PI’s Declassified!

How many times do you pass by an opportunity that crosses your doorstep? Do you look back and say, “If only I had…?” What happens when your competition or changes in the law make your business no longer viable? What are you doing to leverage your resources? What did you do to survive the economic downturn of the past eight years? Did you capitalize on an opportunity you did not previously consider? Did you adapt your business model? Or…did you just persevere with your old tried and true systems, procedures, or products hoping for a better day? Tune in to hear Private Investigator, consultant, expert witness and entrepreneur, Russell Kolins, share his experiences of maximizing every opportunity and realizing the results.

When you receive a digital recording, do you know how to tell if it has been altered? If you cannot quite make out whispers, facial details, or a license plate, do you know what to do next? This episode explains how to detect and prove file tampering, how to prevent it, and the easy steps to enhance the details. Listeners will learn the trade secrets, best practices, educational resources, and free software that is relied upon by forensic experts worldwide. Tune in to hear Doug Carner, a forensic audio, video, Image enhancement and authentication expert share his expertise.

Have you ever had a need for a public relations consultant, someone to give advice about handling communications in a high profile case, get training on working with the media, development stakeholder relationships, or build a brand? Former editor at one of the nation’s largest metro dailies and former vice president of Public Relations at a large metro agency, award winning Kyle Niederpruem is an expert in all of these areas. Tune in to hear her discuss what she does and give the dos and don’ts regarding media relations.

Pre-employment screening is a vital aspect to choosing the right employee for a job, particularly those positions that have a high level of influence or handle company assets. It sounds so simple. However, the many laws surrounding the methods used to conduct background checks, by whom, and what information can be reported and what cannot, are quite complicated. Laws not only vary from state to state, federal laws get into the mix as well. Lester S. Rosen is an attorney, a licensed private investigator, an author of a popular tutorial on background screening, and the CEO of a background screening company. Les promises to tell everything an enterprising PI needs to know about the laws governing pre-employment screening.

Private investigation is a communication business. From interviewing witnesses, to interfacing with clients, or when testifying in depositions or civil and criminal courts, a private investigator has to be able to develop strong connections and communicate effectively. Former FBI Special Agent and now private investigator, Ron Whitney, has made it his business to learn as much as possible about communicating and creating strong relationships. This is a topic that crosses all boundaries and regardless of personal religious or political preferences, Ron Whitney can provide tools to make your communication more effective.

Eight years ago the Mississippi River Bridge was a steel-trussed, eight-lane arch bridge carrying Interstate 35 across the Saint Anthony Falls in Minneapolis, Minnesota. At the time, this bridge carried over 140,000 vehicles every single day. Then the unbelievable happened. During the evening rush hour on August 1, 2007, the bridge collapsed, killing 13 and injuring 145 more. Within a few hours, Minnesota Private Investigator Paul Jaeb was retained to conduct an investigation on behalf of one of his law firm clients that, at a minimum, was a challenging task. Tune in to hear Paul Jaeb discuss this major investigation, its challenges, its obstacles and what he learned as a result.

Often discussed but also frequently misinterpreted is Attorney-Client Privilege and attorney Work Product. Clients of attorneys and even private investigators working under an attorney’s direction need to have a clear understanding of what these terms mean conceptually and practically. Chicago Private Investigator Susan Carlson will discuss these constitutionally based concepts as it applies to the important work of PIs

What can be done when a video or audio recording is poor quality? What if the image is blurred? How about background noise that overrides the spoken word? What if the sound transmission obliterates vital background noise? Does it matter if the photo or the recording is from a cell phone? Is it possible to discover a cheating spouse by detecting voice stress? What are the myths concerning what enhancement can be done and what can’t? Video and audio recordings are often critical pieces of evidence in a myriad of legal proceedings. Forensic examiner Doug Carner will be available to answer these questions and practical applications and procedures such as image analysis, filtering, enhancement, restoration, authentication, identification, extraction, isolation and other topics. Joining Doug will be Private Investigator Jim Allard to talk about cases he has worked on involving these topics.

News reports of sexual assaults captures our attention. Whether it is the molestation of a child or an adult, collectively we notice. Dr. Craig Pradarelli is an expert on drug-facilitated sexual assault; sexual contact or sexual intercourse with an individual who has become incapacitated by drugs. What is the psychological profile of a person who initiates sexual activity without the other party’s knowledge? Little is known about the profile of such a perpetrator. Tune in to hear Dr. Pradarelli discuss this topic from the viewpoint of a medical doctor, a psychologist and someone who formerly investigated criminal defense cases.

Private investigators conduct surveillance. Most people know it is one of the functions PIs are hired to do. It is a difficult, tedious, and often a boring task. It can also be an adrenalin rush when the surveillance bears fruit. A reconnaissance assignment can involve following a workers compensation or other type of fraudster, a parental abductor, a theft of company property, or the act of simply gathering information for a contested child custody case. An essential skill is the ability to multi-task and manage a myriad of obstacles. Regardless of the assignment, it takes grit and skill to do it correctly. Experienced surveillance investigator Steve Koenig will examine the reality of conducting surveillance investigations.