Because they did not hire me… or
Because he is not cheating on his wife. Just let him do that and we’ll find him.
Actually, phone records and criminal history are NOT confidential. That is a popular misconception among people today. There is very little about your life that really is confidential. Read one of those privacy disclaimers you get from a hospital, credit card or bank one time. You will notice they reserve the right to use your information in internal marketing schemes AND to use the information with any other company they are associated with or do business with. The people they give the information to are not always as protective as they are.
In addition, it is not illegal to talk to people. I used to go to the old neighbors of a person I was investigating and talk to them. Most of the time, there is a single person, living close by who is willing to talk to you. I mentioned earlier the “little old lady” who always had the juiciest gossip. If you were charismatic enough and showed the badge you could get (badge just said private investigator) she was many times willing to talk. I would try and talk to the mail carrier or the local paper boy. These people will sometimes spill the beans about the one you are interested in.
One myth that really is true was bartenders. As long as it was not a local bar the guy had friends in, bartenders would remember a lot if you handled it properly. You just don’t go in and ask people questions. You have to finesse it. One little old lady took three hours of lemonade and listening to her grandchildren’s stories before she gave me some great details. Another time, I sat at a bar watching hockey with the bartender for two hours, drinking and tipping high, before I was able to get the info I needed.
“Mr. lissa”
Let me say that half my job in internal affairs is all “gut feeling”. Many of my cases involve female staff having sexual relations with male inmates. There are particular profiles and behaviors that to a lay person would seem unimportant, but to me and my partner they send up a red flag. I HAVE NEVER had a case where it was easy to come by the information and it was layed out nice and neat for me. I always had to follow “hunches” that sometimes led to dead ends. Nevertheless, i have kciked myselk in the butt in at least a dozen cases when I felt I should have foudn out something earlier. I found that when you do not trust your gut, you make mistakes. But, I am far from perfect and many a case has gotten away from me.
The trick as a P.I. was to get in the mind of the subject. I would talk to the person that hired me for hours. I would learn the subject’s favorite things, routines or tendencies. You see, following sombody, without a team to switch chase cars, is VERY difficult. Most of you would notice someone close by and if you hang back, unless your willing to run red lights and such, you will many times lose the tail. So, you have to make educated guesses where their next destination is based upon their tendencies and the general direction they are heading. Half of the time, I would lose the tail for the night. But, sometimes, I would pick it back up three hours later byu going to their favorite bar or restaurant.
Now, I can use the GPS tracking system “The Hound”. As long as you put it on the car while it is on public property (parking lot), and remove while on public property, you can use GPS to follow the subject. I don’t know if private investigators could use this legally.
“Mr. Lissa”
I’m a bit confused by your statement above. How is it legal in any way, shape or form for someone without a warrant to secretly affix something to someone’s private property (their car) if they are in a public parking lot? Do paroled prisoners have limited privacy protections once released?
What information do I need to give a PI if I want to find out if someone has a prison record or outstanding warrants? All I have is a name, address, and birthdate. Would that be enough?
How much would you charge for such information?
How do wives and husbands take it when they found out their spouses are cheating? Do most of them already have a suspicion and want it confirmed?
Rockford or Columbo?
With Christmas presents and the like, I simply tell him which closet they’re in, and ask him not to look in there. He’s honest to a fault, and very trustworthy. He doesn’t peek.
From years in this kind of job, “Mr. Lissa” is a man who notices EVERYTHING, and he has a phenomenal memory for seemingly insignifcant details. If I was cheating on him, there’s absolutely no way I could get away with it. For example, if I had told him that I had eaten lunch with a friend at Wendy’s, and then two months later said it was McDonalds, he would remember and know I was lying.
In the beginning of our relationship, we had a bit of a rocky start due the investigative nature his job has given him. He had problems with trust in the first place because of a bad relationship, so he did sort of “keep track” of my doings. It made me a bit uncomfortable in a way, but I wasn’t doing anything wrong, so I wasn’t angry about it.
He’s an amazing interregator. Most of the time, the subject doesn’t even realize that they’re being drilled. When he finally gets down to real, hard, interrogation, he can talk you in circles. Soon, you’re about ready to confess that you kidnapped the Lindburgh Baby.
Most people find it very hard to keep their story straight. I’ve seen videos of him in action. He’ll focus in on one tiny detail, asking numerous questions about it, and then switch to something else. Much later, he’ll go back to the first detail, and unless the answers are EXACTLY the same, he’ll start in on why the story has changed. People get very confused, and sometimes reveal more information. Then, he’ll hone in on the new information, in excrutiating detail, and then, abruptly move on to something else. Later, it’s back to those the old story comparing it to the new details, and why they didn’t explain them in the first place. After about an hour of this, people are so confused and unsure of what all they’ve revealed that they usually will just give up and confess to the truth.
He’s also extremely tuned to body language. It’s very hard to lie with your entire body. People always give slight visual cues that signal a lie, and if you’re a sharp observer, you can easily pick up on them. For example, I remember the story of a subject in interrogation who would always scratch behind his ear when lying. Another person lifted his eyebrows. So, if I tried to lie about how much an outfit cost, he’d probably know right away.
So, needless to say, I can’t hide anything from him. The only thing I ever managed to pull off was the planning of a surprise party for him. Planning a bank robbery would have been easier.
Lissa
It’s not necesscarily just paroled prisoners that he uses this on. It’s used on ordinary citizens who are suspected of comitting criminal acts associated with prison operations, such as conveying narcotics into the prison. He has never heard of it being illegal, and the prison’s legal department approves it. Why would you need a warrant? What is he “searching or seizing?” Once again, he is using this within the scope of law enforcement, and he’s not sure about a private citizen’s right to use it. The reason why the car has to be on public property to attach The Hound is to avoid trespassing.
As for paroled prisoners, they give up significant rights to privacy. He can enter a parolee’s home at any time and search the premises. If a parollee is living with someone else, that individual also surrenders their rights to be free of search as long as it is reasonably possible the parolee has access to the area.
This really all depends on quite few things. First of all, criminal checks are usually completed (by private investigators) using the public records in courthouses. Sometimes sheriff’s and DA’s will release information as well although you have to be more slick in talking to them. If the PI must use public records, then they need to know all the addresses the person may have previously held as well as places they visit frequently (criminal charges are filed in the county they occurred in- most of the time). Most P.I.'s will conduct a county check for about $7.00 a county. If they have connections to NCIC/LEADS data (they would not tell you because it is illegal for them to use data for private use) they would probably charge you $100-200dollars for this. I have seen some national firms saying they can do a full U.S. search for about $75. but unless they are breaking laws, I highly doubt the total accuracy of this. Name, address and birthdate would be more than enough. SSN is great, but sometimes people use false SSN’s as well. Most PI’s would only be able to give you a check if the person used no aliases. More in depth investigating would require some less then legal means and most PI’s will not do it at all, or they will charge you quite a bit.
If you wanted a public records check for a couple counties, I would have probably charged about $25. I reserved my special connections for very important cases- of which their were few.
Every time in a cheating case there was a suspicion before. Thus, all I was really doing was confiming their gut instinct and giving them something solid to confront their partner with. Most people know when their significant other is unfaithful because there are a multitude of other signs. But, any of us who have gone through that know you cannot just confront them with suspicions because they will simply deny it. How can you trust them to be truthful if they are cheating on you? My reports would give them photos, a second-hand obervers opinion and any other evidence they could really corner them on. I personally felt it was usually pointless because the people desperate enough to come to me were usually so angry, hurt and saddened that I would have recommended they just leave the person no matter what. Nevertheless, many people need closure. It would surprise you, however, how many people stayed in the relationships even after they got my report.
Actually, I like the guy from Law&Order:Criminal Intent the most. Although it is totally unrealistic, I love how he is very knowledgable and develops profiles of people very quickly. He does overact quite a bit, but I strive to learn general information about a multitude of topics so that I can always know a little about anything the subject says. Nothing is worse than being in an interrogation and the subject knows more than you.
Between Rockford and Columbo, it would have to be Columbo.
(Italics added.)
Fascinating thread. Thanks! Just wanted to note that since April 13, the Health Info. Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule has been in force, and Hospitals (or HMOs, doctors in private practice, etc.) may NOT give your information to anyone, in general, except for your health care. Marketing schemes in particular are pretty much outlawed. You also have the right to find out if they gave your info to anyone, and who it was, and they have a responsibility to keep track of who they’ve given it to. There are exceptions, but it’s pretty strict and the exceptions give you a lot of protection from marketing and snooping. Although IIRC, law enforcement gets a pretty broad exception.
To those of us who really value our privacy (and resent prying eyes, whether private or government), the picture you paint is grim and not a little frightening. From what I’ve read, it sounds as though a person has ZERO control over their own privacy. True or false?
In other words, what can I do to minimize access to the type of information and snooping you’ve detailed? I can’t think of anything I have to hide, but I don’t like my privacy and identity being commoditized without my permission.
Thanks.
I’m not a PI, Country, but I imagine once you get a driver’s license, you’re “in the system” in some way.
Yes, it does. One hospital uses this version to explain it.
As I understand it, they don’t necessarily have to tell you if law enforcement has viewed your records.
Also, it appears to be a matter of National Security which anitbiotic you use:
There are also exceptions for research, and
Country Squire, Hubby’s asleep, but I’ll tell you what I know, and if he has anything to add, he’ll do so in the morning.
Pretty much, unless you use cash for every purchase, * someone * knows what you’re buying. Every time you fill out a warranty card, donate to a charity, subscribe to a magazine, use a discount card or use coded coupons which have been mailed to you, you reveal a lot about yourself and your interests. Your surfing habits, your e-mail, your phone records, and your credit card records reveal even more. Law enforcement can get access to these sorts of things should the need arise. Heck, I’ve even heard tell that your book purchases can be scrutinized in the name of National Security.
It’s very hard not to leave “fingerprints” these days. It is a bit discomfiting when you think about all the information that your daily activities reveal, and most of it can’t be prevented.
The only advice I could give you is to “opt-out” whenever possible when given the choice not to reveal your information to marketing. Never reveal any more information than absolutely necessary-- which means not giving your phone number to electronics stores and the like.
Most likely, if you’re investigated by a good PI, you’ll never even know about it. There’s not much you could to to avoid being “tailed” or having your garbage sorted.
I’m sorry, but I just can’t see the legality of this being used against everyday citizens (regardless of suspicions) “suspected” of committing crimes connected with the administration of a prison. To get a wiretap you (I think) need a warrant and I just don’t see a meaningful distinction between of tracking the movements of someone’s personal automobile with an surreptiously affixed bug and a wiretap.
I’m assuming it’s somehow explicitly legal to do this or good lawyers would be tossing out convictions based on tracking, although to be honest that fact it is legal does suprise the hell out of me.
Have you ever encountered a “super-villain” – a criminal so canny you can’t identify him, or if you can identify him, can’t prove he’s ever done anything illegal even though you’re pretty sure he (or she) has?
I understand that most criminals are not very bright people so you might not have to be all THAT brilliant to rank as a “super villain.”
Country, in my (relatively brief, in the grand scheme of things) time as an investigative reporter, I learned that what we call “privacy” really is the word used to describe a state of being where you are so unimportant that nobody gives a shit what you do. The techniques “Mr. Lissa” is describing are not some arcane body of lore passed around like in ninja clans. ANYONE willing to knock on your neighbors’ door can learn plenty about you, as he pointed out.
So given that, if you feel that you ever had “control” of your privacy, than you labored under an illusion. The truth is, you have no control over whether or not people watch you. If they want to, they can, and you have no inherent power to stop them. The very idea of privacy is an artificial construct that people operate under because they find the alternative too uncomfortable. I know I sure did once I figured out all of the above. The way I dealt with it was to simply realize that, hey, I’m pretty damn unimportant. So who cares what I do? 
You’re missing the point, astro. Mr Lissa is not a cop looking for evidence to convict anyone of a crime in court. Nor is he entering the vehicle. Nor is he making any kind of recording, either audio or visual, of their movements. Therefore, laws of the type you refer to don’t apply to him. But even if they did, I daresay the wiretapping laws in just about any locale make pretty clear just what “wiretapping” is. This ain’t it.
All home-birthed Amish can now breath easy. Big Brother isn’t watching!
I work both as security consultant and as a police officer, and I have been told by credible individuals (the legal department at my consulting firm and an assistant d.a.) that placing a tracking device on a persons vehicle, without a warrant/court order, or permission of the owner or operator of such vehicle, was not legal, and violated several statutes. I don’t have a site for that statement at this time. I’m looking though.
As a police officer, or as a private citizen?
Well, you can stay off the internet for one. Not get any credit cards. Never publish your phone number or address. Never mail away for anything. Never register for large contests. Use cash only. Shred all your mail. Do not use special cards at grcoery stores. In other words, not participate in modern society. Always remember, you are still protected, but people have ways around those protections.
Let me make this clear, I never use illegal means in my law enforcement investigations. We do everything by the book and consult with out chief legal counsel quite often. It is better to protect the rights of citizens and catch the bad guys than tread all over the constitution and hurt everyone.
“Mr. Lissa”