It appears that near-$4 gas prices are here to stay. Who knows, they may even go higher. If this is the case, all of us are going to feel the squeeze. But this does not mean that we can avoid uncovering spousal or domestic-partner infidelity, identifying employee misconduct among mobile workers, locating and serving subpoenas, documenting workers’ compensation fraud, and so on. It simply means, unfortunately, we must make (sometimes painful) adjustments to our habits in order to do business in an economy with higher energy costs.
Private investigators are feeling the pinch too. The cost of operating a private investigations business requires ongoing continuing education, state licensing, liability and auto insurance, office rent, database fees, advertising, and so on. High fuel costs, just like in most professions and business, means less money to pay for unforeseen personal or business-related expenses. Investigators have always charged money for travel expenses related to the cost of an investigation, but this only partly recaptures the full expense of vehicle wear and tear and fuel. In short, the investigators and their clients share the expenses related to “mileage fees.” However, due to high fuel costs, many investigators have been unable to absorb all of the additional expense and have had to raise their mileage rates, or institute special surcharged fuel prices go above $4 per gallon. This unfortunately is not good for the client, and therefore not good for an investigators long-term business interests. In this blog, I would like to share with readers what they can do to save money. By working to save money for themselves, I believe clients will also help the investigator save fuel and vehicle maintenance. Though the tactics below may cost the investigator a few hours of surveillance time—savings passed onto the client—any lost surveillance or investigative work will be offset by saving on fuel. By sharing some strategies that will help our clients money, investigators will not only use less fuel (hey, it’s good for the environment), but will have better investigative outcomes. Thus, by heeding the three pieces of advice below, we believe our clients will help us create a win-win situation.
Chance are, you have a wifi network in your home. According to the Wi-Fi Alliance, an estimated 201 million households worldwide use WiFi networks. While many people properly lock down their Wi-Fi networks, several people do not. According to a recent poll conducted by the Alliance, 32% of 18 to 32 year olds acknowledged trying to access a Wi-Fi network that wasn’t theirs.
While some people, such as cyber libertarians, do not lock down their network for ideological reasons, others simply do not know how to protect themselves. Leaving your WiFi network exposed can create serious financial and legal problems. A recent Associated Press article reported that Barry Covert, a Buffalo, New York homeowner, was awoke in the middle of the night by a SWAT unit with an arrest warrant. They believed he was a child pornographer who went by the name “Doldrum.” After being arrested, Covert continued to proclaim his innocence, though he had to prove that he was not who the investigators thought. After searching through his personal computers,the police ultimately determined that Covert had been telling the truth–”About a week later, agents arrested a 25-year-old neighbor and charged him with distribution of child pornography. The case is pending in federal court.” Cover was lucky, but the article reports on other cases, showing that this is not an uncommon problem. Orin Kerr, a professor at George Washington University Law School, notes that this is one reason to secure a WiFi network: “Whether you’re guilty or not, you look like the suspect.” We’ve already blogged, to some degree, on this topic for businesses. So in this article we want to cover ways to securing your WiFi network. For more see Bradley Mitchell’s article posted on About.com.
Obviously, if you find that your network has been improperly used, hire a private investigative company skilled at computer forensics. Whether you are building a defense case or taking preemptive measures, private investigators can help you track down people who have illegally used your network and help build a case for civil or criminal pursuit or defense. Selling personal items and services online can be a way to earn a few extra bucks. However, the dangers of advertising and selling expensive items online or in traditional print classifieds became all too apparent recently. James Sanders advertised a 1.07-carat diamond ring with an asking price of $1,050. He arranged for a couple to come to his home to look at the ring, and hopefully purchase it. During the transaction, James and his wife were ambushed by four people. By the end of the altercation, James had been shot. Click here for full story.
Many people don’t realize that investigative reporters frequently get their story leads from private investigators or retain private investigators to assist with developing stories. Jim Strickland, Atlanta’s “Channel 2 Action News Consumer Investigator,” suggests that he often follows the leads provided by local private investigators (Engstrom, 2010). The value of journalists employing a private investigator, especially in states that require a license to engage in private investigative activities, is that the investigator is able to obtain records and information using tactics that the journalist may be legally restricted from performing; he or she can continue to conduct an investigation while the reporter focuses attention on more pressing stories; and, the private investigator functions as a corroborating witness, which is a key requirement of quality journalism.
With the introduction of “community funded reporting,” a style of journalistic reporting that has emerged from the blogging movement, the relationship between private investigators and investigative reporters has become stronger and more essential. Community funded reporting has been described as the confluence of micro-financing and amateur reporting. Individual reporters pitch a topic and community members fund the production and publication of a story, which includes the research into the alleged problematic activity. Spot.us is one of the most widely talked about sites that engages in this type of activity and has helped bring investigative news to consumers, which has diminished in recent years as major city newspapers have gone out of business or have been purchased by major networks that cover sensational or popular culture stories only. Stories on community funded journalist websites have dealt with contentious topics like political corruption, the misuse of public funds, the rise of the military industrial complex, the mistreatment of humans and animals, the abuse of office by public officials, migration and contemporary slavery, and corporate misconduct. While many of the stories can be funded cheaply and can be handled by an individual reporter, several stories that have been proposed and future stories will benefit from the services of a licensed private investigator. All part-time reporters in general, but especially those without a journalism degree from reputable university, benefit from the expertise of professional investigators. On the one hand, bloggers and investigative reporters, just as reputable journalists like Jim Strickland for large networks, can use private investigators to strengthen the ethos of a story. On the other hand, independent bloggers and journalists benefit from the reduction of risks associated with undertaking contentious investigations. By hiring a private investigator, independent journalists mitigate potential risks by having retained the legal knowledge and expertise of an individual who has been qualified by the state to engage in activities that are restricted to private investigators. What is more, the private investigator can provide the necessary substantiating evidence in stories, increasing the efficacy of a story. Private investigators are members of the communities and are constantly looking for ways that they can give back. As such, an investigative reporter who pitches a good story may be surprised to learn that the private investigator will work at a substantially reduced fee. Then, by demonstrating to potentially investors that the story is going to be properly handled by professionals, the chances of obtaining the necessary funds becomes easier. Whether you are a professional or amateur reporter, consider hiring a private investigator to assist you with your story. If you’re a consumer of investigative journalism, insure that the stories you’re reading have been properly researched. One way to check the reporter is to check how she or he did their research and whether they consulted experts, including a private investigator. References Engstrom, C. (2010). Shadowing practices: Ethnographic accounts of private investigators as entrepreneurs. Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Carbondale. by Craig Engstrom, Ph.D.*
Radley Balko, a senior editor for Reason, recently published an intriguing article. As he notes in the introduction to the article: George Orwell famously said, ‘If you want a vision of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face—forever.’ He may still be right. But in today’s age of smart phones, Flip cams, and iPod cameras, there’s a pretty good chance someone’s going to capture that boot and the face it’s smashing and post both to YouTube for all the world to see. Two recent incidents in Maryland illustrate the power of this new and increasingly democratized technology—and highlight just how important it is that the law protect the people who use technology to hold government agents accountable. (Balko, 2010, ¶ 1) The first incident Balko describes, which will frame the advice given in this post, occurred recently at theUniversity of Maryland. Following Maryland’s win over Duke, university students spilled into the streets to celebrate. In what appears to be an unprovoked confrontation, Jack McKenna, a Maryland student, was beat by three riot cops. With their iPhones, several bystanders captured to video this event and posted them to YouTube. Interestingly, the campus police initially stated that they could not provide footage from the campus security camera: After the iPhone video of McKenna’s beating emerged, investigators subpoenaed 60 hours of surveillance video from the College Parkcampus police. The only video police couldn’t manage to locate was the one from the camera aimed squarely at the area where McKenna was beaten. Funny how that works. Campus police claimed that a “technical error” with that particular camera caused it to record over the footage of the beating. As public pressure mounted, police later found what they claimed was a recording of the lost video. But two minutes of that video were missing. Coincidentally, those two minutes happened to depict key portions of McKenna’s beating. (Balko, 2010, ¶ 4) While this incident (and the other incidents described in Balko’s article) highlights the usefulness of new technologies to speak truth to power, it raises two important questions: 1) What if bystanders had not been recording the incident and 2) what can one do immediately following these types of incidents? A possible recourse for victims, who feel that their civil rights have been violated in any type of situation, is to immediately retain a private investigator. The immediate benefit of retaining a private investigator, even before an attorney in many circumstances, is that she or he can immediately begin an investigation. This will mitigate the potential that precious time will be lost. In these types of situations, it is critical to begin an investigation immediately, before evidence is lost (or destroyed) and witnesses forget details or are coached to question their initial impressions. In many states, any information that is obtained by a private investigator can later be submitted to the attorney as “notes to file,” meaning that it becomes part of the attorney’s work product and is, therefore, not discoverable. This will allow you to search for an attorney (the professional investigator will likely have several to recommend) or to file your claim with civil rights agencies without worrying about whether you’ll have a case. The private investigator will already be collecting data that will hopefully demonstrate that there is grounding for your claims. By having hired a licensed private investigator, evidence will be collected and processed in a legal manner, consistent with court admissibility. You will also have a central person to whom you can direct all people who approach you about the incident. The investigator may also uncover witness video recordings that, for whatever reason, did not make their way to YouTube or other social media websites. This is, of course, the best evidence to have. But even if no video is obtainable, the investigator will be able to follow leads and conduct interviews with witnesses in order to collect accounts of the events. He or she may even be able to uncover details that may be purposefully or accidentally omitted in police reports. Whatever he or she can collect becomes important data that can be used to help in your defense (should you be charged with a crime) or civil proceedings (should you choose to file a suit). If, for whatever reason, there are no witnesses present during an incident where you feel a government has violated your rights, you may still benefit from an investigator. You can file your complaint to the appropriate authorities, and the private investigator can conduct an investigation into other complaints filed against the particular agent(s). By interviewing other complainants, employees, and other individuals who are knowledge about the agents or departments, an investigator may discover a pattern that could prove some negligence. Private investigators are important ballasts to their public counterparts. While hiring a private investigator is often a great investment, it is important to remember that you or your family should vet private detectives before hiring them. You should ask the private investigator several questions, including whether she or he can conduct an objective investigation into potential police misconduct. While some private investigators are former police officers, many of them are not. Nevertheless, you should not exclude a private investigator solely on the basis of his or her prior or current connection with a particular police department. Hiring a private investigator with prior police experience can be an asset for many reasons. In other words, the particulars regarding where an investigator received his or her training and experience is not as important as what type of knowledge and experience she or he has. What matters more than anything, and something that you will be able to tell during your initial conversations, is whether the private investigator seems interested in your case and has the expertise to conduct a competent investigation. Not every investigative agency is interested in or equipped to handle these types of investigations. You should ask the investigator to explain to you what she or he will do to assist you. If something doesn’t sound right to you, it may not be. Before hiring any investigator, you should also check his or her reviews on websites such as Ripoffreport.com or your local Better Business Bureau. It’s unfortunate that many citizens have to rely on technology and private investigators to protect themselves from government and corporate misconduct. However, by relying on both technology and quality private investigators, you can better protect yourself against injustices perpetrated by others against you. * Dr. Craig Engstrom is owner and operator of Critical Hours, a company that provides consulting, research, and documentation services to small business owners. His scholarly research focuses on the business of private, professional investigations. References Balko, R. (2010, April 26). Watching the detectives: A nebulous “right” to videotape on-duty cops isn’t enough. The right needs to be enforced. Reason Magazine. Retrieved April 27, 2010 fromhttp://reason.com/archives/2010/04/26/watching-the-detectives> In recent months spousal infidelity has been a popular topic in the media. Sandra Bullock is just the latest celebrity, among many, who has felt the pain caused when a loved one does not act in accordance to the expectations of a relationship. Discovery Health Channel is about to air a series on the topic starting on April 4, 2010 on the topic (9:00 pm ET/PT), followed by the network premiere of The Secret Life of Tiger Woods: A Dateline Special (10:00 pm ET/PT).
There are already several helpful blogs and news articles that can help you learn how to detect if your spouse or partner is cheating on you. One of the most thorough articles detailing helpful hints and signs is Cathy Meyer’s article on About.com: To summarize, here is what you ought to be looking for:
But what can you do once you’re convinced or have the intuition that your loved one is floundering? Hiring a private investigator can be a great investment, both personally and financially. Here’s the deal: even in no-fault states that do not weigh infidelity into alimony or child support awards, it is unlikely that a judge would be unbiased by the emotional toll infidelity has caused to another. The benefits can come in various minor decisions that have major outcomes. In states, such as Georgia, where infidelity does matter, the value of a surveillance conducted by a private investigator can yield financial gain for the offended party. Personally, you always gain when you have important information that can clear your conscious, prove you’ve been “right all along,” and help you make a decision regarding whether to stay in a relationship and seek counseling, or move on to better things. Regardless of what you may want to obtain from an investigation into your spouse’s or partner’s infidelity, here are some practical things you can do before hiring an investigator, which will both increase the outcome of success of the investigation and decrease some of the overall costs incurred.
If you have additional questions regarding the content of this posting or feel you’d like to speak with someone regarding a potential cheating spouse/partner, please feel free to call me personally 214.914.0801. Tom Cruise is being sued for $5 million dollars because he hired the wrong private investigator (PI). According to court documents, published by Radaronline, Cruise is being sued by Michael David Sapir, a magazine editor, who believes Cruise hired Anthony Pellicano to illegally wiretap his phone. Pellicano, a former high-profile Los Angeles private investigator, is currently serving a 15-year federal prison sentence for illegal wiretapping and conspiracy to commit wiretapping.
Whether Cruise and his attorney, who is also mentioned in the suit, knew Pellicano tapped the phone is irrelevant. They could still be in hot water. Nevertheless, Pellicano should have known that he could not record any conversation, in person or over the phone, without every participant’s knowledge and consent. In California, along with twelve other states, one must haveall-party consent before recording a conversation (even in person!). If Cruise did request such activities, Pellicano should have told Cruise he would not do it. In short, Pellicano should have stayed committed to his state association’s professional ethics and California and federal statutes. Of course, Tom Cruise is not expected to know what is legal and ethical. Neither are you. But so that you don’t find yourself in a similar legal situation as Cruise, or have your evidence become inadmissible in court, you had better hire a high quality PI. So how do you know if your PI is good for you? Here are a few questions you can ask to get a better sense if she or he is a qualified professional: 1. Are you licensed and insured? While licensing varies by state, most require a minimum three years investigative experience, annual continuing education, and up to million-dollar insurance policies. If an investigator says she or he is licensed and insured, verify this with your state’s regulatory agency. Here are a list of some state agencies: § California § Texas § Georgia § New York § Check other states 2. What are your areas of specialization and background? While most investigative agencies will do just about anything, from finding a lost pet to investigating workplace deaths, some are more qualified than others to do different investigations. If you need surveillance work, hire a company that specializes in surveillance. If you need electronic countermeasures, hire a company that has the training and equipment. You want someone to feel motivated about your case. If your needs don’t match the investigator’s business, your case may not receive priority. A good private investigator will admit to his or her limitations and inform you about his experience and background. Most importantly, an investigator working in his or her area of knowledge is likely to know all of the rules and legal procedures that apply–he or she will not jeopardize your case. 3. Can I see your contract? The first time you see an investigator’s agreement for services should not be when you’re signing it. A high quality investigator will let you see his or her agreement in advance. You are entitled to know your rights and obligations before your first meeting. This information could save you and your investigator time and money. Some investigators even keep a contract on their website so you can look at it any time. Look at the contract, does it appear professional? If this legal document is not important to the investigator, then don’t expect other legal documents will be either. 4. How do you deliver your reports, what do they look like? You can learn a lot about the way investigators do their reports. This is the product you will receive at the conclusion of an investigation. An investigator that provides proof of all services rendered, in various formats (e.g. video and print), likely takes their work seriously. 5. Are you available 24-7? Believe it or not, some investigative agencies maintain banker’s hours. It is important to know that if something urgent comes up you can reach somebody with the company any time of day, any day of the week. Then try it out. Call the agency late at night and see what happens. While this question may not allow you to know if the investigator is being ethical, you’ll know at least if she or he was being honest about phone access. Other questions you may want to ask, depending on your personal situation, are “How many clients do you serve at once?”; “How many field investigators work for you?”; “What are your success rates?”; “How much is your retainer?”; “How do charges appear on my credit card?”; “What was the outcome of your last case?”; “Are their additional charges for court appearance fees?” Of course, these questions are just general guidelines. While they are likely to be help you appear as a knowledgeable consumer, they do not guarantee success. Do your homework. Search to see if the company you are about to hire has outstanding claims with the Better Business Bureau or other consumer groups. But most importantly, go to your state’s regulatory agency (links above) and verify that his or her license is active. In many states, they list any disciplinary actions taken against an agency. Tom Cruise should have known better than to trust a private investigator who said he was willing to use, as Pellicano claimed, “unorthodox methods.” |
Equipment is importantCovert Investigations uses Gen-3 military grade night vision on all night surveillance. See a demo at:
http://www.covert-pi.com/services.html and http://www.covert-pi.com/ Gen-3 equipment gives you facial recognition from long distances in the middle of the night and with little to no light. The Gen-3 equipment is not to be confused with the inadequate night shot feature that comes standard with all video cameras. That video when produced only gives silhouetted images and is useless for evidence purposes. If you have an assignment at night and you want quality identifiable evidence please call me or search a company that has similar equipment. If an agency says they have Gen-3 equipment demand it be used and refuse to pay for the assignment if the it is not used. Covert Investigations will never bill a client for failure on our part. Your evidence is important to your case. Be sure your Investigator has that equipment. Observations & Interviews, a blog by Chet EngstromChet Engstrom is owner of Covert Investigations Services, a private investigations firm located in Lewisville, Texas (DFW area). Texas license number: C10745. Archives
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