ABSTRACT
Fact-finders conducting workplace investigations have six fundamental investigative methodologies at their disposal:
■ Physical surveillance ■ Electronic surveillance ■ Research and audit ■ Forensic analysis ■ Undercover ■ Interviews and interrogations
It is the responsibility of the investigative team to select the appropriate methodologies and use them properly to achieve the investigation’s objectives. Although each method of investigation may be used alone, the best investigative results are usually achieved by combining them in some logical fashion. The fact pattern of a particular situation combined with the skills and experiences of the investigative team should determine which methods should be used and in which order. In some situations these decisions will be intuitively obvious. In some situations the task will be more difficult. The investigative team may need to ponder the applicability of each method and its practicality relative to the achievement of the project’s objectives. For example, if the matter under investigation is the vandalism of employee restrooms, electronic surveillance (specifically covert cameras) might at first blush seem to be an appropriate method of identifying the perpetrator(s). However, upon closer examination it becomes obvious that the use of cameras in restrooms has privacy implications and may be very inappropriate. Additionally, the investigative team should realize that even appropriate methods may not be practical or even work if used. For example, while undercover may appear appropriate to solve the vandalism problem described above, it may not be practical because of the location of the restroom and its accessibility to nonemployees.
