As the president of a private investigative agency with 5 offices and 22 investigators, we regularly get calls from people that want us to track down and find missing or lost pets. I am very sympathetic, but I will not take your money or your case.
The reality is that you don’t need a private investigator. When it comes to finding a lost pet, you honestly have the ability to do everything a PI can do.
Our PI firm receives thousands of calls a year. Every day, we have to explain to at least one caller that some of the things they want us to do for them are in fact illegal – and punishable by prison and fines. I decided to compile a list of these requests, and group them into categories. This allowed me to come up with a top 10 list of services we either won’t perform – or will only perform only under very tight restrictions, under the direction in writing from an attorney and/or they meet the severe limitations of the civil and criminal codes of conduct.
We are routinely called upon to serve papers. I was reminded this week that all our investigators need to be continuously vigilant.
A few days ago, Erin McClesky, a 36-year old process server from Austin, Texas, was killed when she was attacked by several loose dogs on the property as she attempted to serve civil papers.
My office is often contacted by radio and television shows looking for a bit of insight from a private investigator.
This week I received a request from Betsy Singer of KAAL-TV ABC6 News in Rochester, MN. I couldn’t resist calling her back.
Singer had read a post of mine about how a Facebook update led to the capture of a fugitive and she wanted to talk about the role social media plays in law enforcement. She was doing a feature on a local program in Freeborn County called Warrant Wednesdays, in which warrants are posted on Facebook in hopes of getting information on the whereabouts of the fugitives.
I guarantee you that a visit from a licensed PI for your mom, dad or grandparent will be the talk of the facility that day – for both the staff and the residents. When I walk in and say, “Hi, I’m Tom Martin and I’m a private investigator. I’m here to check on Mary Lou Smith,” with my license in hand, the reaction is priceless – and very telling. Some staff immediately get flustered and literally hold up their hands in front of me, as if to try to bar me. “Whoa, whoa whoa….”
This month I signed a contract with Rowman & Littlefield to write a brand-new book, tentatively titled, The Private Investigator’s Guide To Living Safer, Smarter and Saner .
You might ask, why is there a need for another book from me? Here’s why.
Our case of the week involves two strip club cases we worked over the 2015 holidays.
If you’re wondering exactly what private investigators do for strip clubs, here’s a brief history.
The case of the week began when my client, “Jessica”, explained to me that her husband, Gary, had sexually molested and abused their two girls. Charges of sexual abuse toward children obviously need to be taken very seriously. So to help determine the truth, I asked Jessica if I could interview the girls along with…
For our case of the week, we were hired to check in on someone who hadn’t been seen in a couple days. It ended when our client and the investigator likely saved the person’s life. We received a call from “Mary” in Dallas, who was concerned for her brother, “Bobby”, who lives in Orange County.
Our case of the week isn’t a case at all, it’s about the calls we’ve received related to the hack of Ashley Madison, a website intended for men that want to have affairs with married women.
