CHICAGO, IL - Tom Smith of the General Social Survey at the National Opinion Research Center (NORC), has been researching cheating spouses. His studies have suggested that earlier infidelity statistics may be incorrect. While many statistics claim that up to 70 percent of married couples are affected by affairs, Smith’s research suggests that between 15 percent and 18 percent of married people cheat. About 92 percent of respondents to Smith’s survey believed that affairs were morally wrong.
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BLACK HAWK, CO - The Isle Casino is preparing for new laws which will allow the casino to enjoy longer hours, higher betting limits, and more games. Security is a major part of the preparations, with new security cameras that will keep tabs on every part of the building. The cameras are being installed because with increased business, the casino expects more cheating as well. The casino has hired more security personnel and its security staff are already working around the clock to ensure that cheaters don’t win. The casino’s employees will be responsible for, among other things, monitoring the surveillance cameras, which are reportedly very precise and high-powered, allowing employees to see details of card hands and poker chips.
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VANCOUVER, CANADA - When the 2010 Winter Olympics arrives in Vancouver, athletes and fans alike will be watched by dozens of surveillance cameras that are now being installed along Vancouver’s streets. Some experts note that the city could have as many as 60 cameras by 2010. The temporary cameras will relay video to a central control location.
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PITTSBURGH, PA - PIs at Empire Investigation find that they are increasingly using technology to catch cheating spouses. Other PIs agree: while in the past a cheating spouse case meant hours of surveillance, today it often means Web camera conversations, cell phone calls, hidden cameras, e-mails, text messaging, GPS devices and other technology. PIs like technology because it often leaves a trail, so a cheater’s own voice mail, phone messages and other communications will allow PIs to find evidence left by the cheater themselves. In addition, technology allows PIs to find evidence of cheating without surveillance and the risk of personal contact, which can be risky.
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SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA - Hiring a PI in Costa Rica poses some unique challenges. For example, many co-called Costa Rica PIs are actually based outside the country and outsource services and clients to local businesses, sometimes without checking the expertise the local PIs they hire. Experts recommend finding a PI who is indeed local, and maintains a physical office presence as well as a local phone number in Costa Rica. Costa Rica does not require PIs to be licensed and there is no authority for licensing PIs in the country. It is up to the client to check credentials and qualifications carefully. Checking for a criminal history is important, as is determining whether a PI can travel to the United States. If a client is pursuing a legal case in the United States, the PI must travel to the United States to give testimony for findings to be recognized.
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LOS ANGELES, CA - An interesting editorial by former PI Robert Smith was published recently. Smith questions the commonly asserted assumption that continuing education for any industry – including the PI industry – is always a great idea. He argues that extra continuing education means higher costs and more paperwork and does not necessarily help those professional PIs who are already staying in touch with industry news and trends. Smith’s comments are in response to legislation being considered in California. The new laws would require PIs to get 12 hours of mandatory continuing education every two years when renewing their PI licenses.
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HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA - PI Andrew Paul Delio has been sentenced to 15 months in jail after pretending to be a federal officer. Delio was charged with a similar crime ten years ago. Delio sold communications equipment to police agencies and used fake credentials and a fake badge to make agencies believe he was a federal officer. The PI also used his phony badge and identity to access federal buildings and other restricted areas. After Delio was convicted of a similar crime in 1996, his PI license was suspended but he was able to obtain a new license in 2001. Now, the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services has placed an “accusation” on his license, which means that the license may be revoked or suspended.
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CHANDLER, AZ - Police officer Bradley Allen resigned his job and gave up his police certification, effectively making himself unable to work as an officer in Arizona again. Allen resigned after a long investigation revealed that he may have invented an identity to stalk a former girlfriend. Allen claimed that a man named David Fowler was allegedly stalking his former girlfriend, Nicole Latone, sending her text messages. Latone alleged that Allen broke up with her after he claimed she cheated on him with a man named Fowler. Latone hired PIs, who found that Fowler did not exist. Police detectives investigating Allen’s claims independently found that Allen himself was likely sending the “Fowler” texts to his former girlfriend. Allen was charged with false reporting by the police.
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BRANTFORD, CANADA - While many PIs run missing persons checks, heir tracers are looking for a very specific missing person – the long-lost heir. In Canada, husband and wife team Steve Cogan and Teresa Howes are heir tracers. Their company, Cogan & Associates, helps attorneys across North America conduct heir searches and estate cases. The pair have extensive experience in the PI field. Howes had a father who worked as an heir tracer while Cogan has a PI license and worked on missing persons cases for years.
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BUFFALO, NY - The NBA runs background checks on the players it scouts, just like many employers run checks on potential employees. Every athlete drafted by the professional basketball league has a background check run to ensure that off-court activities and predilection will not become a problem or an embarrassment for the NBA. PIs are specifically looking for criminal records, substance abuse, discipline problems, and information about the sex lives, children, drinking, debts and other problems draft picks may be facing. The checks have become more important since 1986, when the NBA took on four players who eventually succumbed to drug-related problems.
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