The Complete Idiot''''s Guide to Private Investigating 2nd Edition_4 pptx

I just figured his job wasn’t that hard; I had the knowl-edge he needed to investigate business problems, just not the time to do it.. That was thirty years ago.” This is an appropriate

But, I’m Not Ex-Law Enforcement or Military 43

this book because you were wondering about your own intuitiveness,put it down and look in the mirror Congratulations You are already

an investigator Now we will hone some of those skills you already sess

pos-The lucky person who mopped floors in the restaurant example lier has a natural investigations career assisting other restaurant own-ers in uncovering the source of their losses Perhaps he or she starts abusiness called Texas Restaurant and Club Surveillance Company,joins the Texas Restaurant Association, and markets these specializedservices to nightclubs and fast food and fancy restaurants, as well ashotels Do you think he or she will have any problem speaking the lan-guage of the business to his potential clients? Of course not!

ear-Intrigued with her findings, the bookkeeper continues her educationand as a result of her developed skills in ferreting out the cause ofaccounting anomalies, refines those skills further and becomes a foren-sic accountant She speaks fluent accounting and understands busi-ness; these are wonderfully marketable skills

The point is to not fear the investigation but do make certain youhave a marketable skill and the requisite knowledge for which some-one else will pay money Just wanting and wishing to be a privateinvestigator is not enough

Many years ago a private investigator was asked how he got into thebusiness He replied, “I was in business suffering some losses and tried

to hire a Private Investigator to look into the problem During our firstmeeting, I found I had to teach him all about the business world Hedid not have an understanding of EBITA [earnings before interest,taxes, and amortization], profit and loss statements, working capital, ortriple net leases I just figured his job wasn’t that hard; I had the knowl-edge he needed to investigate business problems, just not the time to

do it So I quit my job and started my own company specializing ininvestigating business losses That was thirty years ago.”

This is an appropriate time to address a sensitive issue that cansometimes be the white polar bear standing in the corner of the roomwher ever private investigators gather

People entering private investigations with backgrounds in lawenforcement will admittedly have experience the lay person will not.They have, to some extent, become familiar with interviews, informa-tion research, and reports and have an understanding of the human

element, crime, surveillance, and motives How they apply these riences in the private sector, however, does not always translate well.Being an ex-cop is no guarantee of success as a private investigator,and, in many cases, if the experience and skills are not adequatelyadapted to the private sector, the transition is doomed Those who doadapt, however, soar as long as other proficiencies are added, as thor-oughly addressed throughout this book

expe-So, just as it is undeniable those transitioning from the public sectorwill arrive with experience you do not possess, it is equally irrefutableyou need to obtain training in these areas—and quickly We will touch

on a few shortly

FIRST THINGS FIRST: LICENSING

There are currently five states that do not require private tors to be licensed (Colorado, Idaho, Mississippi, South Dakota, andWyoming) As someone entering the field without a law enforcementbackground, you will be at only a slight disadvantage unless you live

investiga-in one of those five states In order to enjoy your career as a privateinvestigator without fear of criminal or civil penalties—or develop thewrath of licensed investigators—you should take care of this part first

Jimmie Mesis, Editor of PI Magazine®, has one of the most up-to-datesites providing links to each state’s licensing requirements (www.pimagazine.com/private_investigator_licence_requirements.html) Iwould also suggest subscribing to the magazine because it always iseducational

The states requiring licenses call for anywhere from months to years

of documented investigations experience in order to get a license.(Auth or’s Note: Contrary to earlier pontificating in the opening para-graphs of this chapter, your life’s experience at investigating your ownissues will not, sadly, qualify you for a license.)

Each of these states, however, has some form of intern or tice Program whereby you can easily obtain a license and begin towork with a licensed firm, alongside and under the tutelage of an expe-rienced private investigator When you interview with such a firm, askfor the curriculum: how and how often he or she intends to train youand what types of cases the firm handles? Many states prohibit you

appren-But, I’m Not Ex-Law Enforcement or Military 45

from working for more than one firm at a time, which is an nate and sometimes illogical reality Therefore, make certain you arewith a company that will keep you busy learning, not standing aroundemptying ashtrays or watering petunias When you hook up with theright firm, you will learn firsthand, and without a substantial invest-ment, whether this business is truly your career path Do not expect tomake much money during this internship, but the lessons you learnabout the nuts and bolts of this business will be invaluable when youopen your own agency

unfortu-INTERVIEWS AND INTERROGATIONS

The lack of ability to get someone to talk to you about anything willdoom you from the start The ability to conduct successful interviews

is paramount to the activities of a private investigator An ing that there is absolutely no legal or otherwise compelling reason for

understand-a witness, suspect, or subject to willingly tunderstand-alk to understand-a privunderstand-ate investigunderstand-atormeans one must have a highly developed sense of communication In -vestigators certainly must know when to push, when to back off, when

to listen, and when to ask questions, but to do so they must know how

to relate to the person with whom they are attempting to talk or theinterview will go nowhere They must be aware of legal boundaries aswell as human behavior Threatening a witness rarely works except ontelevision In real life you will either be ignored, get your backsidekicked, or end up in jail

People must want to talk to you where you find them and as you find

them; thus your presentation to them has to be part sales, part friend,part protector, and part coconspirator—as necessary If allowed, peoplelove to talk Therefore, of all the education, degrees, certifications, orexperiences you have, there is one essential skill to perfect in this busi-ness: spend the money for serious courses in interviewing and interro-gation This is not the place to distinguish between the two terms; suf-fice it to say there are many very good courses out there worth everypenny if you are serious about this career The Reid Technique® ofInterviewing and Interrogation is widely known and highly respected.Wicklander-Zulawski is yet another Regardless, the more you knowabout interviewing techniques and understanding nonverbal commu-

nication, or kinesics, the better you will be in your field regardless ofspecialty Do not shortchange yourself in this training You may be nat-urally glib and gifted at gab It is not the same thing There will be timesyou will only get one opportunity to interview a potentially critical wit-ness to your client’s case Get the training; you will never regret it

REPORTS (DO I HAVE TO?)

An equally critical area is the ability to prepare and write an gent and comprehensive report about the case that you have justinvestigated A well-written report details what you did during theinvestigation It is also the written justification for what you invoicedthe client Without it, you will not get referrals, you will not get repeatbusiness and you may not even get paid All of your now highly tunedskills will be for naught but for this significant requirement

intelli-I was one of about eight advisory board members on the curriculumcommittee of a four year criminal justice degree program years ago

We were asked, “What skills would you like to see our students leavehere with?” In other words, “Were you to hire one of the college’scrim inal justice graduates, what training should they have to help you

in your business?”

The answers were varied and depended on whether the boardmember was from a corrections institution, a police or sheriff depart-ment, a federal law enforcement agency, or private sector business To

a person, however, the number one answer was report writing

The department chair, Dr Walt Copley, politely answered, “Alas, bythe time the students get to us, those writing habits—whether atrocious

or exceptional—are too deeply ingrained for us to have any effectualchange.” He was politely telling the board that these graduate studentswould be either very good or perfectly horrible at report writing andthere was little the college or the hiring agency could do about it Again, this is not a forum to promote programs or correct deficien-cies in our educational system but do understand this point If you canwrite adequately, using proper grammar and spelling, you alreadyknow it and you are already ahead of many others in the business

If you cannot write but recognize it, you will also be okay You justneed to do what you are already doing, such as reading this book.Recognizing shortcomings and addressing them is a huge step Study

But, I’m Not Ex-Law Enforcement or Military 47

the successful private investigators who have authored chapters in; go to work for one in your city; find a mentor and copy what he orshe does when it comes to reports Do not write a report that raisesmore questions than it answers Be succinct Do not proffer opinionsunless requested and so identified Get a proofreader and use a SpellChecker and dictionary This list goes on Believe this, however: Howfar you go in your new career will depend on the readability, accura-

here-cy, and professionalism of your reports

Lastly, if you cannot write and do not believe in its importance tothis business, you might want to practice saying, “Would you like frieswith that?”

ASSOCIATIONS AND THEIR DAMNED ACRONYMS

This part cannot be overemphasized: Because you are coming tothis dance without a law enforcement background, you absolutelyneed to become a member of and be active in appropriate privateinvestigation groups There are reasons galore but consider that youwill immediately have a peer group to whom you can turn with ques-tions about how to best approach a case You will be able to ask (forinstance) “what are the legal aspects of interviewing a minor without aparent present” or “can I use a GPS locater unit on a client’s car in thisstate?” You are naturally going to have legal and procedural questions

as you grow in the business The members of these groups are a wealth

of experience and information and are almost always willing to sharewith someone who is asking the question for the right reasons—to learnhow to do the business the correct way

Each state has at least one professional association for private tigators; some states have more than one (Florida, for instance, hasfour) Find one in your state, join it, and attend meetings You willmeet some unbelievably talented private investigators who might turnout to be your next, best mentor They also offer annual educationalprograms, and if your state requires continuing education units(CEUs) to maintain your license, these will be important and are gen-erally very affordable

inves-There are also some international professional organizations(including INTELLENET) and some political action committees andthen there are the professional certifying organizations, such as ASIS

International (Certified Protection Professional [CPP®], ProfessionalCertified Investigator [PCI®], Physical Security Professional [PSP®]),the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (CFE), and the NationalAssociation of Legal Investigators (Certified Legal Investigator [CLI]),

to name just a few As you find your feet, that is, as you settle into anarea of case work you enjoy, you should avail yourself of an appro-priate certification There is argument on both sides as to whether anycertification actually increases your earning potential, but all who havegone through the testing to achieve a certification agree that the edu-cation received while studying for it was invaluable

One last, but no less important, thought on this point There isstrong anecdotal evidence suggesting that private investigators that

“step over the line” and get into legal difficulties are generally thosewho never availed themselves of professional organizations In ignor-ing this brotherhood and sisterhood of fellow investigators, theymissed having peers to whom they could turn with questions Theymissed the educational seminars put on by these groups, which existfor that very reason, to keep private investigators operating in aninformed, legal, and ethical manner There is a Chinese proverb, thatreads, “A single conversation with a wise man is better than ten years

of study.” You have much to learn Learn from those who have beenthere and done that

IT MAY BE FUN, BUT IT’S STILL A BUSINESS

This topic will undoubtedly be addressed numerous times and inmany ways throughout this wonderful book, but perhaps a few addi-tional words are in order Remember time and knowledge? What fol-lows are some very important lessons First, you may charge a fair ratefor your time, supported by your knowledge You may not, however,charge anything for your time while you are gaining the knowledgewith which you can solve someone’s case unless specifically agreed to

by the client Notice the difference here It was not said you cannotcharge for gathering information, just not for gaining the knowledge tosolve the case Here are some examples

Suppose you get your first workers’ compensation assignment It is

an authorization for thirty-six hours of surveillance to see if the

But, I’m Not Ex-Law Enforcement or Military 49

claimant is actually hurt or working off the clock for someone elsewhile collecting disability compensation Simple, right? Except youhave never done surveillance before You sit on the subject’s home forthree days, but he never comes outside You get ready to submit aninvoice for thirty-six hours of surveillance with no video evidence ofanything untoward, having dutifully logged every fifteen-minute incre-ment you sat watching the house Then you read in the newspaper thesubject was on his honeymoon in another state for those three days Imagine the same scenario, but the subject comes out of his house,gets in a car, and leaves You follow but lose him in three blocks Forwhat exactly are you going to charge your client?

You are hired to investigate the theft of proprietary informationinvolving some technology now being manufactured and sold by acom pany started by some of your client’s ex-employees In order toadequately investigate, you must educate yourself on the technology,which includes meeting for hours with the client’s physicists and hav-ing them attempt to explain it to you You then spend hours readingtechnical books on the topic Is this billable time?

Regardless of your previous life, there is much to learn about the

“business” of being a private investigator After establishing yourhourly rates, you must carefully consider what to charge your client forevery minute legitimately spent on his case There will be time forwhich you could have invoiced the client, but because it was spentlearning from a mistake or figuring out a better way to gather the infor-mation, you eat it

You submit a five-page typed case report that took you more thanfive hours to write, but you charge your client one hour You do sobecause it is not his fault you type with two fingers at a blazing fifteenwords per minute You also do it because in five years when you havethree investigators working for you as a result of treating your clientsfairly, you will also have someone who does transcription for you andyou will bill that time out at $25 per hour!

You must change the way you think about time Your world nowrevolves around six-minute increments Two of those equals two-tenths of an hour and is generally the acceptable minimum timecharge to pick up a phone, dial a number, and get voice mail A client

is not going to look favorably, however, if there are twenty of thosecharges on an invoice

Time is indeed your “thing.” If you protect it, control it carefully,document it judiciously, and invoice for it fairly this can be a lucrativebusiness As a neophyte you have many lessons to learn There are flatfee billings, retainers, different rates for surveillance, investigations,and testifying This book is a great beginning

The private investigator who earlier explained how he got into thisbusiness concluded his comments by saying, “This is the most reward-ing business I can imagine I’ve helped people where others could not;I’ve put bad guys away with my investigations; I’ve reunited loved-ones separated for many years; I’ve helped save entire corporations bydiscovering, and helping to solve their problems I’ve met some of themost interesting people in all walks of life and made lifelong friends.And in so doing, I’ve developed an incredible knowledge of the law.” How many people can say all of those things about their career?This is a very fulfilling, rewarding business on which you are about toembark I believe all the contributors to this book would agree withthis wish: Best of luck!

To find a career to which you are adapted by nature, and then to work hard at it, is about as near to a formula for success and happi- ness as the world provides One of the fortunate aspects of this for- mula is that, granted the right career has been found, the hard work takes care of itself Then hard work is not hard work at all Mark Sullivan

Chapter 5

DEVELOPING MARKETS AND

PARTNERSHIPS FOR PROFITS

T HOMAS M ILES

We live in a very complex society these days Major

advance-ments in technology and our constant population growth

steadi-ly spawn more and more business ventures In turn, consumers areconfronted with a massive array of choices in selecting someone to sat-isfy fundamental needs for services or goods Investigators are rou-tinely engaged to provide a unique service in acquiring and reportinginformation, but that does not mean you will not have to worry aboutcompetition Consumers are always selective in choosing something,even a special service Therefore, your perpetual goal as an investiga-

tor can be simply stated: to be perceived as the best choice available in

your locality and to be creative and innovative in expanding yourbusiness operations Start with the basics

Investigators, perhaps more so than other service providers, mustalways project an appropriate image in every aspect of their activities.Remember that your clients are people needing help with personal orprofessional problems, and they need reassurances from the momentthey first contact or meet with you Accordingly, you must perform inboth word and conduct as someone who is empathetic, knowledge-able, and very trustworthy In short, an investigator’s image is of para-mount importance

The following list depicts rudimentary items for acquiring clientsand keeping them As time passes, a periodic review of each subject

51

should occur for legal and social reasons To manage your generalaffairs, these points are important To develop new markets and growyour business as an investigator, however, these matters are crucial forsuccess

LICENSE REQUIREMENTS

State laws for investigators vary considerably; some are quite ple, but several states have complex standards, procedures, and quali-fications As a minimum, even if you are working from your home, besure that you are in complete compliance with all laws

sim-PHONE SYSTEMS

Prospective clients may call at any time, day or night Install a icated phone to take calls 24/7, and be sure it is answered in a stan-dard mode If no one is available, ensure that your line has a briefrecording that invites callers to leave a message Consider paying aprofessional—a “voice over” artist or local radio announcer—to makeyour recording

ded-Also, obtain a reliable cell phone and use it responsibly If you areaway from your office, have all calls forwarded to your cell phone

WEBSITES

Although a website is not absolutely necessary for success, it is

high-ly recommended Ask for design help from inexpensive but reliablesources such as print shops or students who are majoring in computertechnology at a local college Designing a website can be a very daunt-ing process, but some factors must be perfect: grammar, spelling, andpunctuation

Study the sites of competitors, then design and write your material

to be much better

Developing Markets and Partnerships for Profits 53

BUSINESS CARDS

Plan carefully for your business cards, and use a professional

printer for advice, design reviews, and production Your cards should in clude your company name, and your name and contact information:mail address, office or cell numbers, and e-mail address The inclusion

-of a striking logo or motto would also be a nice touch

STATIONERY

As with business cards, use a professional printer to help in ing top quality paper for personalized letters and envelopes If possi-ble, your stationery should match the colors of your business cards or

select-at least blend well with them in similar tones Written reports will be

a separate and less costly expense Your case reports can be submitted

on good quality paper, bought in reams, with moderate brightness andtwenty-pound weight or slightly higher

CHECKING ACCOUNTS

You must have a business checking account; it is unwise and veryunprofessional to use one checking account for both personal affairs andbusiness transactions Your business financial activities must be main-tained separately, especially for accounting reasons and tax purposes.Establish a good relationship with your banker and solicit assistance Forexample, checks for most new accounts will be initially printed with lownumbers This is a routine procedure in the banking industry, but it isnot a legal requirement Ask your banker to print your original businesschecks by starting them with a high number in the original series.Otherwise, you will be perceived as a beginner—and inexperienced

DRESS FOR SUCCESS

Regrettably, for many years movies and television programs havedepicted private investigators in an unsavory light with respect to sarto-rial features There may well be a time when an investigator needs to