Investigator Basics - Part 4

So now we finally get to the part where I discuss the needed qualities of an investigator:

The next few posts will be about attributes and special qualities that will help you as an investigator achieve success.

Today's topic: The Ability to get others to work with you

The first quality I will focus on is the ability to get people to work or co-operate with you.  Why you ask?  Well, first off, it is my blog, and secondly – it is likely one of the most important skills you will need.  It will help you with witnesses, clients, suspects, professionals you need assistance from, and pretty much anyone else you come across in your daily work.

You will make a living or go broke as an investigator with your ability to collect information.  If you can communicate well, you have an upper hand on becoming a great investigator.  That communication can be done in your interviews and in your writing of reports.  Often, you will need to communicate effectively to obtain information from all sorts of sources.

You will need to have the ability to interact effectively with all types of people.  It doesn’t matter if they are day laborers or lawyers, you will need to find a way to communicate effectively with them.  If you are having trouble relating to your clients, or suspects, people in the clerk’s office who are the custodians of public records, and witnesses, you may need to consider looking into another line of work.  If you alienate witnesses, they probably will not give you any information.

You have to be able to understand with whom you are dealing.  There are times a simple question and answer gets you the desired information for your case.  You need to know when to play nice and also when to be more forceful.  There are other times when you just need to lie to get the information you need.  I could have said it nicely that you need to “play a role” or use subterfuge or pretext, but we all know what is really going on. 

When you are working on an investigation, you will make many contacts.  These will be people that are connected to your case in numerous ways whether they are clients, witnesses, or suspects. Sometimes you will simply be dealing with members of the public who can provide information.

How are you going to get the facts and information you need if you cannot obtain co-operation from as many people as possible?  Remember that you are trying to bring your investigation to a successful conclusion. You need to have patience, good manners, diplomacy, and understanding. A suspect or witness who has been brow-beaten, scared, or annoyed by an impatient investigator has no value to you and will not add to the investigation.

Here are a few tips:

·         Be genuinely interested in others and make sure they know this

·         Be able to adapt to different personalities and circumstances

·         Communicate effectively with others

·         Be believable – even when you bluff

·         Motivate other people when needed

·         Understand the emotional strengths and weaknesses of others

·         Be sure to control your own emotions

·         Create friends rather than enemies – make sure people are happy to see you coming

Whatever you do - stay safe!

Investigator Basics - Part 3

Now is the time that I will talk about ethics and honesty.  I always keep my clients up to date on where the investigation is.  I also tell them about the cost effectiveness of this to do in the investigation.  I do not give play-by-play or real time updates on surveillance cases of any type.  Doing so would just be asking for trouble.  I give a thorough report the following day. This is for obvious reasons that the client may want to confront or catch the subject of the investigation “red handed.”

Remember when you are interviewing people, if their lips are moving they are lying.  OK, that is an exaggeration, but I have often found that people tend to tell lies, even when they don’t need to do so.  Do not get angry or frustrated by this, just be aware of it.  Also, do not decide how much information is enough information before you start the investigation.   Let the information and evidence speak for itself.  What may seem to be the opposite of this is – find out what the client is expecting.  Do they expect to see the subject “caught on tape?” Do they expect the subject to confess?   Do they think there will be irrefutable evidence found out?  These are things to be decided between the client and investigator before you have started to conduct the investigation.

One of the things you should always be doing is developing informants and sources of information before you need them.  Never underestimate the power of being a friendly patron and a good tipper at any place in the service industry.  Stop in at bars and restaurants – you don’t have to order expensive meals, just be friendly and leave good tips.  It more than pays off in the long run. People are often happy to give you information when they see you as a “good customer.”  Treat the people you deal with in the public records places with dignity, respect, friendliness, and honesty.  I try to keep the people I deal with in the Clerks’ offices at the courthouse happy to see me coming.  They have often done little things as a favor, because I am a good customer. 

Whatever you do - stay safe!

How do You Record Your Interviews?

Investigators almost always try to record the interviews they conduct.  The main reason is for the purpose of accuracy when they have to report their findings.  There are instances when you interview a potential witness, and they change their story in court.  It is awfully nice to have a recorded interview where they state something different, especially if you need to discredit the witness or what they "now" say damages a case.

Every time I conduct an interview, I try to get it recorded.  I have tried out several high-end recorders, only to find out the are "too good."  Too many times when I have used the high end products, they are too sensitive and pick up way too much background noise.  When I say recorders - I am speaking of digital recorders.  I do not use tape any longer - it is just logistically too impractical.  The 4th recorder I decided to try out was basically out of need.  I had sent back another expensive model, and I needed one as a stop-gap measure.   I bought a $59 model from Wal~Mart.

The recorder I got was a Sony ICD-PX312 digital recorder.  It has a removable micro-SD card (which was one of the few requirements I have).  It can record in several formats, and has several quality settings.  I stated off using everything in the middle range.  It it easy to set up and easy to use.  I can turn the recorder on and lock the power button so it continually records conversations.  I put the recorder in my pocket and conduct the interview.  It doesn't matter if it is a shirt or pants pocket - it records the conversation really well.

I would have to give this recorder a 5 out of 5 rating if I had a system.  It is easy to use, easy to set up and always gives me a great recording.  This equipment is standard issue for everyone working for me.

If you use something that works really well, I would like to hear from you.