So Many Strange Requests

Lately, I have gotten quite a few strange requests for my services.  These requests have ranged from "muscle" to conducing illegal surveillance.

So just in case you didn't know, here are some things I don't do for pay:

1.  Intimidate people.  I will not go to intimidate or threaten anyone in any form or fashion.
2.  Place a GPS on someone's vehicle besides yours.  When I say yours, I mean that the title is in you name. I also need written permission from you before I do that.
3.  I will not place a hidden camera anywhere in your home to catch your other half cheating on you.
4.  I will not put spyware on any phone that is not yours.  Show me the bill first.
5.  I will not break into an office to look for records (I know this is a common TV PI thing, but it is a felony to do so)

This list may have to be repeated and then be added to.  In case you are wondering, yes, I have been asked to do all of this.


Whatever you do - be safe!

GPS Tracking - the Pros and Cons

Whenever you are considering using GPS tracking, make sure you understand the local laws. The Supreme Court has ruled that law enforcement needs a warrant to use a GPS tracking device.  While this does not directly

Texas law is clear under penal code chapter 16 that it is illegal to install a tracking device on a car without the owner's permission.  This also applies to private investigators who need written consent of the owner to install the device.

So, in a nutshell, you (or someone you hire) can put a tracker on your own car - but not on anyone else's car.

Pros: It makes it very easy to locate a vehicle 24/7.  Some devices have monthly service charges that can quickly add up to big bucks.

Cons:  Don't become one by breaking the law.  In a more practical sense if you are being legal - you need to be aware of battery life and placement of the device.  It has to be able to access satellites to be effective. Simply sticking it on the bottom of the vehicle with a magnet may not work.  You need to test out the device in various vehicle locations beforehand.  Every tracker is different - make sure you have an idea of what the battery life is likely to be on each setting.


Remember that whatever you do - stay safe!

Cell Phone Recon - a Review

I decided to try out Cell Phone Recon.  I installed it on my own phone to see how it performs and what all it really does.  Here is what I can do.  I can see what calls came into the phone, calls made from the phone, text messages to and from the phone.  Emails to and from the phone (though some of these have not been tracked well).  I also can track where I have been (via the cell phone) by GPS.  Also you can switch phones when you want - but you can only monitor one phone at a time.

The program has a way to back up all of this information.  I initially tried it out so I could recommend (or not ) the product.  I decided it works really well, and I am going to keep it on the phone for 2 reasons.

1.  It is a great CYA tool for work.  I can prove where I have been and calls I have made, etc.
2.  It is a good security tool for the phone.  If my phone gets lost/stolen - I can find it via cell phone recon. I really like that idea.

Over all cell phone recon works as advertised.  It is a great tool for you to use in investigations (if used properly under the law) and a great security feature for your own phone.

I highly recommend this product.  You can get it from Brickhouse Security

Whatever you do - stay safe!

Tracking Phones Using GPS

There are a lot of people that just do not understand about GPS tracking of cell phones.  A lot of people believe that just because a phone has GPS capability, that the phone can be tracked using GPS.  That is simply not the case and here is why:

1.   A GPS unit does not transmit anything to the GPS system.  It simply receives signals from multiple satellites to allow it to calculate its current position. This it true for hand held GPS units, cell phones, TomToms and all other GPS capable devices.

2.  For someone to be able to track a phone using GPS a few things need to take place first.

      a) The phone must have the GPS activated.  This may seem obvious, but a lot of people do not realize     this.  Some phones have GPS activated in the default setting - so check your phone if you are not sure.
      b) The phone must store the locations after acquiring the GPS coordinates.  Most phone do this automatically if the GPS function has been activated.  Note: All iPhones and iPads appear to log your location to a file called "consolidated.db." This contains latitude-longitude coordinates along with a time-stamp.  Technically these are not done using GPS, but by cell tower triangulation.  This information does not leave your phone unless you have certain apps (see c)

      c) Some type of location sharing application has to be activated for the phone to be able to be tracked. This means the phone either is connected via the internet or sends the coordinates through text messages to a certain location.

I will expand on c just a bit.  There are a lot of apps that may not tell you that you are sharing your location.  At least they do not tell you overtly.  An few of these applications are:  Family GPS Tracker, GPS Tracker (for Android), Google Latitude, There are several "stealth" programs that can be installed, but a lot of social networking apps reveal and store your location in servers not in your phone.

3. Getting the GPS information from cell companies takes a subpoena for private investigators, but that information may be available for a lot of phones nowadays.

Whatever you do - stay safe.

GPS Tracking - Stay Up on the Law

There are a lot of things happening with GPS Tracking.  In a nutshell, in Texas as a private investigator, you can put a GPS Tracker on a vehicle with the owner's permission.  Police need a court order or owner's permission. As far as State law goes and case law goes - what I know of as of today, there have been no clear-cut cases determining what the term owner means.  Texas is a community property state -  so even in cases where both the husband and wife are not on the title - they are still both owners of the vehicle.  This is obviously a factor in infidelity or divorce cases.  This is important because in Texas the "right to privacy" is a pretty big deal.

Things like "the right of privacy constitutes a legal injury for which a remedy will be granted." and anything that goes beyond the "expectation of privacy" can have dire consequences.


Chances are, as long as you have consent form an owner - you are likely to be OK from a criminal or Penal Code (16.06) violation standpoint.

However, now the Supreme Court of the United States is getting into this.  We do not want to be violating Federal Law.  They decided to look into a criminal investigation by the Police, but we may need to look into it more carefully for private investigations concerns.  The US Court of appeals in DC put it this way: "A reasonable person does not expect anyone to monitor and retain a record of every time he drives his car, including his origin, route, destination, and each place he stops and how long he stays there; rather, he expects each of those movements to remain 'disconnected and anonymous,"  according to circuit judge Douglas Ginsburg.

The case has not been heard yet, and it is about the warrant-less use of GPS trackers by police - but keep an eye on the case as it can have implications for the private eye.

Cnet has the story here.

Whatever you do - Stay Safe!