PI Blotter: Privacy Rights Violated with Public Sector use of Private Investigators
- April 15, 2012
- by PInow Staff
- In the News
Each week PINow combs the web for the latest and most interesting industry news stories to bring you the Weekly Private Investigator Blotter.
Public Sector Faces Questions Over Private Investigators
UK – Councils in the UK as well as emergency service authorities are facing criticism after the media has revealed that the authorities use private investigators to check up on public employees and on taxpayers. The private investigators check up on allegations, including allegations of faked injuries and violations of anti-smoking bans. Public sector authorities, however, have defended their use of private investigators saying that they help save taxpayer dollars and claiming that the use of private investigators is justified. Privacy groups say that the practice, as well as proposals that allow the government to access on demand information without a warrant, seriously erodes personal rights.
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All-Woman Private Investigation Agency Promises “No Cheat Will Escape Us”
ENGLAND – A survey of divorce attorneys found that about one in two dealt with cases involving private investigators who were used to uncover infidelity. Some private investigation agencies, such as Rebecca Jane’s The Lady Detective Agency, even specialize in infidelity investigations. Jane’s company, for example, has an all-female team and caters to about an 80% female client base. Her agency charges £40 an hour as well as additional expenses for equipment and other costs.
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The Media, Private Investigators, and “Information Providers”
UK – After the phone hacking scandal in the UK, a number of media outlets, including the Telegraph, the Sun, and the Mail, have told the government that they will no longer use private investigators when working on news stories. However, the BBC, one of the largest and most trusted media outlets in the country, has stated that they have not ruled out the use of private investigators. David Jordan of the BBC admitted to the Home Affairs Select Committee that between 2001 to 2011, the BBC spent £150,000 on private investigators. However, Jordan stated that anyone at the BBC who wanted to use a private investigator for a news story would first have to get approval from him.
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Private Investigator Wins Award
DALLAS, TX – Ray Gilley, a Dallas Texas private investigator who is also president of McCann Investigations, has been honored by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (AFCE) with a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) credential. In order to win the credential, candidates must show experience in fraud investigation, legal issues related to fraud, fraud prevention, and fraudulent economics.
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Expert Says Police Should Have Known About Phone Hacking Problems
ENGLAND -- Deborah Glass, Chair of the Independent Police Complaints Commission, has stated that police should have handled the phone hacking scandal better and should have known as long ago as 2009 that hiring tabloid executive Neil Wallis for police PR was not appropriate. Wallis was arrested as part of the hacking scandal and his close links to police have raised many questions. Allegations suggest that the police did not investigate either the phone hacking or Wallis’s involvement closely enough. Wallis is currently out on bail and has not yet been charged.
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Private Investigator Plans to Run for Sherriff
COLLIER COUNTY, FL – Victor Ortino, a Collier County Florida private investigator, will be running for sheriff again. The paperwork has been filed and Ortino’s supporters are getting ready for the election race. Ortino had previously run for the office in 2008, when he finished second with 20% of votes.
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