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
|
