The Art of the Interview, a great resource for the Private Investigator

RESEARCH: The best questions are informed questions. Whether you have five hours or five days, gather clippings and court records and talk to the subject's cohorts.
TACTICS: Make a tactical plan and discuss it with a friend or colleague. Whenever possible, I interview people close to the action, while they are actually doing whatever it is I am writing about. However, whistle-blowers and reluctant targets are best contacted at home. And if you arrange a lunch appointment you can force a person to spend at least an hour with you.
ORGANIZE: Write single-word clues on the flap of your notebook to remind you of issues you want to cover. Organize paperwork so you won't fumble with it as you talk. Begin with softball questions (i.e., a chronological life history), but prepare a comprehensive all-purpose question for cases where the door might slam in your face.

For the complete article:
http://www.lsu.edu/faculty/jperk/journalism/interviewingnalder.htm

Private Investigators had to have sex at brothels to gather evidence in Australia

Melissa Fyfe
October 19, 2008

PRIVATE investigators will no longer need to have sex with prostitutes to gather evidence against illegal brothels.
Under new laws before Parliament, the State Government has made it easier for local councils to prove an illegal brothel is operating in their area.
Previously, in a bizarre and controversial situation, private investigators had to pay and receive sexual services from prostitutes so local councils could prove to a court the existence of an illegal brothel.
Link:
http://www.theage.com.au/national/sex-called-off-in-hunt-for-illegal-brothels-20081018-53nx.html

Are Police reports accurate? Read the Boston Globe article for the full story.

What happened on Seaverns Avenue?
Boston Globe
By DAVID ABEL
October 19, 2008

THE FOLLOWING AFTERNOON, MIKE BELLO, one of the Boston Globe's city editors with a nose for tragedy, walked over to my desk in the newsroom. He'd received a call from a law enforcement source who had seen the blog posting on Universal Hub, and Bello wanted me to check it out. So I called police headquarters. What I got didn't seem to square with what we had heard. A police official read me the account from Wood's report, which said the Giards "walked into the path of the motor vehicle, at which point [the officer] locked up the brakes, and the vehicle stopped abruptly, brushing the baby carriage."
Divya Kumar, a 31-year-old mom from Jamaica Plain, said she saw it all and wanted to set the record straight. "It's a misrepresentation to say the officer brushed the stroller," Kumar told me. She'd been standing on a corner of the intersection at the time. "The stroller caught air and landed facedown - it was horrible and frightening." She added: "They should have been in his line of sight. They were pedestrians going through a crosswalk. I don't understand how he didn't see them."


Complete article...
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/magazine/articles/2008/10/19/what_happened_on_seaverns_avenue/?page=4

White-collar crime, FBI agents cut amid terror focus, means more work for Private Investigators

"So depleted are the ranks of the FBI's white-collar investigators that executives in the private sector say they have had difficulty attracting the bureau's attention in cases involving possible frauds of millions of dollars. Some companies victimized by fraud have begun turning to private investigators and accountants to do the legwork in the cases before turning their work over to the FBI."


Link: http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2008/10/19/fbi_officials_struggle_to_handle_wave_of_finance_cases/

Lawyers question DUI cases after Breathalyzers mishandled in tests

Could this be happening in other states?

Lawyers who represent motorists accused of driving while intoxicated said if inspections are monkeyed with, it throws into question the machines' reliability and possibly taints cases in Veiga's coverage area of Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties.
Veiga's notice of dismissal from FDLE said she acknowledged she intentionally turned off the power "when it appeared that the instrument was going to fail required tests, and how by turning off the instrument that there would be no documentation of the attempted test."

Links: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbdui1017sboct17,0,5619164.story

http://www.duiblog.com/2008/10/17/how-to-prove-breathalayzer-accuracy-falsify-the-records/

http://www.mcarterbrown.com/forums/general-chat/54274-crooked-police-policies.html

Latent Fingerprinting processing, incompatibility, applicability etc.

Provides the Private Investigator with information regarding latent fingerprints etc.

Latent Fingerprint Processing Techniques - Selection & Sequencing Guide.

"The focus of this program is to provide background and guidance regarding a latent fingerprint processing technque's capabilities, applicability, incompatabilities and sequencing in order to guide an examiner in his/her selection of an appropriate technique. This program is the collaborative efforts of members of the Chesapeake Bay Division - International Association for Identification (CBD-IAI). The information about latent fingerprint processing techniques benefits from the collective wisdom and experience of CBD-IAI member examiners from federal, state and county forensic laboratories. Although some information is provided, this program does not comprehensively cover other important aspects to the selection of latent fingerprint processing techniques such as safety, quality control, etc. For more detailed information regarding safety, alternative chemical formulations, quality control - quality assurance, chemical disposal and storage issues you are advised to consult the reagent's Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS), and/or the literary references provided at the bottom of each reagent's page."

Link: http://www.cbdiai.org/Reagents/main.html

Computer Search and Seizures Guidelines by the Department Of Justice

This website provides the Private Investigator with a rough guideline on procedures, concerning computer search and seizure provided by the Department Of Justice.



Link: http://www.seanet.com/~rod/comp_4a.html

A free online source for the PI, The Fingerprint Dictionary,

A collection of over 800 terms used in the Science of Fingerprint Identification.

Online Fingerprint Dictionary...
Includes Acronyms, Anatomy, Chemicals, Classification Terms, Scientific Terms, Historical People, Court Cases and Much More. To find a fingerprint term, simply click on a letter to start your search.

Link: http://www.nwlean.net/fprints/index.htm

Crime Scene Photography 1.01 provides basic guidlines for Investigators

This website will aid the Private Investigator in using, proper procedures for photographic evidence.


Link: http://www.brazoria-county.com/sheriff/id/photography/

Motor Vehicle Accident reconstruction website

A dated resource for the Private Investigator?
It has been brought to my attention that this site might not be updated anymore!
TARO contains articles of a technical nature that report on the evolving state of traffic accident reconstruction.
Critical review is solicited from those practicing and researching in the field. The work is examined to be sure that the:
data supports the conclusion.
the test method was not flawed or biased.
the results are reproducible.
the conclusion is reasonable.
A discussion follows. Some disagree with the conclusion, others think it correct. The author defends his article prompting more discussion. Rarely does everyone agree; but eventually, the community comes to a general agreement. The idea is viewed as good one, or a bad one.
New tests are conducted to answer the questions provoked by the conclusion in the original article.
The results of the new test are published.

TARO is a place to publish articles about accepted traffic accident reconstruction techniques. They are placed here to serve as reference for those that are just beginning and want to learn, or those who have forgotten and need reminding. Included in this category are articles which:
Address basic, accepted, traffic accident reconstruction topics.
Offer a new, or a different perspective on a traffic accident reconstruction topic. By offering these basic concepts, those just starting in the field will have a chance to understand the principles and the history of traffic accident reconstruction.

There are many valuable WWW resources available for the traffic accident reconstructionist. For example NHTSA makes available the results of their annual crash tests. You can also search for vehicle recall information. There will be more resources in the future. As these new sites come on-line they will be referenced on the Contents page.

Link: http://www.tarorigin.com/

Red light cameras in Pa. are proven faulty, how many in other states?

Who monitors red light cameras, can motorists expect a fair inquiry into violations?

"In February, when the city began upgrading the cameras from 35mm technology to digital, the problems began. According to the authority, the contractor, American Traffic Solutions (ATS), did not allow for the grace period, meaning that the cameras were snapping more quickly than expected.
A spokesman for ATS yesterday confirmed that account. The error occurred because most ATS customers do not allow a grace period, and technicians sent to install the cameras did not include it in the programming, said Josh Weiss. He called it human error.
New protocols will require workers to monitor violations for those falling within the grace period, he added.
Weiss would not say why the company failed to investigate the extent of the problem detected by the authority in March. "We didn't know the extent of the number at that time," he said.
Seven months after discovering that cameras along Roosevelt Boulevard and elsewhere were suffering from "premature activation" - but failing to determine the depth of the problem - the authority yesterday announced that it would wipe out the tickets at a cost to the agency of $440,000."

Link: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/20081011_Refunds_for_Phila__motorists_clocked_improperly_by_red-light_cameras_1.html

Are Police field tests faulty?

KARE 11 news in Minneapolis MN. reported this...
Man freed from jail after white powder found to be deodorant, not cocaine

A Shakopee man who spent two months in jail after being found with white powder has been cleared after tests showed the powder was deodorant, not cocaine.
Thirty-one-year-old Cornelius F. Salonis was arrested Aug. 3 for allegedly driving drunk. He was jailed after police said they found cocaine in his car.
Salonis' attorney blames a faulty field test for the false result. Richard Hillesheim says a state crime lab concluded the powder was deodorant.
Prosecutors dismissed the felony drug charges Wednesday and allowed Salonis to plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of drunken driving.
He was sentenced to a year in jail. But the judge stayed nine months of the sentence and removed another month for good behavior. So with the two months he already served, Salonis was freed.

For the complete story: http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=526242&catid=2

Managing the Business Risk of Fraud, a Practical Guide pdf.

This guide recommends ways in which Private Investigators, boards, senior management and internal auditors can fight fraud in organizations. Specifically, it provides credible guidance from leading professional organizations that defines principles and theories for fraud risk management and describes how organizations of various sizes and types can establish their own fraud risk management program. The guide includes examples of key program components and resources that organizations can use as a starting place to develop a fraud risk management program effectively and efficiently. Each organization needs to assess the degree of emphasis to place on fraud risk management based on its size and circumstances.
As noted, fraud is any intentional act or omission designed to deceive others, resulting in the victim suffering a loss and/or the perpetrator achieving a gain. Regardless of culture, ethnicity, religion, or other factors, certain individuals will be motivated to commit fraud. A 2007 Oversight Systems study discovered that the primary reasons why fraud occurs are "pressures to do ‘whatever it takes’ to meet goals" (81 percent of respondents) and "to seek personal gain" (72 percent). Additionally, many respondents indicated that "they do not consider their actions fraudulent" (40 percent) as a reason for wrongful behavior.

For the complete report: http://www.acfe.com/documents/managing-business-risk.pdf

Forensic Science Blog is a useful website, with numerous links for the Private Investigator

"This public forum intends to be a conduit for exchanging information on many topics that will interest forensic science professionals, law practitioners and enforcers, and folks whose interest gets piqued when reading about this subject matter in the press or as seen on TV.
This opens the blog up to a wide area of discussion: current investigations and events, progress in forensic science technology and techniques, crime lab backlogs and breakthroughs, new trends in education and training, and many other areas of pertinence. It will be my great pleasure to host this forum and meet (virtually) many folks with similar interests as mine."

Link: http://blog.forensicscience.ufl.edu/

The National Clearinghouse for Science, Technology and the Law is a useful website for the Private Investigator

"NCSTL is a nonprofit program of the National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, United States Department of Justice, Grant #2003-IJ-CX-K024. The group organizes scientific, technological, and relevant legal resources into a comprehensive “one-stop” searchable database.
Judges, lawyers, scientists and law enforcement are overwhelmed by the amount of science and technology information required to educate themselves to meet the many legal challenges. Navigating the vast terrain of information contained within the existing case law, scientific journals, reports, publications and other resources has been, in the past, an impossible task. The National Clearinghouse for Science, Technology and the Law assembles the available scientific, technological, and relevant legal resources into a comprehensive “one-stop” searchable database with equal access for all.
NCSTL continues to develop other resources for the legal and scientific communities to provide timely, accurate and useful information to promote justice. Current projects being developed include: distance education programs, extended partnerships with law schools, professional associations, law enforcement agencies, and federal and state agencies.
NCSTL provides: a searchable database of legal, forensic, and technology resources; a reference collection of law, science, and technology material; partnerships with law schools, professional associations, and federal and state agencies; national conferences on science, technology, and the law; community acceptance panels; training modules and primers with an emphasis on distance education; and training for defense counsel who are handling cases involving biological evidence on the applications and limitations of DNA evidence as stated in the President’s DNA Initiative.
Specifically, information from multiple formats (such as cases, books, scientific articles, and newspapers) about dozens of forensic subjects is cataloged and summarized into bibliographic records. Topics range from anthropology through voice analysis. Anyone can explore and view these records by simply visiting www.ncstl.org and clicking on the “Search Database” link. Better than a general search engine, the unique website instantly pinpoints focused results.There are no fees and registration is 100% optional.
Visitors to NCSTL’s website can also take advantage of: detailed bibliographies on “hot” forensic topics, training modules with an emphasis on distance education, a hard copy reference collection accessible through interlibrary loan, archived copies of NCSTL’s newsletters, and even webcasts of well-known forensic lecturers, such as Drs. Henry Lee and Kathy Reichs. The site’s “Related Links” page and “Cold Case Toolkit” offer additional research tools."

link: http://www.ncstl.org/

Publicly Funded Forensic Crime Laboratories, 2005 Pdf.

This PDF. will give the Private Investigator insight into Crime Labs and possible errors in processing evidence.

"In 2005 the nation’s forensic crime laboratories received
evidence from an estimated 2.7 million criminal investigations.
These cases included requests for a variety of forensic
services, such as DNA analysis, controlled substance
identification, and latent fingerprint examination. A case not
completed within 30 days was classified as backlogged. An
estimated 359,000 cases were backlogged at the end of
2005—a 24% increase from the estimated 287,000 cases
backlogged at yearend 2002. Other major findings on publicly
funded forensic crime laboratories in 2005 included—
• Controlled substance identification accounted for about
half of all requests backlogged at yearend.
• DNA testing was performed by about half of the laboratories.
• About half of the public laboratories outsourced one or
more types of forensic services to private laboratories.
• Eight in 10 laboratories were accredited by the American
Society of Crime Laboratory Directors/Laboratory
Accreditation Board."

Link: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/pdf/cpffcl05.pdf

U.S. Dept. of Justice Forensic Science link: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/topics/forensics/welcome.htm