Posted on Thu, Dec 31, 2009
Things have changed since then, according to Robin Martinelli, president of Martinelli Investigation, Inc., Grayson, Ga. Ms. Martinelli believes private investigating has evolved from a once shady business to a respectable industry. "It really wasn't cool 15 years ago. Because of reality and crime shows, private investigating has become more popular. People no longer think about
private investigators snooping around and going undercover. The bar has definitely been raised."
With the raising of the bar, private investigators must stay abreast on the latest trends in the industry. "I read and research what's out there. I also belong to several security organizations that have speakers come in and talk about the latest trends," says Tim Dimoff, President of SACS Consulting and Investigative Services, Inc., Akron, Oh.
Pellerin suggests private investigators not only interact and network with colleagues and peers, but also hire smart, young people. "We've been very blessed to hire young, smart college graduates who demonstrate compliance in the investigations industry. By doing this, these guys bring the new trends and technology with them."
Thanks to improved technology and information, the ability to get bottom line information that has historically taken weeks and months to accumulate now can be achieved in hours and days. Let's take a look at a few new trends that are increasing business opportunities for enterprising professional investigators.
Nursing Home Abuse Investigations
According to the Nursing Home Reform Act of 1987, all residents in nursing homes are entitled to receive quality care and live in an environment that improves or maintains the quality of their physical and mental health. This entitlement includes freedom from neglect, abuse, and misappropriation of funds.
However, according to a congressional report, 1,600 U.S. nursing homes -- nearly one-third -- have been cited for nursing home abuse. The review of state inspection records found that over 5,283 nursing homes were cited for abuse violations. The report found examples of sexual, verbal and physical abuse, including examples of residents being punched, kicked and choked.
Evenmore, all areas of abuse are on the rise. More than twice as manynursing homes were cited for abuse in 2000 than in 1996. In 1996, 5.9 percent of all nursing homeswere cited for an abuse violation during their annual inspections; in 2000, 16 percent of nursing homes were cited.
These abuses have created a market for investigating nursing homes. Martinelli links the swell of nursing home abuse investigations to the growing population. "People are living longer," she says. "And we're seeing more cases of abuse because of the growth of new facilities."
Dimoff acknowledges the increase in nursing home abuse cases and adds that the problem also lies with employees. "People in paying jobs are takingcare of loved ones and low pay does not always equal good care."
No matter the reason for the increase, Pellerin believes the main concern by most families that would engage in alawsuit is that their loved one is not being cared for. "Typically, the concern is abuse, negligence, and irresponsibility within a nursing home and you've got a staff that's caring for elderly people who are in poor health 24 hours a day, seven days a week."
To prove irresponsibility, the private investigator must find a history orpattern of negligence and a code of conduct that conflict with agency's policy. According to Martinelli , there are several ways to approach that. "One is to interview former and existing employees and nurses who might talk. I've also gone undercover in nursing homes and witnessed abuse with cameras in my purse and have even hired older women and men to help me investigate."
To get an idea of the financial rewards of offering this service, Pellerin says private investigators must get an idea of what's at stake and propose some type of investigation that fits the client's budget that will achieve the results they are looking for."Dimoff also adds that nursing home abuse is a sufficient concern and family members will pay money without hesitation to protect their loved ones.
Locating Missing Heirs
Although only a handful of professional investigators have discovered the opportunity, missing heirs tracing is a unique specialization that can be and often is extremely profitable.
"We've done a lot for probate attorneys or state attorneys representing families trying to resolve matters involving missing heirs who may own a particular interest in a piece of property," Pellerin says. "These heirs are distant from the family and need to be contacted and to sign off on the property."
With today's personal identifiers (social security numbers, dates of birth, driver's license numbers, etc.) most people are locatable. However, Pellerin cautions private investigators not to think locating missing heirs is easy. "The difficult aspect would be if you got a name like Jane Smith and she signed a deed on a piece of property inthe 1940's or 50's. It's a real common name (which would make the case) extremely difficult."
It has been reported that private investigators can take in over $100,000 per year in this area. Pellerin adds that locating missing heirs is steady work from probate attorneys, and private investigators who achieve great results can charge well into the thousands.
"Usually,these types of assignments are flat rated. However, there are situations where an heir needs to be located to resolve a significant estate. If there's a lot at stake and the family members and attorney really need this individual to sign off on certain documentation. The rate is negotiable and the family may be willing to pay to get the job done."
In order to specialize in this area, Pellerin says a smart advertising plan and a sound reputation is a must. "You've got to make it know to your existing and prospective clients that you specialize in locating individuals. Make sure you use litigation related buzz words -- like locating debtors, defendants on civil suits,heirs, witnesses -- on your brochures and website," he says. "A few of our clients have told us that we are the best in tracking down people and once you get the reputation of somebody who does a lot of locate work, it will circulate in the legal profession."
GPS Tracking
Face it: Global positioning systems (GPS) are one of the hottest new items on the market. Like many other electronic devices, GPS was developed in the 1980's by the United States Department of Defense for the military. Today, everyone from parents, business owners, and teenagers are utilizing GPS for their fleets, cars, outdoor activities, and more. Additionally, industry insiders predict GPS tracking devices will become almost as ubiquitous as cell phones in five years. It should come as no surprise that GPS tracking services are surging in private investigating.
"GPS Tracking had been around for may years, but fortunately the technology has improved a lot," says Pellerin. "GPS is evolving into a really sophisticated piece of equipment and technology."
"GPS is a very good device because it's very accurate," says Dimoff. "It can give a private investigator details and requires less personnel, but you can still make money."
"It's like an invisible investigator," says Martinelli. "If you have the tracker and you're sitting at a coffee shop two blocks away, they have no clue (they're being tracked). You know when they move and don't have to move until they do. You can be sitting at a hotel room or office and doing other stuff while the tracking is working for you."
GPS tracking services can also help expand a private investigator's ability to make money by making it affordable to clients. "Clients generally want to know a lot of locations and whereabouts over a long period of time. However, a lot of companies cannot afford to have a lot of people doing surveillance over a large period of time," says Dimoff. "What the GPS did was opened up a whole avenue of income that clients before would stay away from because of cost. GPS can be put on a car and let go for a week."
However, GPS tracking is not without legal restraints. According to Pellerin, certain state laws tightly restrict the use of GPS tracking. The only person legally allowed to secretly hide a GPS tracking device in a car is the registered owner of the vehicle. All other uses constitute a misdemeanor.
Despite this, Dimoff believes GPS tracking is worth it. "We had a company that needed six cars followed and it didn't want to pay for people to follow them. We purchased six GPS units and the client ended up paying for all six GPS units and software."
Private investigators interested in adding GPS tracking as a specialty can simply purchase the equipment necessary. "acquire one or two units," says Dimoff. "A few years ago, they were very expensive. Today they are very affordable and you can get one with software for a couple of hundred dollars."
Computer Forensics
According to a recent study, a whopping 76% of people own computers. Making it easier for people to commit crimes while hiding behind their computers has paved the way for computer forensics, a specialty that has picked up of late, according to Martinelli. "Ten or fifteen years ago, we didn't have computers. Today, even kindergardeners have computers."
But, what exactly is computer forensics? It's the practice of collecting legal evidence, also known as digital evidence, from computers, digital camera cards, PDA's, mobile phones, and other digital storage media, says Gary Huestis, director of technology for Discovery Forensics.
"Depending on the case, we are asked to find out how a computer was used, did this happen and how did this happen," he says. "After we get the evidence,we get some background information on what the client wants investigated."
Digital evidence can be abstracted in many ways. A computer forensics expert can access parts of the hard drive reserved for programs that normal users cannot see. Then, they use special software programs to put it back together the way events transpired.
Huestis says typical cases would be intellectual property and divorce cases. "In divorce cases, spouses will bring in a computer and we'll search it to find traces of spouses sending instant messages to other people and perusing dating websites. We can even pull up emails and profiles of people they've been seeing. Even if they have programs installed that are designed to clean up or hide their tracks, we can still find the evidence."
"Intellectual property cases are when a person gets fired or quits a job with an employer and goes to work for a competitor. Usually the former employee is stealing company secrets or downloading business contacts," he continues. "They'll often email themselves a contract list or programs, even though its proprietary company information. The original employer gives us access to that employee's computer and we look for evidence."
Huestis got his start in computer forensics by doing computer repairs and taking classes. The strict process of becoming certified takes about a year, according to Huestis, and involves a written exam, as well as a practical exam that presents solving mock cases involving real life scenarios. It can take a fairly substantial investment because of the training and software involved, but there are significant financial advantages to offering this type of service.
However, Martinelli adds that private investigators not interested in becoming a computer forensics expert should consider acting as a facilitator. "I contract all of my work to a former police officer who specializes in computer forensics. I'm not a computer forensics expert, but will find someone for my clients."
Opportunities are available for private investigators interested in expanding or broadening their specialties by incorporating nursing home investigations, missing heir searches, GPS tracking services, and computer forensics into their businesses, to name a few.
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Jimmy Mesis, Publisher
Don Johnson, Editor
Tera Shelton, Reporter
