Private Eyes: What Private Investigators Really Do 0806511826, 9780806511825

Citation preview

Sam Brown anc ini

Graham Scotl

The

role of the

private investigator in

American marriage business and industry

Private Eyes What

Private Investigators

Really

Do

by Sam Brown and Gini Graham

A

Citadel Press

Scott, Ph.D., J.D.

Book

Published by Carol Publishing Group

© 1991

Copyright

A

Citadel Press

Sam Brown and

by

Gini

Graham

Scott

Book

Published by Carol Publishing Group Editorial Offices

600 Madison Avenue New York, NY 10022 Sales

&

Distribution Offices

120 Enterprise Avenue Secaucus,

NJ 07094

In Canada:

A

Musson Book Company

division of General Publishing Co. Limited

Don

Mills, Ontario

All rights reserved.

No

may be reproduced

in

part of this book any form, except by a newspaper or magazine reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages in connection

with a review.

Queries regarding rights and permissions should be addressed to: Carol Publishing Group,

600 Madison Avenue, Manufactured

in the

New

York,

NY

10022

United States of America

987654321

10

Carol Publishing Group books are available

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Library of Congress Catalo^ing-in- Publication Data

Brown, Sam. Private eyes what private investigators really do and Gini Graham Scott, cm. p. "A Citadel Press Book." ISBN 0-8065-1 182-6 :

/

Sam Brown

:

1.

II.

Private investigators— United States.

1.

Scott, Gini

Graham.

Title

HV8088.B76 /

1991

363.2 89T)973-dc20

90-26395

CIP

.

Contents

Preface 1

v

World of

Discovering the

Sam Brown: The

the Private Investigator

1

Investigation Business

8

3.

Seth Derish: Finding People and Assets

45

4.

Jon Berger and Naomi Thomas:

2.

Investigating 5.

Murder and Mayhem

Terry Finn and

Cameron

The World of High-Tech

Rolfe: Investigation

Buckman: Surveillance and Undercover Work

6.

Pat

7.

Jordan Douglas: Doing Insurance and

Anne Davis: Defending and Helping the

9.

Gini

Graham

in the

Business

15

155

the Criminal

Plaintiff in Civil

Scott:

1

185

Personal Injury Investigations 8.

75

Cases

217

Being a Newcomer

257

DEDICATION Sam Brown To my daughters

Katrina and Felicia, and to two grandmothers, Grace and Asuncion, who helped :

their

them develop Gini

their

charming, whimsical natures.

Graham Scott To :

the spirit of adventure, excite-

ment, innovation, creativity, curiosity, and exploration— the inspiration for

moving from one project

to another,

ever searching for something new, in fascination with the world's constant variety and change.

Preface

The

revitalization of the P.I. (private investigative) business

beyond the expectations of many in the field. The stigma through the last half-dozen decades of

is

tak-

ing hold

the P.I.

has been that of an aloof, alcoholic, uneducated ex-cop

image

who

fol-

lowed errant wives and husbands. Today's private investigation business is a whole other ball game. State regulatory agencies plus continuing education plus professional associations have made the P.I. a respected member of the community. New steps are consistently taken in the industry to increase ethical standards and commitment to excellence.

The business has come

down doors

a long

to gather information.

lowing chapters

as real as the law and confidentiality will allow.

is

The book depicts duals whose job

way from social misfits breaking The industry portrayed in the fol-

the various P.I.s as hard-working, diligent indiviis

to get the evidence, not

make judgments. The

trends toward information and technical support have opened a spec-

trum of on-line database sources

that

the help of a personal computer.

have allowed easy access with

And

the P.I. has been trained or

has trained himself to understand the elements of collecting, assembling and developing information.

And

information

is

very

much

the

core of the business.

The chapters cialists

who

in the

book

reflect a diversity

are obviously very private about themselves.

tigators speak frankly about their clients clients

of investigative spe-

and

The

remain nameless.

Perhaps there

is

a touch of

Sam Spade

in the

inves-

their cases ... but the

modern

P.I.

1 Discovering the World

of the Private Investigator

The American public has long been fascinated by the work of private investigators. Hundreds of films, teleplays and novels attest to this. Yet they also contribute to a romanticized

the public about

what private eyes are thought

mystique held by

to do.

For example, the typical private eye in these accounts is tough and burly. He— and almost always it is a he— lives dangerously and carries a gun. He trails people through dark alleys and forsaken warehouses, engages in wild car chases through city try

highways.

streets,

he

women,

is

streets or

coun-

And when not pounding the grubby, crime-infested commonly surrounded by beautiful or sophisticated

and luxurious surroundings where the wine pours free. It's an image of what might be called the modernday cowboy— freewheeling, independent, dedicated to the pursuit of truth

jet-setting

and

justice.

clients

And, of course,

the private eye invariably solves

the case.

While there may be a germ of truth in this, much of it is not true. In fact, a growing number of private eyes are women; most of the

Discovering the World of the Private Investigator

2

work

isn't

dangerous; private eyes normally aren't even allowed to

carry a gun, unless they have previously been law enforcement

and the wild and crazy adventures are only a

officers;

the business.

It's

tiny part

work of cops and lawyers— also

like the

full

of of

mystery and romance in the eyes of the public, though other than the occasional high points of

drama and excitement, much of

it

involves quiet, detailed and often routine investigation behind the

And

scenes.

often

can be just

it

this

unheralded, behind-the-scenes

work

that solves or wins the case. For example, much of private investigation work involves becoming a real whiz at dealing with records in order to find assets and

people. In addition, in this high-tech age,

many

private investigators

becoming computer and communication experts able to work with some of the most sophisticated gadgets for picking up information. Sure, they still do the more dramatic surveillance and underare

cover work, but

this is just part

investigator involves so

of the story. Today, the world of the

much more— everything from

the everyday

domestic trail-the-spouse kind of cases to investigations to learn

workmen's compensation injuries, the protection of corporate trade secrets, employee theft, unsolved murder cases— almost any time there is a need for information, a private about product

liability,

investigator can be involved.

In any case, the reality. I

think

I

have long been fascinated by both the mystique and

What do

my

private eyes really do?

fascination goes back to

reading Nancy

Drew

when

I

was seven and

started

mysteries and working on jigsaw puzzles.

There was something intriguing about thinking about how all the clues fit together, like a jigsaw, and there was also that exhilarating mystery of searching for and discovering all these clues.

And tor

then, for a time,

was

put

I

it

away. After

the stuff of books and movies;

it

all,

being an investiga-

was something

did— these shady gumshoe and CIA types that But then, I came from a very protected middle-class

people

was not

I

world. So

the kind of career to even think about. Just settle

to college,

my

that other

read about. it

down, go

parents said.

However, when chance to dabble

I

went

in

it.

to school, for a brief exciting time I

was

at the

I

had a

University of California, at

Berkeley, in the early 1960s, and these were wild and crazy times,

Discovering the World of the Private Investigator

when anything went, and

who had

detective

persuasion— I

so, in this try-anything spirit,

an ad

had

3

the

in

taken

a

phone book, and

college

course

called a

I

after

with

a

little

noted

a

me on a few cases. was exciting, though with little training and supervimanaged to do almost everything wrong, and that led me to

investigator— he agreed to try

And sion

put

yes,

I

my

it

fascination back on the shelf for a while.

was assigned to went successfully enough. My call Norm, assigned me to buy some goods in a bakery, where the owner thought that one of his salespeople was not ringing up everything on the register and was pocketing the difference. I was supposed to watch her, note how much I spent, and collect the register tape. When I came back with the goods— a half dozen jelly donuts, I remember even now— my boss was ecstatic. The tape showed about a dollar less than what I spent, so on my first case, I had actually nailed this employee. And I even had some

The

first

employer,

jelly

donuts to

But

my

case

my

initial

I

whom

I'll

eat.

next case

was a model of what not

shining performance,

Norm

this

to do.

time sent

Encouraged by me out on my

surveillance, and he sent one of his experienced people with

first

me. This was a domestic case, where a man was supposedly cheating on his wife. He was supposed to be having a drink with this

woman I

after

my

parked

taurant,

them

work and then driving with her car in position to observe,

to her place.

we saw them go

and then the experienced investigator jumped out

in the bar.

"Ill

come

out

when

Soon

after

into a resto

observe

they leave, and then

we can

follow them," he said.

So so

we

my

job was simply to

sit

man came problem was that when

there and wait until the

could follow the couple. The only

couple went to their car in the next-door parking

come out. So what should I do? Wait them? Or leave and try to follow them?

didn't

for

lot,

out the

my companion

him and surely

lose

which under the circumstances was probably the only thing to do. However, at this point, I hadn't been trained in following anyone. I was so afraid of losing them, that I stuck very close— so close in fact, just a few car lengths behind them on a I

opted for the

street

with very

latter,

little traffic,

dle of the street,

that they suddenly stopped in the

most certainly because they were sure

mid-

that they

Discovering the World of the Private Investigator

4

were being followed. And then, what did I do? I stopped right behind them, so there we were, two cars parked in the middle of the street. Then, after a few seconds of waiting, the other car suddenly roared off. I did manage to follow them to the woman's house, though obviously at this point, they knew they were being followed. And when they arrived, they promptly pulled the shades and looked

was staked out across the street. I couldn't have been more obvious if I had put up a sign. The next day, my boss informed me that the man had gone back to his wife, which was not at all what she wanted, for her goal was to get evidence for a divorce at a time when evidence of fault was still useful in getting more money. She didn't want the guy back. However, since I was new, my boss was willing to try again, and this time he gave me an undercover assignment. I was sent to San Jose to get to know the daughter of a woman who was suspected of out several times while

I

engaging in an insurance fraud with her boyfriend. Supposedly, they

had staged an accident

in

which he rammed her car and then she

feigned a neck injury and wore a brace in order to collect the insurance.

My

job was to get close to the daughter and get her to

talk about this, so the insurance

At the time,

I

was

company could

staff

I

and so

at the local university.

presented myself at the daughter's

member

mother.

just nineteen, a junior at college,

decided to take the role of a student

morning,

nail the

home

I

One

claiming to be a

of the student paper doing interviews on what was then

"How did they feel about integration of blacks into and what should be done about this?" Amazingly, they

a hot subject: society

bought

my

ruse,

and as

I

listened attentively

and took notes,

first

the

daughter and then the mother offered their opinions. Afterward, since the live-in boyfriend wasn't around, they invited

me

back.

The upshot of all this is that I soon did become friendly with the who was about my age, and we started hanging out together. I even had dinner with the family a few times. However, the only problem was that the more friendly I became with the daughter, the more uncomfortable I felt about my undercover role and about trying to find out what the daughter knew about her mother's accident. Soon I just stopped asking questions about the accident, and since that was my whole purpose for being friends with the girl, I was quickly off the case. I had accomplished the first daughter,

Discovering the World of the Private Investigator

job— getting friendly— with

part of the

flying

5

my

But

colors.

wasn't coming up with anything, though, of course,

I

now

couldn't

I

tell

boss why.

As

a result of that experience and

ing episode,

my

It was exciting to read about, was something for other people to do.

the shelf.

Yet

I

when

I

saw a small ad

publication which read: "Learn

knew

I

to see in the

think the fascination with the mystique

the surface, so that

tor,"

previous disastrous follow-

put the thoughts of being a private detective back on

I

had

I

to sign up.

I

How had

to

still

movies, but

bubbled under

in a local free university

Become

a Private Investiga-

to get in touch again with

had been a childhood fantasy and a teenage adventure. cover what

And

this

that's

being a private detective was

how

I

it

all

had

I

about for

what

to dis-

real.

met Sam Brown, the private investigator who

was teaching the course. As I walked into the small hotel room where the class was held that January of 1988, the image he presented of a private eye couldn't have been more perfect. Sam looked like everyone's preset image of the private eye— tall, husky, in his mid-thirties, a mixture of James Bond, Burt Reynolds, Jack Webb, Dashiell Hammett, and the hard-boiled Mickey Spillane type all rolled into one. Even his name was perfect— Sam Brown, close to the archetypal Sam Spade.

And when he eyed me suspiciously for to know in crisp tones why I was taking

walking in

late

the class, the

and wanted

image seemed

even more complete. Then, when

Sam

and pointed out,

become

my

in contrast to that old

what private eyes

image,

how

really do,

investigation has

a big business, not just the traditional lone gumshoe, cloak-

and-dagger of

started talking about

stuff, I

was even more

intrigued.

It

was

like the

blending

long held fantasies of the private eye mystique and present-

it was at that moment I decided I wanted to do this was book, and Sam the person I wanted to do it with. I decided I

day

reality,

and

business— I wanted to get out in the field wanted to learn what to do. And so gradually, over about two years, this book took shape. Since I was plodding through a fairly heavy schedule in my first years of law school, the project went on hold for a while. But I kept in touch, letting Sam know I wanted to work for him and keeping really

wanted

and do

it

to learn this

right this time.

I

6

Discovering the World of the Private Investigator

him posted on

my

plans for the book. Then, finally, in early 1989,

had a freer schedule, and now Sam had some criminal defense cases that I could work on by interview-

things started to

ing

come

together.

I

witnesses and checking public records.

started. fact, I

And

so the process

what it's really like to be a private eye. In actually wrote a book about my early experiences— Behind I

began

to learn

the Walls of Justice.

Meanwhile, Sam began

to talk to fellow private eyes about the

book— a look at what they really do and how they feel work— and to find investigators who wanted to partici-

plan for this

about their

pate in the project.

took some time to find them since they would

It

be revealing some pretty confidential things abut their techniques

and

Though we of course would be changing names, and other identifying information to make sure any

their cases.

dates, places,

confidences were protected.

The following chapters are

their stories, beginning with

Sam's

own

experiences as a private eye. All of these investigators have

been

in the field for at least a half

dozen years, are licensed

gators (which requires at least three years of

exam), and many have specialized sion or

work

tise,

or

if

were selected with

few key

specialties.

For

different areas of exper-

they were general practitioners, the interviews focused on

the areas which

were especially

interesting to

not already topics discussed with others in the

What

investi-

plus a successful

in certain areas within the profes-

as general practitioners with a

variety, the investigators

work

especially intrigued

me

them and which were field.

about these interviews was not only

some of For exam-

the great variety of people in investigative work, but also

the major differences ple,

in

I

found from the classic stereotype.

contrast to the tough-talking,

action-oriented,

fast-on-the-

books and novels, most of the people I met were quite thoughtful, sensitive, very aware and curious people, who got much of their information from being empathetic and understanding listeners, not by forcing or tricking trigger dick frequently presented in

Some were even very philosophical about what they did as they talked seriously about such issues as truth, justice, and the meaning of their work. people into speaking.

But perhaps most of all, they impressed me as very individualistic and independent, a unique group with pride in their profession, all

Discovering the World of the Private Investigator

7

of them very different. While some of the investigators had into the field as

from

into

it

ics;

a few

former law-enforcement

less

another was

a secretary.

gators

seemed

And some had been

bartenders, writers,

almost seemed like investi-

from just about any profession. And what them to the field was its constant variety, chal-

to attract

work

in a relatively

ment, where they could work pretty their curiosity

the

It

might come

lenge, and opportunity to

the

one had been a musician;

journalists;

poets, lawyers, actors, photographers.

come

had come

Some were former academ-

obvious backgrounds.

met had been

I

officers, others

modern hero

the

was a

frontier,

represented

individualism— always fighting the good trouble, and doing in a field that

it

alone.

Or maybe

has long intrigued with

own to exercise made me think that

like the traditional

little bit

who

free-form environ-

their

and explore. In a way, the role

investigator

of

much on

fight,

a

cowboy,

of

moral

helping the person in

this is just its

kind

another mystique

image of excitement and

romance. In any case, here are their stories. Besides

meet eight other investigators, and

do private eyes

really

describe at the end

you'll

my own

Then you can judge for and mystique and what's really true. What

experiences and impressions of the yourself what's fantasy

I'll

Sam Brown,

field.

do?

— Gini Graham Scott

2 Sam Brown: The Investigation Business

For

Sam Brown,

traditional

today's private eye

may

searching for truth and justice

But for him, investigation except that the private eye

share a

still

still

draw some

also a business,

is is

information. Increasingly, he it,

may

little

of that

mystique and glamour. The image of the lone operator

in the business is

much

into the field. like

any other,

of gathering and selling

using high tech tools in which to get

in addition to the old-fashioned record-checking

and plodding the

streets.

Primarily, he sees himself as a general practitioner— one

who can

offer the client a range of information-gathering services. Increas-

managing investigations, working alone or with a team of associates and employees he has hired or ingly he has gotten involved in

trained.

Thus,

this initial interview

overview of tigator

sorts of the

with

Sam

is

designed to provide an

world of the private eye

does just about anything— as long as

in it's

which the inveslegal,

as

Sam

The Investigation Business

9

cautioned me. While the traditional image often shows the dick, the shamus, the P.I. solving the case, because as a freewheeling operator,

he has been able to go beyond or behind the law, today private

eyes operate in a highly regulated environment and most scrupulously pay attention to the law, or they could lose their license.

Almost any kind of case can walk in the door; and the investigator can call on all sorts of techniques to help discover the desired information. Amazingly, the average citizen can use most of these techniques

too— generally,

the private investigator can't

average citizen can't do. But the difference mainly ticing investigator tricks

of the

knows what

trade

get

to

to

do and how

to

information

the

do

do anything the is

that the prac-

it;

he knows the

missed by

others-

including sometimes the F.B.I, and the police.

So what are these private eye business,

tricks? I

Besides interviewing

wanted

Sam

know about some of

to

about the these tech-

niques.

Sam's a San Francisco native going back thirty-six,

justice

where

he started into the

background. his father

time,"

taxi driver

lot

Now

a lower-income environment

and

of children to

Sam remembers, though

five generations.

fourteen years ago with a criminal

He came from

was a

because there were a

field

his

mother was a housewife "So it was a difficult

raise.

he came out of the experience with a

strong drive for success, and as the oldest son, a strong sense of responsibility too. After three years in the

Vietnam

Navy, including a

stint in

Tonkin Gulf for eight months, he enrolled in City College of San Francisco to major in criminology with a minor in in the

psychology. His goal was to get into law enforcement, because, as

Sam

"I like to help people, and I had a strong social welSo law enforcement attracted me. I had a strong desire inside to save or rescue someone." After transferring to San Francisco State University, where he studied sociology for two years, he got a certificate in security management from Golden Gate University. Also, he spent some time working with the adult probation department, and attended the San Francisco Police Academy as a reserve officer. This enabled him to attend the Department of Justice Academy to train in becom-

told

me,

fare interest.

ing a special investigator for the Northern California Criminal Justice Training

Center.

SAM BROWN

10

About fourteen years ago, Sam started working for a private investigator in San Francisco in the field of retail security, and he also helped with background investigations and trial preparations for attorneys. Then, about seven years ago, when he was twenty-eight, he started his small

room

own

in the

Sam Brown and

business,

back of

house to

his

set

up

Associates, using a

his phones,

database linkup, and other technical equipment. At

struggle— "My

first

year

I

didn't

have any cases,"

gradually the business expanded, until

now he

Sam

is affiliated

in the business,

was a

me— but

has an office manager in the field. In

with just about every major organization

WAD,

the

Society of Industrial Security.

He

the

it

told

which include: CALI, the California Association of

World Association of Detectives; Investigators On-Line Network; and ASIS, the American

Licensed Investigators;

ION,

first

Sam

and a few part-time employees and operatives out addition,

computer,

the

is

also the governing director for

San Francisco chapter of CALI.

So how

typical

"I think

it's

is

Sam's background,

I

wondered?

typical in that the majority of investigators

do have a

law enforcement background, though you'll increasingly find people in the field

from other backgrounds. But

have a more entrepreneurial

spirit,

I

think what's different

is I

me to see being a And for that you have

which helps

detective in the context of running a business. to

have an understanding of business and marketing concepts which

is

the key to success in a business.

there

is;

You can be the best detective do to get the information you

you can know just what to if you don't know how to sell your services, it will be to make any money. So I see myself as doing both. Being a

need. But difficult

private detective as a general gractioneh) and being in a business, ""^ too."

What attracted Sam into the field? What attracts most investigators? The image? The mystique? The adventure? The perceived excitement? Or something else? "I think it's the diversity," Sam told me. "I know when I first obtained

my

was a certain amount of literary and TV/movie image. You know, fast women, the debonair James Bond sort of

license seven years ago, there

mystique triggered by the the

image of

fast cars,

The Investigation Business

11

And there were many more men women than today, and a lot more law

thing.

[in the field]

compared

enforcement types, so

to

that

could keep up the image.

"But today,

much

The

becoming more by something they have attained through a television program or a movie, the field is really much more about collecting, assembling and developing information. It's working with insurance companies and attorneys and preparing evidence to be submitted in court. And there's much more gathering information now through databases and on-line information. So many of those attractions of the mystique or image people have of the private eye are unreal. "But in turn, I think what keeps people interested and it's why that's

less the case.

professionalized, and while

I've continued in the profession

case

is

different. There's

field is

many people may be

is

attracted

because of the diversity. Every

something new to do everyday; and there's

a kind of emotional excitement you can sometimes feel at being at the center of things; at finding previously

mation.

the eureka experience of the

like

it's

unknown

or hidden infor-

can be a real rush sometimes to discover something new;

It

or inventor.

scientist

And

it. You can sometimes feel like a hero for a day. "However, it's also important to balance this sense of mystique that you may present to others who still hold onto the image or the

you've found

sense of being the discovering hero with a sense of humility. This

because is

if

an investigator gets a large ego about what he

is

attracted to build himself up, he can get into a lot of trouble.

best investigators are the ones in

who remain

order to obtain information,

it is

silent

is

doing or

The

or humble, because

necessary to be empathetic and

understanding, and focus on the other person's needs, so he

is

wil-

outcome of the investigation. So generally, ask questions somewhat indirectly and develop

ling to contribute to the

you have

to learn to

rapport so the person answering feels comfortable talking to you.

The you

tough guy approach just doesn't often work, though do need to exert your power to control the interview. Thus,

traditional still

it's

really a

the

things

combination of humility and control. that

attracts

people— to help them, information

I

want."

me too— the

to guide them,

And

that's

one of

challenge of working

and work with them

with

to get the

SAM BROWN

12

Now many

wanted

I

know

to

private detectives

how

ness? Just

a

about the business. Just

little bit

were there?

How

big

was

how

the typical busi-

pervasive was this world of the private eye?

Sam

explained.

"Well,

definitely

it's

growing. Today, there are about 65,000

investigators nationally, about 5,000 in California, with an average

of 2.5 people per agency or a ally,

total

of about 26,000 agencies nation-

2,000 in California. However, very few of these licensed inves-

tigators actually practice

on a regular

part-time or drift in and out of the

Many of them just work And then some practice for

basis.

field.

awhile, but then stop. So though there are tors

and there are

rising professional

more and more

standards,

where employment can be up and down or perhaps

that's

in the field

do

just part

who come

in

work independently now and then out in time work. Then, too, many of the people

with a law-enforcement background have a

a week; with a pension, you don't have to

work

work

forty hours

that hard."

also pointed out that the average private detective agency

small business. There were a few large nationally

much

a field

and miss. But then,

pension. Therefore they are not really obligated to

Sam

investiga-

still

because many people are attracted because of the

variety and the chance to

the field and

hit

it's

known

is

a

firms, with

higher volumes and incomes in the six figures, but in general,

according to Sam's observations and an Entrepreneur Magazine report

in

1988,

the

average agency

grossed

about

$75,000 to

$100,000.

"So it's still typically a mom-and-pop type of business," said Sam, "though the equipment and skills the average investigator must work with are growing more sophisticated every day."

Then Sam described his own business, which showed the kind of mix common for many investigators doing all sorts of P.I. work. About thirty percent of his business dealt with locating people and assets; about

twenty percent involved domestic disputes— the typical

sort of thing like a

husband and wife checking up on each other;

perhaps another ten percent was loss prevention— helping companies

up systems to protect against unscrupulous workers and employand about five percent was criminal defense work— talking to defendants and witnesses to find out their version of the crime. In set

ees;

addition,

his

cases included a

mix of personal

injury,

wrongful

13

The Investigation Business

death, workers' compensation claims, product liability, background the

investigations, retrieval.

He

location

of

missing

and

persons,

also occasionally got involved in serving

papers— maybe two percent of

the business, he said.

Like many investigators with their out by doing most of the

database

some court

work

own

businesses,

Sam

started

himself. But increasingly, his busi-

ness had grown, so he had to put on employees and associates. Instead, he had gotten

more and more

into

managing investigations

through delegating work to others, instructing and training them, meeting with and counseling clients, and keeping track of the results of the investigations through careful reports and

"You have

files.

be ready to grow as your business does,"

to

Sam

told

way, being an investigator is much I have done." to Sam was what kind of people he worked question My next with. Everyday sorts of people who might just have an interest in

me. "In

like operating any

that

business. So that's what

doing

this

kind of work?

Or

did he use people with specialized

backgrounds, such as engineering or medicine, for some of his cases?

"Both,"

Sam

in this field,

can't

it

explained, "but since there's so

has to be someone

be just someone

who

who

is

much

confidentiality

committed and serious.

thinks I'd like to try this.

It

The person has

to realize we're often dealing with very private information that affects people's lives. And as for what type of person to hire, a spe-

depends on the complexity of the case. If it's a routine type of surveillance or checking public records, I can train just about anybody with a minimum of effort. But if it's a medical cialist

or not,

it

may need to get someone with that kind of background— someone who can look at the evidence and come up with an expert opinion. Or sometimes, an expert may be needed just to make sense of the evidence. malpractice or products liability case,

"It also

I

helps to have contacts to find these people to

And

"For example,

Sam

added.

work

with independent private investigators, people

then he explained.

work with," I

frequently

who don't have field. And I've met

own businesses, but work regularly in the many of these people through the organizations I belong to, such as CALI, the World Association of Detectives, and the American

their

Society of Industrial Security. These contacts are also a source of

SAM BROWN

14

experts with specialized backgrounds, and then, being a long-term resident of it

gives

me

my

city— five generations

in

my case— helps

too,

because

a lot of contacts. Such contacts are very important in this

business, because these people can be a source of information,

through their work or their personal contacts.

and

trust you, they

may be

And

if

know you

they

able to help you by giving you leads or

much easier to find out what I want to know. By contrast, it's much harder for the person who's new in the field or the city— he just hasn't had the chance to make those con-

other data. So

it

makes

it

tacts."

Sam

also noted that his extensive traveling to conferences in the

industry helped

him

in

making contacts

as well.

When

I

spoke to

him, he had recently returned from attending a World Association of Detectives Conference that had lasted for a couple of weeks, and he

had a chance to meet other investigators

all

over the world. "And

Sam observed, "because you may get a case that you to another city, even another country, and then you may want to work with someone there, because he knows the area and it's cheaper than taking someone from where you are. Or maybe you may have a request to locate someone who lives somewhere else. By knowing someone who's there, I sometimes just have to pick up the phone and make a call. And then, too, the people from other cities or countries sometimes ask me to help or refer cases to me. So it can really help to be part of this small and closed network of detecthat

can help,"

takes

tives."

Sam gave me some

specific

examples of how contacts can help

the investigator resolve a case. I have a client who wants to get information from a particucompany. Well, maybe through my contacts, I know somebody who works in that company, who may be able to help me look for someone who knows that information, or maybe he can find out what information may be available within the company. A lot of the public contacts or sources of information may be easy to obtain, but the personal and private contacts can take time to develop and are

"Say

lar

very important. Then, too, a personal contact might give

me

infor-

mation which he wouldn't give to someone he doesn't know very well. But then, there's also a price, because every time

favor,

you put yourself

in a position

where

you'll

you ask

for a

be asked for one

The Investigation Business and probably two

15 But

in return.

People help each other, and

it

that's the

way

this

works two ways.

If

business works.

you want

to get

help, you've got to be ready to give back help too."

Then, find

did

wanted

I

to

know

a

little

What did he do to came to see him? How

about clients.

them? What was it like when they decide what to do?

first

Sam

"Well,

it's

much

like

any business,"

ads, contacts, networking, that's

there are like

some keys

how

Sam

told

me. "Yellow page

they find me. But then,

that are especially important in this

I

think

business-

honesty and you have to be able to provide a real service.

Sometimes, mostly

in the past,

that private eyes can't

people have gotten the impression

be trusted. They're sneaky,