COVER
STORY:
SEXUAL HARASSMENT INVESTIGATIONS
A wide and weaving world
By Jane Cracraft, Associate Editor for Legal Investigations
Learn what an investigator must know when investigating the broad field of
sexual harassment cases where the facts of the case are rarely exactly as they
first appear.
FEATURES:
Come on Into My Computer and Help Yourself...
Spyware makes it easy for people to snoop on computers
By Drew Robb
Malicious software could right this minute be using your machine for nefarious
purposes. Learn the types, how they get in, and the actions needed to prevent
and stop it.
Developing & Managing Informants
An art that needs to be mastered
By Eugene Nielsen
It is essential for every investigator to develop informants. Understand their
motivation, the proper way to handle them and the security measures that need
to be taken.
Horses and Cows and Emu Eggs...
Creating an animal investigation specialty
By Grace Elting Castle
If you love animals, or have a background related to animals or animal-related
issues, you should consider adding the specialty of “animal case investigations” to
your list of services.
DEPARTMENTS:
PI
Marketing:
Building Your Agency from Referrals
By Jimmie Mesis, PI Magazine Editor-in-Chief
The easiest and cheapest way to build your clientele.
Excerpt: One of the easiest and best ways to get business
is to have potential clients referred to you from family, friends, and colleagues,
as well as past and existing clients. Many investigators get most of their
work from referrals that really don’t cost them anything.
Satellite
Images for Investigators
By Jimmie Mesis, PI Magazine Editor-in-Chief?
An investigation or surveillance tool that can be invaluable to a PI.
Excerpt: The Internet provides investigators with many valuable,
free websites that offer detailed satellite images of virtually every square
mile in the United States and several countries throughout the world.
Being able to view a location prior to an investigation or surveillance can
be an invaluable tool
How
to Select a Website Designer
By Jimmie Mesis, PI Magazine Editor-in-Chief?
How to select a designer to cbsite designreate your company website.
Excerpt: The topic of we came up in a recent discussion
on an association newsgroup. I offered the following insights on selecting
a designer for your business website. The tips bear repeating here.
Credit
Lines for PIs:
Revolving funding when you need it
By Mark E. Battersby
How an international banking accord could have an effect on your line-of-credit
or revolving loan at your local bank.
Excerpt: The line-of-credit or revolving loan is among the
most basic types of credit used by any private investigator or investigation
business. Probably the shortest, short-term financing offered by banks, a
line-of-credit is just that, a loan agreement with the paperwork and approval
process already complete. Many investigators and their businesses rely on
a “line-of-credit” or “revolving loan” arrangement
to help bridge the inevitable slow periods or cash shortfalls.
Keeping
the Flu Bug Out of the Office
By Sue Masaracchia-Roberts
Simple steps to take to prevent illness in the workplace.
Excerpt: With the daily, scary news about avian flu and other
strains of disease descending upon the world, people are beginning to think
and talk about what measures they can use to prevent its spread.
The fear of a pandemic can be even greater in schools and in office settings
Working
Smarter, Not Harder
By Scott Smith
By using a virtual office, you can save from the high cost of maintaining an
office you’re seldom in.
Excerpt: Are you worried about the high cost of maintaining
an office you’re seldom in? Join the growing ranks of professionals
who are working remotely. From the employee of a Fortune 500 firm to the
owner of a small, home-based business, a high percentage of entrepreneurs
are “just saying no” to high overhead and working on their own
terms.
Walking with the Dead
By Jesus R. Castillo
A defense investigator contacts the murder victim’s parents, with surprising
results
Excerpt: Our client, Julie Padilla, was facing the death
penalty for her part in an extremely gruesome murder. Her two co-defendants
cooperated with the prosecution in exchange for life sentences.
The victim, a young woman named Mona, had been kidnapped by three persons she
thought were her friends. They bound her with a belt, drove her to a desolate
field outside Santa Maria...
Effective
Executive Protection
By Goran Lozo
A look at the high-paying, complex, demanding and risky job of a bodyguard.
Excerpt: “Bodyguard” is one of the most glamorous
and best-paid positions in the security industry. At the same time, it’s
one of the most complex and demanding. In fact, it’s nearly impossible
to provide effective executive protection without military or comparable training
plus “real deal” experience. And there are no shortcuts...
Evaluating
Your Expert Witnesses and Witnessing Their Value
By James E. Shaw, Ph.D.
How to thoroughly interview and evaluate an expert witness so your attorney
can determine his or her value in court.
Excerpt: Three friends of mine, all working expert witnesses,
called me to recount their experiences with private investigators who interviewed
them for prospective cases. One complained that the private investigator “asked
me if I could stand up to a Daubert hearing”; another seemed insulted
that she was asked what her answer would be if the prosecutor “questioned
my high expert fees”; and the third groused about being asked by the
interviewing PI “why I prostituted myself in ‘criminal defense
alley,’ ...
10 Rules
for Approaching Adverse Witnesses
By Jane Cracraft, Associate Editor for Legal Investigations
Tips on how to contact key witnesses who may be hostile.
Excerpt: In most criminal defense cases, the list of adverse
witnesses is longer than the list of friendly witnesses. I have heard defense
lawyers and their clients saying, “Oh, there’s no hope of interviewing
that first name on the list. She’s hostile…” or “She’s
the sister-in-law of the victim” or “She gave a statement to the
police that hurts us in every way possible...”
The Death
of Landlines Continues
By Robert Scott
The continuing increase in cell phone usage and what it means for investigators.
Excerpt: In earlier editions of my email newsletter, I have
reported on the growing trend to cell phones and away from landlines and the
impact this will have in the future on investigators and skip tracers who need
to locate witnesses, suspects, skips and others...
Gadgets, Gimmicks, & Tricks of the Trade
By Julius “Buddy” Bombet, Associate Editor
New technology, equipment and advice that every PI should know.
PI Notes
PI related issues.
Book
Review
A review of Find it Online 4th edition written by Alan M. Schlein.
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