31 March, 2008 This week: 8 hrs. 9:00-5:00 Total: 64.0 hrs.
Today was quite an interesting day, I worked on several very interesting cases. I spent most of the day in the field, and the first order of business was the continuation of the case of the paint store worker that was supposedly cheating on his wife with a worker at a nearby bank. We visited the bank and IDd the woman. It is exciting working 'under cover'. It gives you a different perspective when you are in a mundane situation, like standing in line at the bank, and have an objective that is not only not mundane, but must be concealed from everyone around you. It makes you wonder how many of the people you pass on the street or stand in line with at the market have a secret agenda of their own; if they're watching you....
After positively IDing the bank worker, we headed to Sausalito to pick up some papers to serve from an attorney. You may recognize the case from the news. A model from Chile was hit by a drunk driver in Napa after she got out of her car to adjust a car seat. She had to have both her legs amputated. The papers were to be served to the driver, who was in Napa County Jail. We talked with the attorney for awhile, and he gave me all sorts of advice about life, the universe, and everything. He suggested that after college people should spend at least a year traveling, because it's so hard to find time to do it after you start working. Of course, this guy couldn't complain about travel; he had endless stories about all the cities and countries he visits for his firm's board meetings and the like. Quite an eccentric character. He even had the token town drunk in his waiting room (of course the Sausalito Town Drunk is quite an nonthreatening, jovial man).
Our next task was to head down to the San Francisco Superior Court to file something from another case. We arrived at the court ready to go, and of course it was closed for Cesar Chavez Day. So we went for curry instead. It was very spicy.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Monday, March 24, 2008
Week 8: Spring Break!
24 March, 2008 This week: 0 hrs. Total: 56.0 hrs.
I didn't go into the office today, as I am away on spring break.
There indeed seem to be both pros and cons to the investigation business. If you enjoy it, and are good at it, it might be a really interesting career to have. Certainly more interesting than your typical desk job. There is a certain romance to it, and there is a reason so many TV shows and movies are based on it. On the other hand, you still have to deal with all the garbage that all working people have to, that screenwriters can conveniently ignore. I remember driving around with Kurt on my first day, trying to find a parking place, and thinking to myself they never have a problem finding parking on Law and Order... And besides the obvious stuff like that, there are the facts of running a small business; keeping the books, and payroll and all of that. And of course it's not all cracking cases and stakeouts and investigation 24/7, you still have to deal with people and their problems and mistakes (including your own). Not to mention the inherent slowness, inaccuracy, and bureaucracy of the legal system and the government. But all in all, if you enjoy the work, it seem like a pretty interesting career.
I didn't go into the office today, as I am away on spring break.
There indeed seem to be both pros and cons to the investigation business. If you enjoy it, and are good at it, it might be a really interesting career to have. Certainly more interesting than your typical desk job. There is a certain romance to it, and there is a reason so many TV shows and movies are based on it. On the other hand, you still have to deal with all the garbage that all working people have to, that screenwriters can conveniently ignore. I remember driving around with Kurt on my first day, trying to find a parking place, and thinking to myself they never have a problem finding parking on Law and Order... And besides the obvious stuff like that, there are the facts of running a small business; keeping the books, and payroll and all of that. And of course it's not all cracking cases and stakeouts and investigation 24/7, you still have to deal with people and their problems and mistakes (including your own). Not to mention the inherent slowness, inaccuracy, and bureaucracy of the legal system and the government. But all in all, if you enjoy the work, it seem like a pretty interesting career.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Week 7: Background Checks
17 March, 2008 9:00-5:00 This week: 8 hrs. Total: 56 hrs.
Today I worked with Sandy on a big block of background checks from a client at the County of Marin. We looked into the records of several potential hires, and compiled reports on what we found. The background checks included Marin, Sonoma, Alameda, and Contra Costa County court searches, investigation into assets and legal cases, criminal history, and driving records among other things. It is amazing how much information there is out there about people that is publicly available. Only the driving records required a PI license to look at, out of all the above searches.
The portfolio for my project is coming along nicely. I have yet to schedule a date for the presentation, but I think that it will end up working better if I present in school rather than the office.
Today I worked with Sandy on a big block of background checks from a client at the County of Marin. We looked into the records of several potential hires, and compiled reports on what we found. The background checks included Marin, Sonoma, Alameda, and Contra Costa County court searches, investigation into assets and legal cases, criminal history, and driving records among other things. It is amazing how much information there is out there about people that is publicly available. Only the driving records required a PI license to look at, out of all the above searches.
The portfolio for my project is coming along nicely. I have yet to schedule a date for the presentation, but I think that it will end up working better if I present in school rather than the office.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Week 6: The Marketing Campaign and Subrosa Reports
10 March, 2008 9:00-5:00 This week: 8 hrs. Total: 48.0 hrs.
The investigation industry has been changing over the past years. Ginter Investigations is steadily getting more and more private cases, and less workers comp cases, which used to be the mainstay. As a result, Kurt and Sandy have decided to send out company postcards advertising their services to various Marin attorneys. My father works in marketing, and he often asks my advice about the wording and layout of marketing devices, so I think I have a pretty good eye for that sort of thing. Anyhow, I made a few suggestions for the postcards, and spent much of the rest of the day compiling and formating the addresses for them. At the end of the day, I wrote my first subrosa report, which detailed the events of the surveillance I had been on with Bob Estes. Basically, it involves taking the heavily abbreviated, scrawled investigator notes and typing them into a coherent, clean report for the client.
I have been talking to Kurt and Sandy about what brought them to the field of Investigation. Kurt actually has a degree in wildlife management, but got a job at a big PI firm in San Francisco in the early 80s. He found that he liked, and was very good at investigation, and in 1985 got his own PI license and started Ginter Investigations. Sandy's background is with a big appliance company, and she took over the administrative end of Ginter Investigations, presumably once she and Kurt were married.
The investigation industry has been changing over the past years. Ginter Investigations is steadily getting more and more private cases, and less workers comp cases, which used to be the mainstay. As a result, Kurt and Sandy have decided to send out company postcards advertising their services to various Marin attorneys. My father works in marketing, and he often asks my advice about the wording and layout of marketing devices, so I think I have a pretty good eye for that sort of thing. Anyhow, I made a few suggestions for the postcards, and spent much of the rest of the day compiling and formating the addresses for them. At the end of the day, I wrote my first subrosa report, which detailed the events of the surveillance I had been on with Bob Estes. Basically, it involves taking the heavily abbreviated, scrawled investigator notes and typing them into a coherent, clean report for the client.
I have been talking to Kurt and Sandy about what brought them to the field of Investigation. Kurt actually has a degree in wildlife management, but got a job at a big PI firm in San Francisco in the early 80s. He found that he liked, and was very good at investigation, and in 1985 got his own PI license and started Ginter Investigations. Sandy's background is with a big appliance company, and she took over the administrative end of Ginter Investigations, presumably once she and Kurt were married.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Week 5: More Surveillance
3 March, 2008 9:00-5:00 This week: 8 hrs. Total: 40.0 hrs.
This week, after doing some background checks in the morning, I went out in the field with Mike to do surveillance on a paint store, where a worker was supposedly having an affair. We were hired by the guy's wife to see if he was cheating on her with a woman working at a nearby bank. After we arrived, I staked out the front entrance to the store, while Mike covered the back door. After several hours of waiting patiently for something to happen and listening to Dr. Laura on the radio, Mike calls me and tells me our guy is on the move. I pull out of my position, and Mike and I follow the guy clear across the city. Once the subject got to his destination, a market, he turned around and drove back to the paint store. That seems to be how surveillance is; a whole lot of boring waiting for something to happen, then sudden excitement at something finally going down, then back to waiting again.
I have been fleshing out my idea for a project over the past weeks, and I think I am going to have to somewhat change my original plan. After revisiting my original idea of consolidating different client forms with my mentor, we decided that it might be difficult for me to effectively analyze and consolidate the forms, being that I only work eight hours a week, and therefore don't get very 'intimate' with their usage. So I suggested to Sandy that I put together a portfolio of all the things I have done for Ginter Investigations, including a marketing campaign, subrosa reports, and the reworking of the Investigator Profile sheet. She agreed, and I have begun compiling those items into a presentation.
This week, after doing some background checks in the morning, I went out in the field with Mike to do surveillance on a paint store, where a worker was supposedly having an affair. We were hired by the guy's wife to see if he was cheating on her with a woman working at a nearby bank. After we arrived, I staked out the front entrance to the store, while Mike covered the back door. After several hours of waiting patiently for something to happen and listening to Dr. Laura on the radio, Mike calls me and tells me our guy is on the move. I pull out of my position, and Mike and I follow the guy clear across the city. Once the subject got to his destination, a market, he turned around and drove back to the paint store. That seems to be how surveillance is; a whole lot of boring waiting for something to happen, then sudden excitement at something finally going down, then back to waiting again.
I have been fleshing out my idea for a project over the past weeks, and I think I am going to have to somewhat change my original plan. After revisiting my original idea of consolidating different client forms with my mentor, we decided that it might be difficult for me to effectively analyze and consolidate the forms, being that I only work eight hours a week, and therefore don't get very 'intimate' with their usage. So I suggested to Sandy that I put together a portfolio of all the things I have done for Ginter Investigations, including a marketing campaign, subrosa reports, and the reworking of the Investigator Profile sheet. She agreed, and I have begun compiling those items into a presentation.
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