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| Home Civil Criminal Process Service Business Assistance Bob's Favorites Bob's Diary Contact Us Credentials |
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| Home Civil Criminal Process Service Business Assistance Bob's Favorites Bob's Diary Contact Us Credentials |
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What does a real-life private investigator actually do? Most people’s frame of reference about private detectives is what they know from television. Private investigation is so much more. Below you will find 20 questions that apply to my work. Click on any or all the questions to access my response. I probably will never need a private detective, right? If the police charge a person, isn’t that person probably guilty?I think my partner is cheating. Are there things I should be looking for?Is it true you take Paypal payments? Doesn’t the woman always get custody? There’s not much I can do with a bad check I’ve received, is there? Can I record my own telephone calls? Is there any chance you can find a person I haven’t seen in years? My employees are stealing from me. How do I stop this? Can’t I just get my own information for my case? Did you really build drug cases by searching a target’s trash? If your name is Dale, who is Bob? What does your business motto, ‘Afraid of No One,’ mean? Isn’t your business dangerous? How do I keep you from investigating me? I know a person that is wanted and may be doing drugs. Can you do anything?
I probably will never need a private detective, right? Maybe, maybe not. In the normal course of life, if you, a friend or a family member has to deal with any of the following, you may very well need the services of a private detective: Divorce, civil suits, bad checks, security issues, missing persons or the need to have a paper served. These are just a few of the areas that normal people just like you find themselves in where they might need someone like me.
I’m going through a divorce and the other party is sticking it to me on the assets. Will it help for the judge to see all the bad stuff that they have been doing? It may not help to show all of the bad stuff they have done, but in regard to the assets, evidence gathered about them may surely help your case. I have access to different ways of finding assets. Sometimes, it is as simple as running the other person’s social security number and finding all of the vehicles that they own. Other times surveillance and document gathering are needed. Whichever way, the more information you gather, the better your case's potential. If the police charge a person, isn’t that person probably guilty? Not at all. And that comes from someone who has ten years of law enforcement experience. Officers are people, too. They can make mistakes, they can do things that are not right and they can do things when they get painted into a corner. You also have to realize that the vast majority of cases, especially in smaller areas, are processed by regular road patrol officers. I have read some very interesting case reports lately. Most of them are incomplete, as viewed by a professional investigator. Don’t just make the assumption of guilt. Have the case evaluated by a qualified detective to know for sure. top of page I think my partner is cheating. Are there things I should be looking for? Certainly, there are good lists to compare to your situation. Below is a list that might help you find some peace with your situation. Starts working late or weird hours? Turns the cell phone ringer off so you don’t hear it ring? Takes more showers at unusual times, when he/she comes home from work, comes home from being out, etc. Starts working out or taking a renewed interest in his/her appearance? Begins using new sexual techniques with you. Ends phone calls when you walk into the room. Finds excuses NOT to be intimate with you. Claims to have worked more hours than are showing on his paycheck. You notice your spouse acting too friendly with the person you suspect, or invading their ‘personal space’ without noticing. Spends more time on the computer when you’re not around. Closes browser windows when you walk in a room. The interior of his/her car is altered – seats moved back or forward, when no one else should have been in the car or your child’s seat has been removed. Opens a new e-mail account without telling you. His/Her friends and co-workers, all of a sudden, seem nervous around you. You just feel deep down in the pit of your stomach, that something is just not right with your relationship.
INFIDELITY STATIC'S Have you ever cheated on someone? · Yes - 41% · No - 59% Have you ever been cheated on? · Yes - 68% · No - 32% Would you be unfaithful if you knew your partner would never find out? · Yes- 24% · No - 76% Husbands who admit to be currently cheating on their spouse – 1 in 20 (5%), as reported in Men’s Health Best Life, 2003 Wives who admit to be currently cheating on their spouse – 1 in 22 (4.55%), as reported in Men’s Health Best Life, 2003 The following statistics were reported in O (Oprah) Magazine, 2004: Number of guys who take off their wedding ring when they go out without their wives - 1 in 3 Percentage of cheating men who get caught - 80% Percentage of couples who save their marriage after an affair - 64% Of those couples who remain married or together despite an affair, what percentage later describes their relationship as unhappy or empty? - 78% These stats are from 2003 and 2004, and with the apparent decline in moral values, you can only assume these percentages have since increased. “Now, I don’t want anybody to take what I have said and assume their spouse is cheating. I am not a doctor or shrink, but I can think of a couple times these items could have saved me from months and even years of grief,” an unknown source once said. According to Oprah’s magazine, 80% of men get caught! What about the other 20%? Their spouses never find out they are cheating. Don’t be stuck being the spouse of one of that 20% of cheaters. top of page
Is it true you take Paypal payments? Yes. This enables people to use their credit cards without me going to the additional expense of adding a credit card machine to my monthly expenses. I have an account that I use for my eBay activities, so it just seems natural. Doesn’t the woman always get custody? That is not the case anymore. I have read about the history of custody in the United States over the last 200 years. (See the ‘Credentials’ link.) Divorce was rare in that time, but when it did happen, the children just about always went to the father. Fast forward to the last several decades and we find that the children just about always went to the mother. Finally, some change has been seen in the last twenty years. In Indiana and most other states, the determination by the court is now based on “the best interest of the child.” Don’t get me wrong, there are still judges out there who rule on the antiquated premise of mother being the best caregiver. But there are also things that can be done to help your case, whether you are a father or a mother. Whichever parent you are, you still need demonstrate that you have established a strong bond and show what your participation has been in the child’s care, since early on in their life. There are other things that can be done, as far as an investigation is concerned. As each case is unique, feel free to ask for a no-cost consultation. top of page There’s not much I can do with the bad check I’ve collected, is there? If you are a typical business, you probably take checks in the normal course of that business. One of the hazards of taking checks is that not all checks will clear at the bank. Although frustrating for the business, not accepting any checks means loosing sales. One of the services that I provide for one local business is that I help them get their checks collected. I help them get their paperwork filed out and then I deliver the checks and other documents to the prosecutor’s office. This company is extremely busy and things can fall through the cracks very easily. Therefore, I also follow up on the checks at the courthouse, to either make sure they got paid or charges are filed against the ‘bad’ check writer. I spend the time on this that the business owners just don’t have. Can I record my own telephone? This is probably one of the most asked questions that I get during the course of a civil investigation. Under Indiana Case Law, you may record your own telephone activity as long as one person in the conversation knows that the recording is taking place. If it is your cheating spouse and their ‘friend,’ and neither one knows about the recording, it is not legal. If it is you and anyone else, it is legal. There are some states that require you to tell the other person that they are being recorded. Indiana is not one of those states. This law holds true to recording in general, also, such as pressing the ‘record’ button and then leaving the devise hidden. top of page Any chance an investigator can find a person I haven’t seen in years? Sometimes, sometimes not. This is one of those areas where there are no guarantees. A lot depends on whether this person is trying to hide or not. If they are not really trying to hide and you have a decent amount of information about them, your chances are pretty high that we can find them for you. Information that would help would be full name, date of birth, social security number, if available, relatives, hobbies, line of work, past history, etc. Not all of these are needed, but the more information, the better. My employees are stealing from me. How do I stop this? My answer depends on what type of business you have and what it is that they are stealing. I would want to hear about everything that you think is going on. After that evaluation, I would give you my recommendations. I have installed camera systems for large and small businesses. These cameras help deter theft if they are overt or out in the open and easily seen. If they are covert, undercover and hidden cameras, they will help catch thieves. The covert cameras usually catch their targets within one or two of the thief’s working days. If the situation is money, perhaps money powder is the answer. I have a green powder that can be sprinkled directly onto money. Once someone touches the money, the powder interacts with the oil in the person’s skin and turns a bright purple. The thief will be caught red-handed, actually purple-handed, and that discoloration remains on the skin for two or three days. Under most circumstances, the answer would be yes. I will do everything I can to meet an emergency deadline. Can’t I just get my own information for my case? There is nothing keeping you from doing this and you, better then anyone else, probably know ‘where all the bodies are buried.’ The problem comes when that information needs to be presented to another person, like a judge. If you do your own work on your own case and then try to present it to a judge, that can potentially be a problem. You may be viewed as being biased or having an agenda. As the old saying goes, ‘you have a dog in the fight.’ So what would otherwise be great evidence, would be tainted, unless found and presented by a neutral, unbiased third party. Did you really build drug cases by searching target’s trash? Yes, I did. When I was a road officer and also when I was in the drug task force, I took drug enforcement very seriously. I knew that drug users and sellers would use anything they could to buy and sell drugs. I took the same approach on both. I had several meetings with then Carroll County prosecutor Jim Huffer. The results of those meetings and what I learned in my drug classes (see ‘Credentials’ link), were then taken and applied to my investigations. ‘Whatever it takes’ became my motto. Trash searches then became the norm. Messy, stinky and sickening as it was, it got great results. You would be amazed at what can be learned about a person from looking at their trash. I have since used it in many civil cases. top of page If your name is Dale, who is Bob? Very simple: It is still me. ‘Bob’ was my undercover name as a drug task force officer, so it has just kind of stuck. Many people in Carroll County know who Dale is. If they found a business card with Dale on it in their spouse’s pocket, they would be suspicious. When they find one with Bob on it, they might not be as suspicious. What does your business motto, ‘Afraid of No One,’ mean?
Some people may think it is a macho thing, but at least 99% of the reason I use this motto is the fact that I will not shy away from investigating anyone, no matter their status in the community. I do recognize that there may be a conflict of interest on my part that would keep me from investigating certain people, but that is the only thing that would deter an investigation. My license is for the state of Indiana, border to border, and everywhere in between. Isn’t your business dangerous? It can be, but I don’t think about it much. If that is the way it goes, that is the way it goes. I do what I can and let God take care of the rest. My interest is in getting results and finding the truth. top of page I want to buy some property, but I don’t want people to know I am interested for fear the price will go up. Will you do the research for me? Certainly, I will. I have been a bidder on valuable art at an auction in Bloomington, and I have done research on some property in Carroll County for a prospective buyer. When a landowner finds out that someone may want to buy their land, the price may go up, depending on what the prospective buyer wants to do with the land. Sometimes, other parties find out about the interest in the land and then they start wanting the property. The price goes up. By sending someone like me to covertly gather information and make contacts, a buyer may avoid this happening. How do I keep you from investigating me? The only way I wouldn’t investigate someone is if I have a conflict of interest with them or if the person has already entered into a professional relationship with me before the other person does and paid a retainer. I know a person that is wanted or may be doing drugs. Can you do anything? I still have a very good working relationship with members of law enforcement who would be able to help in a situation like this one. A lot of people want to help or have information that can make a difference, they just don’t know exactly what to do with it, or they don’t want to get involved, for whatever reason. I have done ‘middle-man’ work before and I have no problem with taking care of situations like these. top of page |
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