Detective Jon Gould joins the Wicklander-Zulawski platform advancing its Child Protection and Investigative Curriculum

WZ expands advanced training in child abuse investigations, missing and exploited children cases, rules of evidence, detective development, and risk education.

CHICAGO, IL, UNITED STATES, April 15, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Wicklander-Zulawski & Associates, the leading provider of investigative interviewing, professional standards, and human risk education, announced today that Jonathan Gould, along with his child protection and investigative curriculum, is joining the Wicklander-Zulawski platform.

The partnership reflects Wicklander-Zulawski’s deliberate strategy to expand its curriculum with proven experts whose work is grounded in real-world investigative application, operational credibility, and measurable practitioner impact.

Detective Gould began his law enforcement career with the Wichita, Kansas Police Department in 2009, graduating as the top academic achiever in his academy class. He served as a field training officer and worked in both the Special Community Action Team and community policing before being promoted to detective in 2019. Assigned to the Major Crimes Unit, he investigated gangs, homicides, and violent felonies before transferring to the Exploited and Missing Child Unit, where he currently serves.

Gould is widely respected for his expertise in child abuse investigations, rules of evidence, and cases involving missing and exploited children. As a certified ChildFirst Forensic Interviewer, he has conducted hundreds of interviews across more than 1,000 cases, uncovering critical evidence that has supported the successful prosecution of major child physical and sexual abuse investigations.

His curriculum is built on this real-world experience and reinforced by a strong academic and research foundation. Gould holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from Wichita State University and has completed extensive training in science-based interviewing. He has studied hundreds of academic articles and collaborated with researchers from the High-Value Detainee Interrogation Group (HIG) on interviewing tactics.

In 2022, Gould led the development of science-based interviewing curriculum for continuing education at the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center and helped modernize basic training instruction, ensuring new officers are trained in evidence-supported techniques such as rapport-building, question funneling, and the Strategic Use of Evidence.

He has continued to expand his training impact through courses including Investigations 101 and Child Abuse Investigations, and in 2025 developed an online training program for the Child Advocacy Centers of Kansas to improve access for rural investigators. In 2026, he was appointed adjunct faculty in the Criminal Justice program at the University of Kansas, where he will teach forensic interviewing and violent offender coursework.

As part of this partnership, Wicklander-Zulawski will offer a Child Abuse Investigations Course, an advanced program designed to strengthen detective development, improve investigative decision-making, and support professionals working on some of the most sensitive and consequential cases in the field.

The curriculum will immediately support law enforcement while expanding into healthcare, education, child advocacy, and other sectors where investigative rigor, evidence handling, and child protection standards are critical. Gould’s experience training hundreds of officers and serving as an instructor and speaker across regional programs positions him to effectively support this broader audience.

The addition of Detective Gould is part of a broader and highly intentional growth strategy at Wicklander-Zulawski. The organization continues to invest in curriculum that prepares practitioners to perform in real settings, under real pressure, and in cases where the consequences of poor investigative work are significant.

“We are extremely intentional about who we bring onto the Wicklander-Zulawski platform, because our responsibility is not just to grow, it is to protect and strengthen the standards our practitioners, partners, and clients rely on,” said Dave Thompson, CEO of Wicklander-Zulawski & Associates. “Detective Jon Gould brings rare credibility and real-world expertise in child abuse investigations, rules of evidence, and cases involving missing and exploited children.

His decision to join our platform reflects exactly who we are; a proven system built through practical application, not theory developed in isolation. We continue to push the boundaries of advancement by integrating new research, evolving legal and cultural standards, and the realities practitioners face every day in the field. That is what makes Wicklander-Zulawski not just the most proven curriculum in the industry, but the most modern and operationally relevant as well.”

Detective Gould’s addition reflects Wicklander-Zulawski’s commitment to delivering credible, practical training in a market increasingly crowded with repackaged content. This partnership represents more than the addition of a course, it is the continued buildout of a world-class platform focused on investigative interviewing, detective development, child protection, professional standards, and the broader challenges of human risk.

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