and advanced programs. I have studied with other industry experts. And if there is one thing I can tell you clearly: if you do not know how to conduct proper investigative interviewing, please do not do it. I have begged this of colleagues. The damage from a poorly conducted interview — to the case, to the individual, to the organization — is real and often irreversible.
It Is a Technique, Not a Recipe
Great, high-integrity investigative interviewing is hard. It requires skill. It requires talent. And it requires adaptive technique — the ability to read the human being in front of you and adjust in real time.
I have never applied The Reid Technique exactly as it is taught. I do not know any experienced practitioner who has. That is not a critique of Reid — it is a reality of how human interaction works. What Reid and the other great frameworks give you is a foundation: a principled approach built on decades of research and refinement. What you build on that foundation depends on your experience, your judgment, and your integrity.
I blend multiple methodologies. I have corrected my own interviews. I have corrected others’ problematic work. Learning never stops in this field.
On the Professionals Who Built This Field
I want to acknowledge the people whose work I respect in this space:
- The Reid Technique team — for the integrity and research quality behind their training programs
- Don Rabon — whose classes I strongly recommend for their depth and practical application
- Wicklander and Zulawski — acknowledged for prioritizing ethical, evidence-based education within law enforcement and corporate security
These practitioners have dedicated their professional lives to raising the standard of this work. They deserve the credit, and those who want to do this work well should study them.
The Core Message
A checklist cannot replace judgment. A script cannot replace human connection. Effective investigative interviewing happens in the space between those tools — where a skilled, experienced, high-integrity practitioner reads the person in front of them and makes sound decisions in real time.
If you are doing this work, invest in your training. Take it seriously. And always, always lead with integrity.