Investigator bookstore
 



s

March/April 2006
- Issue 84

 

$6.00

 

 

COVER STORY:
Land of The Free: Justice At Large
By Jimmie Mesis, PI Magazine Editor-in-Chief
The launch of the first commercially available “Wants & Warrants” database allowing non-law enforcment the ability to search warrants from all 50 states. This new database is roughly twice the size of the National Crime Information Center’s “Wanted Person File.”
Excerpt: It’s a sunny day. You’ve packed up the family and headed to the ball park for the season opener. The stands are full. The stadium buzzes with the voices of fans eagerly waiting for the first inning of the season. The crowded aisles are streaming with last minute arrivals and people racing to and from the refreshment stands.

If you’re a professional investigator, you’re scanning the faces around you and keeping your children close. If you routinely perform background checks, you know that the crowd around you is filled with people who are on probation or parole — many of them repeat offenders. According to the U.S. Justice Department, at any given moment approximately one in 30 American adults is incarcerated, on parole or on probation. These are the known offenders. Worse, though, are those that walked out of their arraignments and disappeared into the fabric of American society...

FEATURES:
Investigating Wrongful Convictions
By John Nardizzi
Issues and tactics for investigators to consider when evaluating whether to take a wrongful conviction case.
Excerpt: On April 23, 1997, a Massachusetts judge ordered the release of Marvin Mitchell on personal recognizance. He walked out of jail a free man, the first man released from prison in Massachusetts after DNA evidence proved his innocence. Mitchell’s conviction was based on the following evidence.

In September 1988, an 11 year old girl was abducted from a bus stop and raped. The victim was later driven around her neighborhood by police officers to see if she could find someone who matched her description of the assailant...

Jumping De-Fense Transitioning From Cop To PI:
It’s All In The Mind Set

By Stuart Baggerly
A look at why and how former law-enforcement make the jump to becoming private investigators.
Excerpt: Common wisdom holds that the majority of private investigators got their start in some law enforcement capacity. Whether through a city police agency, county sheriff’s department, state or federal governmental agency, or with one of the U.S. military services, the training and experience gained while working to “serve and protect” stirs something in the blood of both the street cops and the detectives who were “on the job.”

An FBI Eye on the PI World
By Anayat Durrani
Stories of how FBI agents use their training and experience in the field of private investigations.
Excerpt: After a rewarding 27-year career with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and nearing the mandatory retirement age of 57, Barry S. Dembo was reluctant to end his years in the FBI. However, he was determined to push his career to new and challenging levels, and he began to explore alternative career opportunities for life after the FBI.

“I did not want to hang-on to the last minute and be pulled from my desk into forced retirement,” said Dembo. “I created my company, Dembo & Associates Crisis Management International, prior to my retirement.”...

DEPARTMENTS:
The “Real” ID Act
By Mark Sankey
New federal regulations creating tighter standards relating to the issuance of driver’s licenses and identification cards.
Excerpt: The recently passed Federal Real ID Act is growing into a controversial topic, as evidenced by a recent Associated Press article in the Kansas City Star and by websites like www.unrealid.com. The Act is the result of recommendations coming from the 9/11 Commission regarding the need for tighter standards relating to the issuance of driver’s licenses and identification cards...

Caught, Audited: Home Free, Maybe
By Mark E. Battersby
How to prepare your agency for the noticeably increasing risk of being audited by the IRS and the best ways to handle it.
Excerpt: For many years, the children’s chant of “Who’s afraid of the big, bad wolf” was more of a threat to many private investigators than the Internal Revenue Service. Today, however, it appears that the risk of an IRS audit is noticeably increasing.
In fact, the IRS’s tax cheat dragnet brought in a record $47 billion during the 2005 fiscal year. Audits of individuals are up by about 20 percent, while small business audits have more than doubled. The complexity of our tax laws and the confusion most private investigators face trying to keep abreast of those ever-changing rules...

Writing an Effective Press Release
By Christy Whitehead
Maximize the effect of a press release by learning how to correctly write for the media.
Excerpt: Probably the only time most private investigation companies or law enforcement agencies write press releases is when they help solve a big case. But, done correctly, private investigators can use the media to their advantage. Writing effective press releases can help a company to make a name, be seen as experts in their field or mold their company’s image — all at the same time.
But a note to the media about what a company is doing isn’t enough. To get great results, a press release writer needs the right tools to maximize the effect...

Voicemail Magic:
How to get hard to reach prospects to return your phone calls — quickly!

By Tony Rubleski
Techniques that will greatly increase your odds on the number of call backs you receive.
Excerpt: Would you like a few tips that could have an amazing and positive impact on the growth of your business in 2006? Of course you would. Having spent over a decade successfully selling to hundreds of hard to reach decision makers via the telephone, I can tell you these strategies will save you a lot of frustration, time and produce more clients and referrals...

Get a Grip on Time
By Clay Renick
Effective methods and tools investigators use to get the clock off their back.
Excerpt: The week just started and you’re already behind. You’ve got new cases and a deadline but the traffic’s thick and the phone won‘t stop. You’d like to hire more staff but that would take more income which, in turn, would tie up more time and…
Sound familiar? Time is, of course, a factor in all business management, but it’s a real area of concern to the private investigator-business operator...

Data Integrity: Protecting Confidential Information
By Robert Pac
What investigators need to do to protect customer data stored on their computers to avoid possible fines and lawsuits if breached.
Excerpt: Data integrity and computer breaches are hot issues right now. Businesses that fail to protect customer data and other personal information stored on or transmitted through their computers could face stiff fines and lawsuits. This is doubly true for professional investigators who routinely collect confidential and private information on multiple individuals and businesses...

Loss Prevention Investigations
By Eric Nikita Maynes
The three principal areas of concern for investigators working in loss prevention.
Excerpt: Many private investigators enjoy the freedom of working on their own and performing a variety of tasks. However, some may crave the security of working for a company and receiving a steady paycheck, especially those who are new to the business. Let me recommend that those of you in that situation consider the field of loss prevention...

Handwriting Analysis:
The Professional Investigator’s Secret Weapon

By Sheila Lowe, B.S. Psy., C.G.
What can be uncovered by analyzing handwriting samples.
Excerpt: What if you could know a person inside-out before you met them? How much better could you interview someone if you understood their thinking style, social attitudes, ego needs, fears and defenses? Handwriting analysis can give you the vital edge you need in an investigation...

PI Buzz
By Tamara Thompson
PI related issues from the top investigative blog on the web.
Topics Include:
More Ways to Search SEC Filings
Know the law
Government Crime Databases:Beyond Sex Offender Registries
No cell phone directory

Nine Steps to a Powerful Timeline
By Grace Elting Castle
How to correctly create a timeline, an extremely valuable investigative tool.
Excerpt: Timeline, Chronology, Index of Events—it doesn’t matter what one calls it, this tool is vital in all types of investigations. In this article, it will be referenced as the “timeline.”
The timeline provides an overview of the entire case. It can be updated and tweaked to provide the information needed at any stage of an investigation. Every member of the legal team will have occasion to use it...

ID Theft Losses Increase, Number of Victims Decrease
New findings from surveys and studies on identity theft.
Excerpt: A new survey shows greater consumer awareness — and bolder efforts by identity thieves. Although the dollar amount per loss is increasing the actual number of identity fraud victims has decreased.

 


IN EVERY ISSUE:

Advertisers Index

Seminars & Conferences

Association News

Legislative News

State Legislative Update

PI Magazine Book Store
Invaluable Reference Resources

PI Magazine Classifieds & Directory Listings

$6.00

 

 

 

TOP SELLERS
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 

Motor vehicle book
org. $22.95
NOW $19.15

 
 
 
   
 
 
   
     
   
  Home Publisher Editor Subscribe Advertise Bookstore Conferences Directory Private Investigator Classifieds Contact Links Sitemap Privacy PI Gear Private Investigator FAQ
  copyright © 2006 PI Magazine for the Private Investigator