AMAZING FEATS AND GADGETS

AMAZING FEATS AND GADGETS
Leroy Cook - 1999

Here I sit, 35,000 feet over the Rockies, Eastbound, working at my laptop. The world has changed since Sherlock Holmes was created by Sir Arthur Conant Doyle. If Sir Arthur were writing about Sherlock today, he would undoubtedly have him doing amazing things with his computer.

I hate to rain on anyone's parade but the feats Sherlock Holmes was credited with by his creator were not true, likely or even reasonable. If he were being described today as a super sleuth using his computer to arrive at amazing results, it is likely the feats would be untrue, unlikely and unreasonable. Computers are becoming a common item in fiction about PI's and other fictional heros. Even though advertisers jump on this bandwagon faster than a speeding bullet, it is important to avoid being too impressed.

Computers do not solve cases. They don't even create evidence or leads. The role of a computer in the business of investigation is similar to the role of a pen, tape measure, camera or adding machine. It is just another tool. Unless the person using it has above average skills at both using it and investigating, above average results are unlikely.

The critical word in the last sentence of the previous paragraph is "and". A computer whiz who is also a PI, will not obtain above average results unless he or she is already a good investigator. A good investigator who is not a computer whiz, is still a good investigator. Whoa!! Does this mean Leroy Cook, the founder of ION, originally formed as the Investigator's Online Network, suggests ignoring computers. No, everyone who already has a few thousand dollars invested in them can relax. Computers are here to stay and a good investigator with computer skills definitely has an advantage over a good investigator without computer skills.

Let me clarify what I have said in a roundabout way and why I said it that way. First, someone has to keep at least one foot on the ground in the face of all the hype and self serving promises by people trying to sell us every latest gadget. Gadgets rarely do anything for an investigator except give him or her something to show off and brag about. Take for example, parabolic microphones. They are designed and produced primarily to extract money from naive and unwitting customers with more money than good judgement. I'll retract those harsh words when someone shows me even a slight hint of evidence to the contrary. Unfortunately, the media can't bring themselves to print an article about a private investigator without a picture of a gun or gadget to catch the attention of readers. We should not let the shallowness of the newspaper business influence our investment decisions.

Training Vs gadgets.

Most PI's are not independently wealthy, except those in TV shows, of course. The resources (money) we have to spend are therefor limited. It is easy to convince ourselves if we just had that fancy camera or other gadget, the revenue would come rolling in. I received the following advice when I was an investigator operating my own agency. "Don't buy the equipment until you have the job to pay for it." Ignoring the advice I had received, I bought a time lapse video camera which I was sure I would be able to rent out as soon as I opened the box. A year later, I was lucky enough to sell it to a business with only a partial loss of my original expenditure. Every piece of equipment, no matter how big the promises made in advertisements, requires two extras that don't come in the box. These extras are: special knowledge and special marketing.

A video camera with a 2500 mm lens is impressive in a photo but buying one is not recommended for a new PI. A video camera with a C mount lens is advisable but only someone who has been properly trained and conducted surveillance knows what to do with it. Murphy's Law haunts every sub rosa activity. Inappropriate training and exotic equipment, including computers, cannot compensate for an investigator who doesn't place the client's interests ahead of his or her own personal convenience or comfort. It isn't comfortable to hold your head in the same position for hours to watch a doorway but, the moment the head is turned, Murphy strikes. The subject walks out the door or, even more frustrating, someone who might have been the subject walks out the door and you can't be sure because you looked back just in time to get a glimpse.

Working at night, on weekends and holidays is frequently inconvenient but, much of what investigators do requires working at those times. True, hours can be put in doing billable things during normal business hours until the budget is eaten up but that really isn't what the client had in mind.

I'm reminded of a book I read years ago by a PI who was very good at self promoting. In the book he said he had never failed to solve a case. I raised my eyebrows and let the statement pass as hype. With more age and experience, I now understand how he could have made such a claim. You and I can say the same thing, as long as under our breath we follow up with: "I have however, had many that ran out of time or budget." Computers and or other gadgets don't alter the fact that most assignments have a limited amount of time and/or money that can be allotted to them. Some investigators, enamored with their computer, modem and online services, have been known to eat up the whole budget pulling data when a drive to an address, a knock on a door and a polite question would have gotten the desired information.

The essence of the private investigation business is "good judgement and singleness of purpose". A client is much better off hiring an investigator with average skills and equipment who uses good judgement with singleness of purpose than with one who counts on framed certificates of completion and gadgets.

SPECIAL KNOWLEDGE AND SPECIAL MARKETING

"Okay," you say. "Attitude is important and I accept I should seek appropriate training and experience before counting on new equipment too much. What is this about special knowledge and special marketing being required before new equipment is worth having?" Even if you have basic investigation skills, a single lens reflex camera in the hands of someone with no knowledge of depth of field or aperture/f stop settings is a waste of money. A computer without knowledge of its operating system or needed programs is just plastic, metal and glass. Computer or camera salespeople who sell you expensive equipment without trying to convince you of the need for significant effort and time on your part to learn their uses, are like the milking machine salesman famous for selling two milking machines to farmers with only one cow and taking the cow as down payment. They probably can't count on a lot of return business from you.

Salesmanship is one of the important skills needed by a successful investigator. Unfortunately however, an investigator who follows the lead of the milking machine salesman or most of today's high tech salesmen, will never be a great investigator who is also financially and personally successful. As powerful as salesmanship is, professional investigation is even more powerful. Responsibility comes with power. The responsibility of a private investigator includes a great deal more than just getting a sale. The assets and sometimes even the lives of clients and subjects can be affected by the results of an investigation. If a salesman high pressures a customer and never gets a return sale, the salesman fails to get follow up business. If a private investigator reports erroneous information as fact the potential consequences are much greater.

To be a good investigator, you should be sensitive to and care about people as individuals. If you have questions about the business of private investigation you would like addressed, email me at ion@ioninc.com with "investigator question" in the subject line.