Having a great team can mean the difference. My wife has helped on several cases here at Morrow Detective Agency. After getting some exposure to investigative work I asked her about what she experienced, how she felt about it, and what she was able to accomplish personally.
Q: How did you feel about your first surveillance experience?
Surveillance was ehhh. I liked the fact that I got some time to sit and relax, and get paid for it at the same time. What I got surprised about was after a couple of hours I started to get hungry and needed to use the restroom. Unfortunately there was nothing that I could do until the surveillance was over.
Q: Was it a successful surveillance?
Yes, but not necessarily what the client wanted.
Q. How did you feel about your first time conducting a process service?
Very nervous, I wasn't sure what to expect on the other side of the door. When I pulled up, I saw 3 cars which made me a little nervous. I always heard stories from you about people getting crazy and sometimes wanting to fight. It was a relief to have it end so smoothly.
Q: Do you feel that the real life private investigating experience is the same as what is portrayed on t.v.?
No, what you see on t.v. is the exciting cases, you see a lot of cheating spouses, you see the following, but you don't see the waiting around and everything that it takes to get to that point. The waiting part is not challenging, its the following the people around, if they are very fast driver's or slow ones.
Q: Do you find this type of work fun?
I personally would not say that the work is fun, I will however say that it is rewarding. Helping people, helping them find someone, returning a child to a parent that they have not seen in years, helping to keep bad people off the street and busting people that take advantage of the system, these are the things that make it rewarding.
Q: Do you think just anyone can be a private investigator?
No, it takes a special person. It takes a person that has patience, the ability to deal with demanding people who want what they want when they want it. I personally think that the best investigators have the gift of gab and can converse with anyone, they have to be strategic thinkers and also self-disciplined. The work as an owner of a company can be demanding.
Q: What kind of cases do you like working so far?
Criminal defense cases and locating people.
Q: What kind of investigative work do you like the least?
Surveillance.
This line of work draws from all walks of life. Investigators can easily find themselves in a upscale neighborhood one minute and in a low income area the next. Being able to adjust and also having great members on your team can determine whether you will be successful or whether you will fail.
Morrow Detective Agency is a licensed private investigation firm located on the border of Ventura and Los Angeles, Ca in Simi Valley, CA. Morrow Detective Agency is capable of performing surveillance, process service, locates, background investigations, asset investigations, and more. Please feel free to visit our website at www.MorrowDetectiveAgency.com or give us a call at (805) 823-3540 and allow us to make your problem our solution!
Monday, August 25, 2014
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
We can only guarantee efforts, not results!
An investigator is called when something has gone wrong, a client needs someone found quickly, papers need to be served asap, a cheating spouse needs to be watched because they are about to leave the house in ten minutes. As an investigator you learn to adapt to these changes, you try your best to do what you can, but sometimes no matter what you do, things don't work out.
A client calls, they are about to go to court, they need a person to testify that the defendant is lying. They have court in 18 days, the witness needs to be served at least 15 days before the date. They aren't sure where the witness is living at. This is the assignment. We explain to the client that we are great at locating individuals, that we are also great at serving papers on them, but we cannot guarantee that it will be done in the time that they need it done. The client states that they understand and they need us to try our best. First thing we do is locate the person, we verify that the person is residing at the address. The area is out of our range of investigation, we advise the client that we have found the defendant, but due to where the defendant resides there will be an extra charge as service of processes can take time and multiple efforts. The client states that they are low on income and they cannot afford for us to do it. We explain to the client that we understand and that we will get a server in the area to help them out. We make the arrangements, but we also find out that the defendant lives in a guarded gated community, we explain to the client that this in itself will present another challenge and that time is not on our side. The client again says that they understand. A few days go by, the server advises that they have attempted to serve the defendants but have been unable to serve them. They state that the client is going to have to file a continuance and that they will redo the service at no additional charge. We relay this information to the client. Of course the client is not happy. The client states that for the amount of money that they paid, they thought that we would do the service ourselves. Again we remind the client what our companies fee would have been had we taken the service, and we also remind the client how much they paid for the service. Our company's goal is to do everything within the law and reason to assist a client in getting the information and results they need, but we can never guarantee that we are going to get those results. We cannot know whether the person a client believes is cheating is in fact going to cheat. We cannot guarantee that a claimant is faking their injury, or that a person is going to be home at 7:00 p.m., all we can do is be there when we say that we will and do what we say we are going to do. No matter how good you are, no one in this business can guarantee results, if they do they are lying to you. Things happen that are out of our control. With this particular client, we had to apologize, we reminded them that they were informed of the time issue as well as the challenges. We wanted to accommodate the client, though we knew that there was a margin for not being successful the first time around. It reminded us that we are dealing with peoples lives, and that they depend on us to do. Sometimes though, we can only do what we can.
Morrow Detective Agency is a licensed private investigation firm located on the border of Ventura and Los Angeles, Ca in Simi Valley, CA. Morrow Detective Agency is capable of performing surveillance, process service, locates, background investigations, asset investigations, and more. Please feel free to visit our website at www.MorrowDetectiveAgency.com or give us a call at (805) 823-3540 and allow us to make your problem our solution!
A client calls, they are about to go to court, they need a person to testify that the defendant is lying. They have court in 18 days, the witness needs to be served at least 15 days before the date. They aren't sure where the witness is living at. This is the assignment. We explain to the client that we are great at locating individuals, that we are also great at serving papers on them, but we cannot guarantee that it will be done in the time that they need it done. The client states that they understand and they need us to try our best. First thing we do is locate the person, we verify that the person is residing at the address. The area is out of our range of investigation, we advise the client that we have found the defendant, but due to where the defendant resides there will be an extra charge as service of processes can take time and multiple efforts. The client states that they are low on income and they cannot afford for us to do it. We explain to the client that we understand and that we will get a server in the area to help them out. We make the arrangements, but we also find out that the defendant lives in a guarded gated community, we explain to the client that this in itself will present another challenge and that time is not on our side. The client again says that they understand. A few days go by, the server advises that they have attempted to serve the defendants but have been unable to serve them. They state that the client is going to have to file a continuance and that they will redo the service at no additional charge. We relay this information to the client. Of course the client is not happy. The client states that for the amount of money that they paid, they thought that we would do the service ourselves. Again we remind the client what our companies fee would have been had we taken the service, and we also remind the client how much they paid for the service. Our company's goal is to do everything within the law and reason to assist a client in getting the information and results they need, but we can never guarantee that we are going to get those results. We cannot know whether the person a client believes is cheating is in fact going to cheat. We cannot guarantee that a claimant is faking their injury, or that a person is going to be home at 7:00 p.m., all we can do is be there when we say that we will and do what we say we are going to do. No matter how good you are, no one in this business can guarantee results, if they do they are lying to you. Things happen that are out of our control. With this particular client, we had to apologize, we reminded them that they were informed of the time issue as well as the challenges. We wanted to accommodate the client, though we knew that there was a margin for not being successful the first time around. It reminded us that we are dealing with peoples lives, and that they depend on us to do. Sometimes though, we can only do what we can.
Morrow Detective Agency is a licensed private investigation firm located on the border of Ventura and Los Angeles, Ca in Simi Valley, CA. Morrow Detective Agency is capable of performing surveillance, process service, locates, background investigations, asset investigations, and more. Please feel free to visit our website at www.MorrowDetectiveAgency.com or give us a call at (805) 823-3540 and allow us to make your problem our solution!
Monday, August 4, 2014
So you think your spouse is cheating
Cheating spouses cases are not the primary cases that our agency works. We do get them and we do work them. The cases themselves need to be handled delicately from the beginning when the client that is calling through the conclusion of the investigation. Often times you will receive a call from a client who is hesitant to explain that they need help to access whether their significant other is stepping out of the relationship. They talk about the emotional pain and mental anguish that is involved, the feeling of guilt for having these suspicions, the feeling like they may be going crazy also. They have noticed that the work hours have become later, that the phones are turned off or the person is not as easily accessible as they had been in the past. They notice that the cellphone is underneath the pillow,or always face down. Be it male or female the emotion in these phone calls is the same. Some people have been married for decades only to have this happen to them now, while some people have only been dating for weeks. In my experience womens suspicions have been more validated, their intuition a little more in tune with the difference.
We had a client that believed that her husband was having an affair with a neighbor of theirs. Our client was not able to prove it and her husband would tell her that she was crazy and even seem insulted that she would insinuate such a thing. However our client noticed that when she got home from work certain things would be in disarray, also her husband now started going to the gym (after years of not going) and after leaving she would notice the neighbor leaving about ten minutes later. His phone which used to sit on the nightstand would now be underneath his pillow on silent. Our client had enough and wanted to know if her suspicions were valid or was she just being overly sensitive. After hearing her story we determined what would be the best approach on her case. We found that obviously the gym time would be the best time. So we established our surveillance and waited for the subject. As luck would have it, the first night of surveillance the subject did not go to the gym, neither did he the second night or third. However on the fourth night the subject entered into his vehicle and off to the supposed gym he went, we followed him at length where he eventually arrived at a park on the other side of town. He waited in his vehicle and we observed him talking on his phone for a brief moment. Shortly after another vehicle shows up and sure enough it was the neighbor that our client suspected was being to friendly with her husband. They both exit the vehicle, embrace and kiss, and start walking through the park hand in hand. We observed them walking and sitting in the grass, at times embracing and kissing. About an hour later they walk back to their vehicles, give one last long kiss and the husband departs. We of course followed him back to his residence. Approximately ten minutes later the neighbor arrived at her residence. Now comes the hardest part, at least for us, the part were you tell the client that she is not crazy, that her husband is cheating on her, and that it is with the person that she suspected. The clients response goes from being happy that they are not losing it, to the rage that this is actually happening, and to the sadness and realization that things are going to be forever changed, and of course the big question of what to do with the information that you have? Do you get a divorce, do you seek counseling, do you confront the neighbor? What happens next?
Another case that comes to mind again has to do with a wife suspecting that her husband was cheating. She suspected that he may have been cheating with a co-worker but she was not absolutely sure. The first night we conducted surveillance at his work place. After he exited work he went into his vehicle and we observed him speaking with an unknown women in her vehicle. We of course took the license plate down for future reference. The subject then departed the area and was followed to a gas station where he sat and waited for a long period of time. After sitting at the gas station for thirty minutes he departed and went to a restaurant. He went in and we noted that there were several of his co-workers there including the girl that he was speaking with in the parking lot. After about an hour or so he takes off from the restaurant and departs the area, we try to follow him but he manages to get through a light and we were not able to do so. We break off for the night, in the morning time we find out from our client that the subject did not come back home. We go back out the following day, this time we canvass the parking lot and find the vehicle that the woman our subject was speaking to. We note that there are two parking permits, one for a local junior college, and another for what appeared to be a condo or apartment complex with the name of the complex branded on the sticker. The woman gets off work first, we note the direction that she is departing in. An hour passes and our subject gets out of work. He enters into his vehicle and does not head in the direction of his residence, he instead heads in the same direction as the woman. We follow him and eventually he comes to an apartment complex we will call Centerstone, the same name that we observed on the parking permit sticker in the woman's window. He parks in the parking lot right next to the woman that we observed him speaking to's vehicle. He gets out and runs into the apartment building. He enters into an apartment out of view. He stays overnight. We of course have to relay the news to our client, that her suspicions have been affirmed and her husband is in fact staying over at this woman's apartment. Our client calls us the next day and states that her husband stated he was only staying over there in the guest room and that nothing was going on. Our client of course did not believe him. We later confirmed with the apartment manager that the unit that the woman lived in was only one bedroom, no guest room to sleep in at all.
A lot of times people work through the infidelity. As a rule I personally do not advise whether a couple should stay together or not. I believe that only God and the people involved should make that determination. I have found that a lot of different reasons are utilized to justify the behavior, again I do not judge, sometimes things just fall apart, sometimes people want to feel like they are still appealing, sometimes they just want to feel loved. Or they could just want their cake and to eat it too. Whatever the reason may be, I do know that cheating can have repercussions, and before you decide to cross the line you need to evaluate the possibilities and what will happen if you get caught, and believe me, no matter how tricky you are, you eventually will get caught. If you have a family is it going to be worth potentially splitting them up, or God forbid catching something from a person and having to deal with that for life? Are you mentally prepared for having to essentially live two different lives and deal with when the affair turns into another relationship? If the person you are out philandering with has a family, are you willing to jeopardize that family in order to get what you want? Again I do not judge, we each have to make our own decisions and deal with the fall out or rewards from them. Just make sure that whatever decision you make, you are prepared for it.
Morrow Detective Agency is a licensed private investigation firm located on the border of Ventura and Los Angeles, Ca in Simi Valley, CA. Morrow Detective Agency is capable of performing surveillance, process service, locates, background investigations, asset investigations, and more. Please feel free to visit our website at www.MorrowDetectiveAgency.com www.MorrowDetectiveAgency.com or give us a call at (805) 823-3540 and allow us to make your problem our solution!
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
About a dog
People love their pets, that goes without saying. They raise them up and treat them like members of the family. When the pet dies, people feel like they have lost their family members. When the pet is lost they will post pictures, knock on doors, some will even purchase billboards, all in the effort to get their pet back. But what do you do when your pet is stolen, and stolen from someone that you knew, who is holding the pet for a sense of vengeance. Morrow Detective Agency received a call from a client who advised that the family pet had been stolen by someone that lived near to them who had recently moved away. We met with the client who advised that the pet was purchased for a family member who was suffering for a severe illness, the pet brought this family member comfort and helped them through the pain that they were suffering through. The neighbor who was suspected of taking the family dog had done so because they were disputing with the clients for years, they disliked the dog, but more they disliked the client. Through interviewing the client we were able to find out that one of the ex neighbors worked as a dental hygienist out in the valley. Surveillance was conducted on this individual, but the individual only rented a room from the ex neighbors and did not care for them. The individual did provide some leading information. Utilizing that information the ex neighbors were found...but the dog was nowhere in sight. Just about this time our client gets a phone call from one of the ex-neighbors, they heard that they were suspected of taking the dog and they also knew that Morrow Detective Agency was literally on their doorstep. They offered to "find" the dog for our client. Two days letter the dog was found in the clients backyard. What a coincidence. The pain that this mishap caused this family was indescribable. But the joy that they had, and the elation in their voices was great. To some folks this would have just been a dog, but to these people this was a member of the family.
I have seen many things working in this occupation, unfortunately I am not surprised anymore at the things people will do to each other just to cause some discomfort or pain. Our agency by no means specializes in searching for animals, this has been our second case in this regard. But dognapping from what I understand is more common then people think. In this case the authorities were unable to help the clients because there was not proof that the ex neighbors stole the dog. They did not even confirm that they had brought the dog back. They did ask that Morrow Detective Agency stop watching them though.
Morrow Detective Agency is a licensed private investigation firm located on the border of Ventura and Los Angeles, Ca in Simi Valley, CA. Morrow Detective Agency is capable of performing surveillance, process service, locates, background investigations, asset investigations, and more. Please feel free to visit our website at www.MorrowDetectiveAgency.com or give us a call at (805) 823-3540 and allow us to make your problem our solution!
I have seen many things working in this occupation, unfortunately I am not surprised anymore at the things people will do to each other just to cause some discomfort or pain. Our agency by no means specializes in searching for animals, this has been our second case in this regard. But dognapping from what I understand is more common then people think. In this case the authorities were unable to help the clients because there was not proof that the ex neighbors stole the dog. They did not even confirm that they had brought the dog back. They did ask that Morrow Detective Agency stop watching them though.
Morrow Detective Agency is a licensed private investigation firm located on the border of Ventura and Los Angeles, Ca in Simi Valley, CA. Morrow Detective Agency is capable of performing surveillance, process service, locates, background investigations, asset investigations, and more. Please feel free to visit our website at www.MorrowDetectiveAgency.com or give us a call at (805) 823-3540 and allow us to make your problem our solution!
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
Fraudsters
Insurance fraud is rampant especially when the economy is tanking and people are about to lose their jobs. After the financial melt down in 2008 we started noting that the number of fake injuries jumped up a lot. In 2009 I was doing investigations in Northern California area. On one particular July day we had to do surveillance on a woman who found out that she was going to be layed off and ended up coincidentally getting injured on the job the day before the layoff was to happen. About 6 hours into surveillance the woman and her husband depart in a purple Mitsibushi Eclipse, I give her a moment to gain a little distance and off we go. We arrive at a medical facility, the lady who will be called the claimant, exited her vehicle with the assistance of her husband and was observed leaning and favorably using a cane. She walked at a very slow pace and at times leaned on her husband for support as she walked the 50 feet into the doctors office and out of view. Approximately an hour later the claimant and her husband exited the facility and again walked at a slow pace stopping every few steps for a break. At this point I am feeling badly for this lady and am thinking that this is not looking good for my client. The husband helps the claimant get into the drivers side of the vehicle and they depart the area. A few minutes later we arrive at a mall. The claimant exits the vehicle, by herself and no cane. Her husband remains in the car and the claimant all of a sudden runs across the parking lot. I follow her into the mall and observe her walking into a particular store, she speaks with the clerk and is next walking around the store, no cane, no limp, and no breaks. The clerk gets her attention and the claimant carries a couple of bags back to her car, she again runs at a full clip across the parking lot. She places the bags into the trunk of her Eclipse, entered into the drivers side and departed the area. I followed her back home where she entered into her gated community out of view. I guess the doctors office must have given her the ultimate healing pill because obviously she was as spry as can be after she left the office.
Another case that comes to mind is one that started at a medical facility back in 2009. We did not know where the male claimant was residing and needed to follow him from the doctors office to determine where he was living at. I got to the appointment an hour before he got there, waited around and identified him when he got to the appointment. After about forty-five minutes he exited the facility and entered into a black Honda Civic. I followed him through the valley to a commercial building in Woodland Hills. The claimant exits his vehicle, goes to his trunk area and pulls out a chainsaw and puts on a harness. He is assisted with putting the harness on and before you know it he is being raised up in a tree. The claimant begins cutting off branches from the tree and does this for hours. Around five o clock the claimant calls it quits and heads home to Chatsworth. The next day he is followed to a residence out in Bel Air and is observed performing the same activity. I guess his right shoulder and lower back weren't hurting him as bad as he said it was.
Fraud happens, you need to do the best you can to protect your business by being insured and keeping your eyes and ears open for people that are trying to take advantage of the system. There are people that of course are legitimately hurt and definitely should be compensated and taken care of. Its not them that we should be concerned about, its the person who says that they cant socialize with anyone but goes to the club or bar every night. The person who says that their back is injuring them and they cant work because of it but goes bowling every Friday night with their bowling team. These are true stories...check our website www.MorrowDetectiveAgency.com or our facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Morrow-Detective-Agency-CA-PI-27276/109483012474711?ref=hl&ref_type=bookmark to take a look at some of the people we have caught doing things that they say they cannot do.
Morrow Detective Agency is a licensed private investigation firm located on the border of Ventura and Los Angeles, Ca in Simi Valley, CA. Morrow Detective Agency is capable of performing surveillance, process service, locates, background investigations, asset investigations, and more. Please feel free to visit our website at www.MorrowDetectiveAgency.com or give us a call at (805) 823-3540 and allow us to make your problem our solution!
1 Peter 4:10
"As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace:"
1 Peter 4:10
"As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace:"
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Just because your paranoid doesn't mean your not being watched
Working in this business you often get calls from individuals who are afraid that they are being watched or that their conversations are being monitored. Some of these people have mental health issues and some of these people are genuine.
Mental Health:
About two years ago our offices received a call from an attorney client who stated that he had a client that believed that her apartment manager was monitoring her inside of her residence. When we asked why the client would believe that someone was watching them we were told that there was no specific reason. We called the client directly and set an appointment up to come to her residence . Upon arriving to her residence I started checking her residence, all of her light fixtures were either covered with newspaper or aluminum foil, her windows were covered with foil and so were her electric outlets that she was not using. I quickly started searching her place for electronic monitoring devices. While searching for the devices the client engaged me in conversation, I asked her questions as to why she would believe that she is being monitored, the client advised that she was from a different country and believed that the USA had bribed her manager to bug her place. My client continued to say that the president was spying on her ( this was before the NSA scandal) and that her husband and daughter moved out because they were tired of being followed and watched. Now by this time I had checked every place possible for monitoring devices and found none. I noticed that the client had photos of her daughter hanging all around the house, I asked the client if she would not mind calling her daughter, the client quickly obliged me. I spoke with the daughter who stated that her mother has been suffering from extreme paranoia and it is getting worse, after explaining why I was there the daughter told me to everything I could to prove that her mother wasn't being watched, but she did not believe that her mother would stop having her paranoia. Now it is not in my benefit to give away trade secrets, however I generally as a rule of thumb want to make sure that my clients get value from my service to them. Knowing that this client is suffering from paranoia and knowing that someone out there will take advantage of her disposition I spent the next hour teaching her how to search for the things she was afraid of. The client thanked me and I thought that would be the last time I heard from her, I was wrong. A few weeks ago I get a call from the client, she stated that she wanted me to trace a phone number back to the owner and address. Of course knowing the clients mental disposition I asked her why? She advised that her husband had taken off again and she is getting called from this number and she needs to know who it belongs to. At this time I told her that I would be willing to assist her but she would have to know that I would contact the owner of the phone and ask for their permission to give their personal information out. Knowing this clients background and what she believed to be a reality, the last thing I wanted to see in the news is my client arrested for some assault or God forbid some murder on her husband and whomever he is now staying with. My client of course got furious and hung up on me. She probably feels that I betrayed her in some way and not that I am helping her by preventing her from doing something that will hurt her.
Genuine:
I follow people, look into their lives, document their activity, and do it for my clients. As good as I would like to think I am, I have gotten caught, the best of us have gotten caught. I know of an investigator that was hired because his client thought that his soon to be ex-wife was having him followed. My fellow investigator was hired to identify if possible the person following him and let him the client know when he was being watched. My colleague followed his client from sun up to sun down the first day, the second day he did the same thing, and on third day he noticed the same two cars. When the client moved these cars moved, when the client got out to have lunch so did one of the people. The investigator had his client run some chores and make it seem like he was going home for the day. The investigator followed one of the vehicles back to their residence. He ran the license through and found the name of the person to the vehicle. A subsequent search of his states licensing bureau and he was able to gain information as to which other investigation company was following his client around. Now his client knew who was following him, he was able to keep what he wanted out of the public eye private.
The point of all of this is you never know, its not safe to assume that since the person calling you is mentally ill that their fears and paranoia's are not valid. The same goes for someone who is sane and believes that their significant other may be having an adulterous affair only to find out that the person is hiding an addiction. Just because your paranoid does not mean that your not being watched.
Morrow Detective Agency is a licensed private investigation firm located on the border of Ventura and Los Angeles, Ca in Simi Valley, CA. Morrow Detective Agency is capable of performing surveillance, process service, locates, background investigations, asset investigations, and more. Please feel free to visit our website at www.MorrowDetectiveAgency.com or give us a call at (805) 823-3540 and allow us to make your problem our solution!
Mental Health:
About two years ago our offices received a call from an attorney client who stated that he had a client that believed that her apartment manager was monitoring her inside of her residence. When we asked why the client would believe that someone was watching them we were told that there was no specific reason. We called the client directly and set an appointment up to come to her residence . Upon arriving to her residence I started checking her residence, all of her light fixtures were either covered with newspaper or aluminum foil, her windows were covered with foil and so were her electric outlets that she was not using. I quickly started searching her place for electronic monitoring devices. While searching for the devices the client engaged me in conversation, I asked her questions as to why she would believe that she is being monitored, the client advised that she was from a different country and believed that the USA had bribed her manager to bug her place. My client continued to say that the president was spying on her ( this was before the NSA scandal) and that her husband and daughter moved out because they were tired of being followed and watched. Now by this time I had checked every place possible for monitoring devices and found none. I noticed that the client had photos of her daughter hanging all around the house, I asked the client if she would not mind calling her daughter, the client quickly obliged me. I spoke with the daughter who stated that her mother has been suffering from extreme paranoia and it is getting worse, after explaining why I was there the daughter told me to everything I could to prove that her mother wasn't being watched, but she did not believe that her mother would stop having her paranoia. Now it is not in my benefit to give away trade secrets, however I generally as a rule of thumb want to make sure that my clients get value from my service to them. Knowing that this client is suffering from paranoia and knowing that someone out there will take advantage of her disposition I spent the next hour teaching her how to search for the things she was afraid of. The client thanked me and I thought that would be the last time I heard from her, I was wrong. A few weeks ago I get a call from the client, she stated that she wanted me to trace a phone number back to the owner and address. Of course knowing the clients mental disposition I asked her why? She advised that her husband had taken off again and she is getting called from this number and she needs to know who it belongs to. At this time I told her that I would be willing to assist her but she would have to know that I would contact the owner of the phone and ask for their permission to give their personal information out. Knowing this clients background and what she believed to be a reality, the last thing I wanted to see in the news is my client arrested for some assault or God forbid some murder on her husband and whomever he is now staying with. My client of course got furious and hung up on me. She probably feels that I betrayed her in some way and not that I am helping her by preventing her from doing something that will hurt her.
Genuine:
I follow people, look into their lives, document their activity, and do it for my clients. As good as I would like to think I am, I have gotten caught, the best of us have gotten caught. I know of an investigator that was hired because his client thought that his soon to be ex-wife was having him followed. My fellow investigator was hired to identify if possible the person following him and let him the client know when he was being watched. My colleague followed his client from sun up to sun down the first day, the second day he did the same thing, and on third day he noticed the same two cars. When the client moved these cars moved, when the client got out to have lunch so did one of the people. The investigator had his client run some chores and make it seem like he was going home for the day. The investigator followed one of the vehicles back to their residence. He ran the license through and found the name of the person to the vehicle. A subsequent search of his states licensing bureau and he was able to gain information as to which other investigation company was following his client around. Now his client knew who was following him, he was able to keep what he wanted out of the public eye private.
The point of all of this is you never know, its not safe to assume that since the person calling you is mentally ill that their fears and paranoia's are not valid. The same goes for someone who is sane and believes that their significant other may be having an adulterous affair only to find out that the person is hiding an addiction. Just because your paranoid does not mean that your not being watched.
Morrow Detective Agency is a licensed private investigation firm located on the border of Ventura and Los Angeles, Ca in Simi Valley, CA. Morrow Detective Agency is capable of performing surveillance, process service, locates, background investigations, asset investigations, and more. Please feel free to visit our website at www.MorrowDetectiveAgency.com or give us a call at (805) 823-3540 and allow us to make your problem our solution!
Sunday, July 13, 2014
The waiting game
Patience is a key ingredient needed for success in any investigation, whether it be conducting surveillance, taking a statement, or locating an individual, you often times are going to have to wait.
We were tasked with locating someone so that a service of process could be done. I arrived at the persons residence at 4:00 a.m., I learned that their job was one that they would probably leave in the early morning hours. After waiting for several hours I learned that the subject was no longer residing at the residence. I searched our databases but came up with nothing, I searched social media and again came up with nothing, what to do, what to do? I eventually rationalized that a lot of people my subjects age are moving back in with their parents, I go out to Mom and Dads house but don't see my subjects vehicle. I don't want to ask questions as I don't want the subject to be aware that they are being searched for so again what to do? I come back out at late night but still no subject. I come out in the early morning and bingo there the subjects vehicle is. Now it is time to play the waiting game, I wait, and wait, and wait, and finally my subject exits the residence and enter's into the vehicle. My subject departs and I start following, I still have to be careful as I do not want to spook the subject and also finding out exactly where the subject is working is a bonus. A few minutes later we arrive at the subjects place of employment a few pictures later and now my client has all the information they will need to get the subject served.
Another case that comes to mind has to deal with a subject who had extreme financial means and several layers of people protecting them. The subject had eluded the sheriff department as well as a process server so our agency was tasked with finding the subject and serving the subject. I try the place of employment and make it up to the floor where the subjects place of business is. The subjects secretary quickly turns me away, strike one. I try to make an appointment as one professional to another and she advised that she will give the information to the subject. The subject out of curiosity calls me, as soon as I announce my intentions the subject hangs up the phone. The following day I try the subject at their residence, I sit for a few hours and around 11:30 a.m., the subject leaves in a brand new Mercedes and drives to work. I once again get held up but this time by security and the subject is able to enter into the building. When you have a situation like this sometimes you need to give the person time to cool off, time for them to shake the feeling that someone is after them. So that is what I suggested to the client and that is what we did. After giving the subject cooling off time and knowing that most of us are creatures of habit I managed to get to the subjects place of employment approximately and hour before they would be there. I noted the underground elevator that they assuredly would take and positioned myself accordingly. At 11:53 a.m. my subject arrived, I stepped out and served them with the paperwork, my subject laughed at how they were caught and even expressed that we are good at what we do. Patience is what won this case over. Had I persisted the subject would have stepped up their security and their barriers and that would have made the task that much more difficult to resolve.
Morrow Detective Agency is a licensed private investigation firm located on the border of Ventura and Los Angeles, Ca in Simi Valley, CA. Morrow Detective Agency is capable of performing surveillance, process service, locates, background investigations, asset investigations, and more. Please feel free to visit our website at www.MorrowDetectiveAgency.com or give us a call at (805) 823-3540 and allow us to make your problem our solution!
We were tasked with locating someone so that a service of process could be done. I arrived at the persons residence at 4:00 a.m., I learned that their job was one that they would probably leave in the early morning hours. After waiting for several hours I learned that the subject was no longer residing at the residence. I searched our databases but came up with nothing, I searched social media and again came up with nothing, what to do, what to do? I eventually rationalized that a lot of people my subjects age are moving back in with their parents, I go out to Mom and Dads house but don't see my subjects vehicle. I don't want to ask questions as I don't want the subject to be aware that they are being searched for so again what to do? I come back out at late night but still no subject. I come out in the early morning and bingo there the subjects vehicle is. Now it is time to play the waiting game, I wait, and wait, and wait, and finally my subject exits the residence and enter's into the vehicle. My subject departs and I start following, I still have to be careful as I do not want to spook the subject and also finding out exactly where the subject is working is a bonus. A few minutes later we arrive at the subjects place of employment a few pictures later and now my client has all the information they will need to get the subject served.
Another case that comes to mind has to deal with a subject who had extreme financial means and several layers of people protecting them. The subject had eluded the sheriff department as well as a process server so our agency was tasked with finding the subject and serving the subject. I try the place of employment and make it up to the floor where the subjects place of business is. The subjects secretary quickly turns me away, strike one. I try to make an appointment as one professional to another and she advised that she will give the information to the subject. The subject out of curiosity calls me, as soon as I announce my intentions the subject hangs up the phone. The following day I try the subject at their residence, I sit for a few hours and around 11:30 a.m., the subject leaves in a brand new Mercedes and drives to work. I once again get held up but this time by security and the subject is able to enter into the building. When you have a situation like this sometimes you need to give the person time to cool off, time for them to shake the feeling that someone is after them. So that is what I suggested to the client and that is what we did. After giving the subject cooling off time and knowing that most of us are creatures of habit I managed to get to the subjects place of employment approximately and hour before they would be there. I noted the underground elevator that they assuredly would take and positioned myself accordingly. At 11:53 a.m. my subject arrived, I stepped out and served them with the paperwork, my subject laughed at how they were caught and even expressed that we are good at what we do. Patience is what won this case over. Had I persisted the subject would have stepped up their security and their barriers and that would have made the task that much more difficult to resolve.
Morrow Detective Agency is a licensed private investigation firm located on the border of Ventura and Los Angeles, Ca in Simi Valley, CA. Morrow Detective Agency is capable of performing surveillance, process service, locates, background investigations, asset investigations, and more. Please feel free to visit our website at www.MorrowDetectiveAgency.com or give us a call at (805) 823-3540 and allow us to make your problem our solution!
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