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Posted on July 21, 2015 by Dean Benard
For investigators, the report is everything. Investigators are not on the stand for every case, and most cases do not even make it to a hearing. Thus, the investigator’s reputation relies on his or her report.
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Posted on July 14, 2015 by Dean Benard
To avoid claims of incompetence, investigators should implement evidence procedures and follow them. They need to make sure all evidence is dated and use some form of case management. For documentation, investigators must ensure they have backup. They should scan documents or make extra copies with dates and times for all interviews and documents for each case file, and log every phone call for every case file.
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Posted on July 7, 2015 by Dean Benard
Investigators-even if they understand the line between appropriate conduct and misconduct and would never cross it-can still be accused of misconduct, such as coercion, threats, and intimidation to obtain information. To protect themselves from such accusations, investigators should record their interviews, as long as their client doesn’t object. However, recording is a two-way street.
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Posted on June 30, 2015 by Dean Benard
Accusations of incompetence can result from poor record keeping and note taking, inaccurate or unclear report writing, failure to consider all sources of information and failure to meet timelines.
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Posted on June 23, 2015 by Dean Benard
An investigator’s career depends on maintaining integrity and credibility in the eyes of others. If an investigator’s integrity is in question, his or her effectiveness is compromised, perhaps forever.
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Posted on June 16, 2015 by Dean Benard
Investigators must always be vigilant on the issue of confidentiality. It is often necessary to share information that some might suggest is confidential, but to complete an interview or gather relevant documentation investigators may need to share some information.
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Posted on June 9, 2015 by Dean Benard
A conflict of interest arises when a person has c
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Posted on June 2, 2015 by Dean Benard
Investigators can be accused of not being fair, of not looking at all the facts, and of drawing conclusions instead of investigating facts. Sometimes, the investigator’s motivation or alleged motivation may be called into question based on certain assumptions and beliefs related to his or her cultural background or gender or that of the individuals who are party to the investigation.
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Posted on May 26, 2015 by Dean Benard
Over the years I have had many interesting discussions on the advantages and potential disadvantages of recording investigative interviews. I have tried to look at all sides of the issue and have written about topic in the past. I thought it was about time I revisit this topic and make a case for recording.
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Posted on May 19, 2015 by Dean Benard
Locating people of interest (sometimes referred to as “Skip Tracing"), is an investigative technique skilled investigators use to locate an individual for various reasons and purposes. The investigators at Benard + Associates have the experience and expertise to locate people in all situations. This service is requested daily by our regulatory clients and lawyers.
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