This is the worst private investigation tip I ever got…

I’m sharing it because you need to know it. However… DO NOT use it as an excuse to do less than your best!

An old Private Investigator I met at a convention years ago taught it to me and I’m going to pass it along to you.

UPDATE: Okay, I now see he wasn’t really “old”. He was probably younger than I am now. Ouch!

I asked this very experienced investigator, “What happens if you go out to interview a witness (or suspect) and they refuse to talk to you?”

I use to worry about that and spent a lot of time preparing before interviews. Of course that taught me a ton about getting people to talk, but I was always concerned about “what if” they wouldn’t talk to me.

He said, “Simple. In your report just write, ‘Subject refused to make a statement’”.

Me: Er, Okay.

I had learned a “fall-back” in case I couldn’t get a statement, but I was really glad I had spent a few years fine tuning my skill to get people to talk before I learned this!

So… this tip alleviated my stress, but I’m glad I didn’t learn it earlier in my career!

BONUS: Here’s a blog post I have on getting someone to talk to you after they say, “My lawyer told me not to talk to anyone.”

In the mean time, leave a comment with the worst Private Detective tip you ever got.

Committed to your success,
Larry Kaye,
Private Investigator &
#1 Best Selling Author

P.S. – And, of course, don’t miss my special report titled… If You Want To be a Private Investigator Give Up… Unless You Do These Three Things. You can get it right here…

Why is Public Urination a criminal offense that places some people on a registered sex offender list?

Each state list, by statute, the criminal offenses that qualify one for inclusion in a sex offender database.

Of course, violent, sexually oriented crimes such as Rape will get a person placed on the list as will other sexually oriented crimes such as Gross Sexual Imposition (G.S.I.). But some “lesser” offenses, such as Public Indecency, will trigger a listing as well.

This is because sexually oriented offenders are very likely to escalate their offenses, it’s important to make sure law enforcement get offenders on their radar early.

So, back in the 1990’s, when these list were originally developed, the politicians who made these laws included Public Indecency as a sexually oriented offense worthy of placing a person on the list. And rightly so.

But, here’s what happened when the law was implemented in the real world (on the street)…

When a person discreetly urinating behind a dumpster in an alley was caught by a police officer, the officer would commonly cite the person for “Public Indecency” rather than for the more technically correct “Public Urination”.

Sometimes this was because the officer could prove the elements of Public Indecent rather than the elements of the crime of Public Urination. Sometimes, I’m convinced, it was simply the way the officer was trained to handle Public Urination.

But, that meant, by law, the conviction for the non-sexually oriented “Public Indecency” did land the person on a registered sex offender list and triggered all the associated fallout. IE. Restrictions on where one can live, check-in’s with the Sheriff’s Office, community notifications, etc.

Fortunately, this unintended consequence has largely been corrected. It took years and many men unjustly suffered for having their offenses wrongly categorized, but most places now have adjusted their legislation or enforcement to (hopefully!) keep this from happening.

Why this is Important to You

What this means to Private Investigators is, when conducting a criminal records check or a full background check, you need to pull the Complaint or Affidavit from the criminal file and determine why the person is on a Registered Sex Offender list.

In my experience, in the 20th century, yes, I saw guys land on the list wrongly, but much more commonly (these days) I’ve seen guys lie to potential employers about the criminal convictions that come up in their background checks. In those cases, I’ve always found the offense justified the follow up action. Every time. Every. Single. Time.

That’s my experience. Your mileage may vary.

Committed to your success,
Larry Kaye, P.I.

P.S. – And, of course, don’t miss my special report titled… If You Want To be a Private Investigator Give Up… Unless You Do These Three Things. You can get it right here…

As a private investigator, security professional and best selling author, I’ve learned some important things about success in this profession, small business and in life!

In this week’s video I share about:
stolen guns
lock picking
chemical explosives
earned power
inherited power
piracy
running an online business
skip tracing
and a ton more!

Do you agree with these ideas? Anything to add? I’d love to hear it!

And, as always…

Do the right thing, even if it’s the hard thing.

Committed to your success,
Larry Kaye,
Private Investigator
& Best Selling Author

P.S. – Don’t miss my special report titled… If You Want To be a Private Investigator Give Up… Unless You Do These Three Things. You can get it right here…

P.P.S. – Need to instantly improve your life? Here’s what I’d tell you if you were my own family member…

1. Get a job and go to it.
2. Get a Bible and read it.

These two things will instantly make your life 10x better!

Private investigators are called on when a client needs something and, no matter if it’s court papers to be served, surveillance video for a divorce, a background check or whatever, it’s fair to say your client is looking for some kind of justice.

Bad guys, deadbeat parents, con men, thieves, abusive husbands all think they’re smarter, stronger, faster or are more sneaky than their victims. Heck, maybe they are, until their victim calls a pro. We are that pro.

Justice

So let’s talk about what justice is.

Justice is when everyone gets what they’re due. (I would say, that includes God.)

So, we collect the evidence a person needs to present to get what they’re due after they’ve been wronged. Our job is not to exact justice. That’s for the law (and frequently an actual Judge) to decide. We simply collect the impartial evidence of wrong-doing.

The fact that the bad guy didn’t think he’d get caught is a bit of arrogance. (IMHO)

Mercy

On the other side of justice is mercy.

Mercy is when you don’t get the bad thing you do deserve.

Forgiveness

Forgiveness isn’t a pass on all judgment.

You can forgive a person for what he did, but you may still need to be compensated in some way.

Is forgiveness really necessary? I say yes. And if you pray The Lord’s Prayer, you’re asking to be forgiven by God they same way you forgive others.

Forgiveness is a non-negotiable.

As I’ve gotten older, this is how I understand things. Do you agree?

And, as always…

Do the right thing, even if it’s the hard thing.

Committed to your success,
Larry Kaye,
Private Investigator
& Best Selling Author

P.S. – Don’t miss my special report titled… If You Want To be a Private Investigator Give Up… Unless You Do These Three Things. You can get it right here…