Serving "That Guy"

I just want to say, sometimes you run into "that guy" when you are serving papers.

He is angry that you are serving him.
He thinks if he doesn't touch the papers, then he isn't served.
He thinks he can make some sort of statement that will somehow negate the service.
He thinks he can intimidate you with threats of calling the police.
He thinks he can intimidate you with threats claiming you are trespassing.

That guy.  Well, I actually served that guy the other day.  Yes, he tried to employ every one of those tactics.  The one I found most amusing, was the "trespassing" one.  Here is what the place looked like when I approached:

This is a blurry pic - but I didn't want to use a good one, as not to reveal "too much."  However, it is easy to see the open front gate and the fact that th door to the porch is standing open (which I did not go through).

"That Guy" tried to claim he had a "no trespassing sign."   I asked him where, as I never saw one.  Then he pointed towards the house next door and said "It is way down there."

Here is how it went down:

I walked up and knocked on the wall by the open door.  I waited and knocked again.  "That Guy" walked up from inside the house and closed that glass door.  I introduced myself and told him why I was there.  I already recognized the guy from his jail booking photos.

"That Guy" said he didn't know me, he wagged his finger at me, and said "Get off my property."  I told him "OK", then I said "You are served." See that gap above the door?  I slid the papers in there before walking away.  "That Guy" then grabs the papers, opens the door and throws them on the ground.

This began his threats of calling the police - to which I said go ahead.  He then said he was already served and already has a court date - which I told him the date was on the papers and I was not sure what that was. He then complained that I threw something into his house.

It was really not that big of a deal, but he was indeed "That Guy."

Stay Safe!

Investigator Basics - Part 5

 Effective Communications Skills

As in many walks of life, you must be able to communicate effectively.  You need to be able to do this on the phone, in email, in written reports – almost in any form of communication you can think of.  Your ability to communicate on the phone will likely be what gets you more cases or not. 

It is not just about being able to express yourself either.  You must be a good listener in order to effectively communicate. In order to be good at interviewing people, you must be able to communicate effectively with the person to whom you are questioning. If you don’t have good listening skills, it will impair your real effectiveness as an interviewer.

As a consequence, you will find it very difficult to be a successful criminal defense or corporate investigator if you cannot conduct good interviews. There is nothing more offensive or annoying than someone speaking down to someone or using speech or language that is difficult to comprehend. You must be able to speak to anyone from a young person with a limited education to a professional person, in language that is appropriate and clear.  Always use the most concise word – the word that has the clearest meaning. 

Make sure that when you ask a question, it is not too complicated.  It is better to use several simple questions instead of a long complicated one.  This applies to information that you are giving too.  It is always better to be short and concise instead of wordy and complicated.

Try to keep your ideas and questions about certain issues together.  For instance, when covering the “Where” question: Keep all questions concerning the description of the location together.  Do the same thing when asking about the description of a person.  Keep those types of questions together. It is easier for the other person to keep their train of thought.  It is OK to go back later and ask a question on any topic for the purpose of finding out if they are telling the truth.

Avoid wording your questions so that you are asking about what a person does not know.   Do not ask “You didn’t see the license plate did you?” unless it is a follow up question to something they may have said about the license plate.  Instead ask them to describe what they remember about the vehicle.  You can help the person you are interviewing describe the vehicle by asking questions about the size, color, type, and so on. 

Here are some tips to communicating effectively:

• ·         Listen, then in your own words repeat what you understand the person is telling you
• ·         If you are giving any kind of information, ask if the other person understands the directions or information
• ·         Project positive attitudes towards others and try to foster good human relations
• ·         Be empathic and express concern for others
• ·         Manage conversations and effectively draw out information
• ·         Pay great attention to the other person’s non verbal cues

Whatever you do - Stay safe!