Illegal Affairs Making News

Posted on January 16, 2012 by kmcdonald

Most people don’t think about calling the police when they learn that their spouse has had an affair, but one Arizona man did just that, according to CBS News. Dave Banks is a resident of Glendale, Arizona, who got tired of his cheating wife. When Banks turned to Glendale’s Victim Assistance Program, he learned that not only is cheating painful, its actually illegal in Arizona.
Arizona isn’t the only state with this type of law on the books. CBS reports that about half of all US states have some form of “alienation of affection” or other morality laws. But these aren’t the only outdated and comical laws that the state of Arizona can boast. For example, it is illegal to keep a donkey in your bathtub, hunt camels, or refuse to give another person a glass of water if they ask for one. Every state has laws like these that hark back to the foundation of this great country, but it has been decades or more since these laws have been taken seriously, if they ever were.
Dave Banks was undeterred by the obsolete status of this law, and filed a police report anyway. Banks says that he has actually been calling the police for years in regard to his wife’s adulterous ways, but this is the first time that Glendale police validated his claim and filed the report. Banks states that his wife has had six or seven affairs that he knows of, and his wife openly admits to two, which took place after the couple moved into separate residences.
While the whole situation has a slightly amusing undertone, it actually brings to light a very valid point. Why are some laws considered legitimate while others aren’t? Banks asks “who gets to pick and choose which laws they can and can’t enforce? They got somebody readily admitting to guilt.”
Glendale Police finally accepted the report and filed a class 3 misdemeanor under Arizona state law ARS 13-1048 against Mrs. Banks, but they warned that a prosecutor is unlikely to follow through with a conviction.
Of course, Dave Banks does have the options of hiring a private investigator to obtain proof of his wife’s infidelity, and then move forward with a divorce filing.

PI Stories would love to hear your thoughts, comments, or feedback on this posting, so please feel free to comment below and share your feelings on the topic.  Family friendly comments only please!

To read the article quoted in this posting, please visit http://www.kpho.com/story/16502811/glendale-man-cites-az-law-calls-cops-on-cheating-wife?google_editors_picks=true

To learn more about private investigators, infidelity/cheating partner investigations, or child custody, support, and visitation investigations, please visit www.icsworld.com

To apply for a private investigator position with ICS, please visit https://www.icsworld.com/Private_Investigator_Jobs.aspx

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Positive Employment Growth for Private Investigators, Says Bureau of Labor Statistics

Posted on January 10, 2012 by kmcdonald

The private investigation industry is one of the fastest growing industries in America today, according to the 2008 survey conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). At the survey date, private investigators accounted for 45,500 jobs in the US, and 21% of those employees were self-employed. The BLS projects that the private investigation industry will grow by an astounding 22% between 2008-2018, which the BLS reports is “much faster than the average for all occupations.”
This substantial growth is in spite of the irregular and unusual hours private investigators often have to work. For may private investigators, a large part of their job is doing surveillance or tailing a subject, which are tasks that generally can’t be completed during normal business hours. The BLS also notes that private investigation is considered a dangerous profession, although “private detectives and investigators have a relatively low incidence of nonfatal work-related injuries.” The irregular work hours and the constantly changing work environment isn’t all bad; many people aren’t content with working a perpetual 8:00-5:00 schedule or sitting in a cubicle.
The 2008 survey also reported positive income earnings for private investigators, with the median income being $41,760, with the middle 50% of private investigators earning between $30,870 and $59,060. And for the top 10% of private investigators, income can be as high as $76,640. Most private investigators have previous investigative experience, and all private investigators need to participate in on-going training to remain competent with the vast technological advancements occurring in the industry. It is uncommon for a formal 4-year degree to be required, and a large part of training takes place on the job.
For more information on the statistics and quotes listed in this post, please visit the Bureau of Labor Statistics website at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos157.htm#projections_data

Looking for a private investigator job? Apply at ICS today by visiting www.icsworld.com/private_investigator_jobs.aspx

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Famous Fictional PIs

Posted on January 2, 2012 by kmcdonald

On a website that is dedicated to anything and everything having to do with private investigators, it is high time for a discussion on the most famous and beloved private eyes, dicks, shamus, and sleuths to ever be penned into a book, or to grace the silver screen.  There is no particular order to this list!

Humphrey Bogart is the man who comes to mind first when I think of fictional gumshoes, as he is the actor who basically defined all successive private investigator characters.  Humphrey Bogart played many different private detectives over the years, so it is somewhat cheating to list the actor, rather than any number of his characters, for instance, Samuel Spade from The Maltese Falcon, or Phillip Marlow from The Big Sleep.  But Bogart is unique in that his presence in the film was more defining than his character, which is arguably always secondary to his reputation of character.  Even to this day, Bogart in a fedora, cigarette dangling from his lips, remains the image conjured up in most people’s minds when they think about private investigators.

Sherlock Holmes, as authored by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is undoubtedly the private investigator with the greatest longevity, known to everyone, even to those who have never read a book in their lives.  This is due is a small part to the recent release of two new films in which Robert Downey Jr. plays Holmes and Jude Law is Dr. Watson, loyal friend and assistant to Holmes.  But these films can’t be given too much credit, especially considering that while the films are fun, they deviate severely from the books.  Sherlock Holmes has been endeared to us because of his uncanny ability to discern the minutest detail, solving the case based on the uneven wear on the brother’s left shoe, for example.

Coming forward into the future a bit, we meet J.J. Gittes, played by Jack Nicholson in the 1974 film Chinatown.  Gittes is somewhat reminiscent of any number of Bogart’s characters-hansom, always ready with a quip, zero regard for the rules, and of course, he gets the girl.  He wins our affections with his relentless nature, taking several beatings to the face in order to solve the case, save the girl, and beat the bad guy.

Then of course, we have Thomas Magnum, of Magnum P.I., as played by Tom Selleck.  Magnum P.I. was on air for 8 years, from 1980 to 1988, featuring former Navy SEAL gone private eye Thomas Magnum, who lives and works in beautiful Hawaii.  Magnum P.I. brought the mysterious world of private investigators to the general public in a way that films never could, revealing different facets of the industry throughout the course of the 8 year run.

No list of fabulous fictional private investigators could be complete without a discussion of V.I. Warshawski.  Warshawski is one of the first characters of her type, because Warshawski is a rough and tumble female private investigator, taking by storm an industry previously run exclusively by men.  Warshawski was invented by novelist Sara Paretsky, and first appeared in the book Indemnity Only, 30 years ago.  Warshawski is a sexy, dangerous, gun-wielding investigator who is defined more by her investigative skill than her female sexuality, winning her a place on our list of famous fictional private investigators for being the first of her kind, in addition to being awesome even by male standards!

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Private Investigators Research Murder Cases

Posted on December 21, 2011 by kmcdonald

The title “private investigator” often conjures up images in most people’s minds of the stereotypical 1950′s sleuth with a tilted fedora, snapping secret photos of sultry women sneaking off with another man.  Today, adultery investigations are still a huge part of what private investigators do, but it certainly isn’t the only part.  Today, private investigators are being called in more than ever for a wider variety of cases, especially in cases where the police are already involved.

One such case of private investigators being called in after a police investigation is currently making headlines, involving a mother, Mary Zumwalt, who is on trial for the murder of her 8 year-old daughter.  This is not a rare occurrence, and police and private investigators have always crossed paths in the field.  Commonly, private investigators are able to investigate cases and leads that police can’t because of jurisdictional and legal restrictions.  In other cases, the police may believe that the need for investigation is over and they have their suspect in custody.  This is where private investigators come in, investigating cases like that of Mary Zumwalt.  In this instance, the police believe that Zumwalt is guilty, but her family believes that she isn’t, and decided, with the approval of the judge, to hire an outside private investigator to look into the case.

No private investigator can claim to prove that an accused murderer is innocent, but rather, investigators offer an unbiased look at the case at hand, searching for evidence that police may have missed.  In many cases the additional time and resources that private investigators are able to use can result in additional evidence.  Without the pressure to catch the killer immediately, PIs can slow down and follow more leads, even if they seem unrelated.  This is what Zumwalt’s family is hoping for, believing that a private detective might find some shred of evidence pointing to another killer, even though the police have focused only on Zumwalt.

Private investigators may or may not find evidence of a different killer.  It is certainly not unheard of for innocent people to be found guilty and sent to jail, or even put to death, only to be found innocent years later.  Having a private investigator looking over an accused’s case file before the final court hearing could reduce the chances this will happen, saving victims of wrongful accusations from major emotional and financial damages.

 

Looking for a private investigator job?  https://www.icsworld.com/Private_Investigator_Jobs.aspx

For more information on Mary Zumwalt’s case, see http://www.wpsdlocal6.com/news/local/Area-mother-charged-with-daughters-murder-private-investigator-to-look-at-case-135702423.html

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Private Investigators Find Financial Infidelity in Relationships

Posted on October 11, 2011 by PiAdmin

 

Financial Infidelity isn’t a term very many people are familiar with, though many people have experienced the repercussions of financial cheating.  Normally when people think of cheating or infidelity, they only think about having an emotional or sexual affair, but cheating and lying about money can be just as big of a problem.  Today it is becoming more and more common for private investigators to be called in to investigate this type of affair, especially as younger generations become more independent and less likely to have only one person handling the finances.
So what exactly is financial infidelity, and what do private investigators do when they investigate it?  Financial infidelity can take several forms, including hiding money, lying about monthly or yearly earnings, hiding bonuses, spending excessively, or secretly using money to fund an affair or gambling addiction.  Many people will go to elaborate lengths to hide their income and spending from their spouse or partner.  People who are being financial cheaters often hide bank accounts, have secret credit cards, or demand to take care of all financial matters by themselves, without letting their spouse see paystubs, bank statements, or credit card balances.
Experienced private detectives can use a variety of methods to get to the bottom of your financial infidelity fears.  To name only a few, private investigators can conduct surveillance, background checks, and credit card tracing techniques during the course of an infidelity investigation.  Financial infidelity is only one form of the broader category of cheating.  You don’t have to be married to be the victim of financial cheating; anyone who shares accounts, income, or expenses with their partner can be taken advantage of financially. 
Reliable, licensed, and professional private investigators can be found nationwide.
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How to Pick a Great and Legal Private Investigator

Posted on October 3, 2011 by PiAdmin
Every year droves of people turn to private investigators to help solve the problems they can’t get to the bottom of on their own.  Private detectives provide an invaluable service to people in their greatest times of need-when they are being cheated on, harassed, stalked, bribed, spied on, and sabotaged, amongst dozens of other things.  But not all people claiming to be private investigators are actually legally allowed to carry out investigations, so it is extremely important to verify the credentials of any private investigator before you hire them or share the details of your case.
In most states, private investigators must be licensed by the appropriate government agency within their state.  It is illegal to practice investigations or claim to be a private investigator without holding a license.  The licensing process ensures that PIs are qualified, experienced, free of legal issues or felonies, and generally are of sound moral character.  There are a few states that don’t require licensure, but most states do.
One particular example of someone unknowingly hiring an unlicensed private investigator involves a family in Bloomington, Indiana who turned to a “private investigator” to help find their missing Indiana University student.  According to Fox news, the family became displeased with the progress of the investigation, and police soon found out that the investigator the family had hired was not licensed, and was therefore practicing private investigations legally.  Worse, the detective was not only unlicensed, his previously held license had been suspended by a judge for 10 years, though the reason for the suspension was undisclosed.
Unfortunately, this is not an entirely unique scenario.  Anyone seeking a private investigator should ask to see credentials and verify that the investigator they are considering is legally allowed to practice in their state.  Although there are a few bad apples in the private investigative world, don’t be deterred; the number of legitimate and certified private investigators far outnumbers the few illegal ones.
Again, not every state requires licensure, but even those that do not still generally have basic legal requirements that their business must adhere to.  Look into the requirements in your state so that you can make an informed decision when searching for the right private investigator.
For more information on private investigator requirements by state.
Fox News source: http://www.fox59.com/news/wxin-attorney-general-new-york-private-investigators-are-operating-illegally-20110926,0,7686155.column
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Defense Lawyer Hires Private Detective to Help Solve Robbery Case

Posted on September 29, 2011 by PiAdmin
Last April in York, Nebraska, two masked men wielding guns robbed a local Pizza Hut.  Witnesses say that two men wearing masks over their faces entered the Pizza Hut at closing time, demanded that the employees leave their cell phones on the counter and remain in the bathroom while the thieves stole an undisclosed amount of money.
Local police have made an arrest in the case, but they only have one of the two men in custody.  The accused, Jostine Hoit, a 23-year-old York resident, is about to go to trial based on the testimony of several peers, though no one has yet named the second gunman.  There are problems with the case though, as pointed out by Hoit’s defense attorney; namely the five witnesses who are willing to testify that Hoit was elsewhere the night of the robbery, and too intoxicated to have committed the crime.
Hoit’s defense attorney, public defender Nancy Waldron, has requested permission from the presiding judge to hire a private investigator to find out what really happened during the robbery.  The judge approved this motion, and a private investigator is set to begin investigations immediately.
This motion is not an entirely unique one, as private investigators are often major players in trials.  Lawyers frequently employ private detectives to hunt down witnesses, find evidence, obtain statements, vet expert witnesses, and serve papers.  And lawyers aren’t the only professionals who depend on the services of PIs, insurance companies also rely on private investigators to validate claims, investigate beneficiaries, and conduct subrosa surveillance for a variety of reasons.
Currently, Hoit is facing a 100-year sentence if he is found guilty, but the use of a private investigator may change the outcome of his trial. 
Looking for a private investigator? 
Are you a private investigator looking for a job?  Visit Us Here.
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Private Investigators Used to Cut Costs in School Districts

Posted on August 9, 2011 by PiAdmin

The school districts have been taking the budget cuts and financial hardships harder than almost any other industry.  In an attempt to cut costs, some school districts have opted to hire private investigators to find students that are attending school in one district while living in another.  By locating and un-enrolling students living in other districts, the investigating district should be able to cut at least one teacher, a move that seems heartless, but is necessary in order to provide students and staff with the required supplies and facilities during these economically difficult times.
The attempt to find out of district students involves a three part plan.  All incoming kindergarteners are investigated to verify that they actually live in that school district with the hopes of stopping future outsiders from enrolling.  Next, all older students already attending school within the district are investigated to determine which district they reside in.  Phase three is to notify parents that their child is no longer enrolled in that district, and advising them as to which district they should actually be attending school in.
The logic behind the decision to hire private investigators is sound: school districts can’t afford to educate more students than they are receiving taxes from.  It isn’t fair to the students and families paying taxes in their proper district if other districts are receiving funds but don’t have to educate their full load of students.
There is no reason to believe that parents are purposely sending their students to the wrong schools.  It is likely that they simply thought that the closest school was the correct school, though unfortunately this isn’t always the case.  It isn’t uncommon for staff to also be mistaken about which school a child should be attending because district boundaries can be confusing.
Private investigators use a variety of methods to find out which district students are actually living in, including residency checks through various databases, knocking on doors, and conducting surveillance when necessary.  Some parents were confused about why a private investigator showed up on their doorsteps, but all were accepting of the district’s effort to enforce boundary rules to more accurately spend tax dollars.

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Private Investigators Being Used to Rat Out Illegal Tenants

Posted on August 3, 2011 by PiAdmin
 According to the New York Times, Private Investigators are being put to use in a unique and inventive way: helping landlords save thousands of dollars by identifying and locating illegal tenants.
In major cities like New York, tenants can get locked in to rent controlled apartments.  Once they move out, the landlord has the legal right to raise the rent by 20% to compete with the city’s rising costs, but the problem is that tenants grow out of their rent-controlled apartment but don’t want to let go of the lease.  Often, renters sublet the apartment to family or friends illegally in order to keep their current rate.  Renters may even try to earn additional money by renting out their unit for a higher price, making a profit that they will never claim on their taxes, and that rightfully should belong to the landlord.
Landlords in situations like these have very few options if they try to deal with the situation themselves, which is where private investigators come in.  By conducting a surveillance investigation, private detectives can determine who is living in which apartment.  Surveillance investigations consist of photographing residents and determining the commuter patterns of residents suspected to not be on a lease.  A “suspicious” resident would be a young couple living in an apartment held by a single elderly woman.
With the information gained by the private investigators, landlords can begin to take action against illegal tenants, and reclaim their property and income.  It takes a skilled investigator to obtain the information in a timely and legal fashion to ensure that all data collected is viable in court.
For more information on private investigations in your area, please visit this site.  For more information on this story, visit the New York Times at http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/31/nyregion/31appraisal.html?ref=detectivesprivate.  
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State Senator uses Tax Money to Spy on Strippers

Posted on November 6, 2008 by PiAdmin

State Senator Fumo from Pennsylvannia is now on trial for his less than ethical practices as a public official. Among his wrong-doings was to hire a private investigator to keep tabs on his ex-wife, ex-girlfriends, and some strippers. He even went so far as to attempt to persuade the investigator, Frank Wallace, to facilitate his ex-wife being stopped by cops and arrested for drunk driving. The investigator did not follow thru with the request, of course.

Source: Phiadelphia Daily News

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