PI’s Declassified!

Long before Don’t Ask - Don’t Tell and despite more than 25 years exemplary military service, including receiving a Bronze Star for service in Vietnam, Colonel Margarethe Cammermeyer was discharged from the Washington National Guard after she disclosed she was a lesbian during a security clearance interview. Tune in to hear about Colonel Cammermeyer’s journey, the investigation surrounding her sexual orientation, her law suit against the military and her vindication when she was reinstated to retire honorably as Washington State’s Chief Nurse.

Can you imagine traveling to war-torn Rwanda, the killing ground of the Hutu extremists? In 100 days over 800,000 Tutsi people were murdered by Hutus in 1994. The world watched. This wide spread genocide destroyed a population of doctors, lawyers, teachers & government leaders. Can you envision yourself helping to rebuild this tiny East African country? The Saddleback Justice Task Force did. A group including private investigator Dan Goldsmith trekked to Rwanda to assess the Rwandan justice system.The Rwandan National Police invited their return and 18 months later six hardy volunteers, including Dan, two police officers, two attorneys and a domestic violence & marriage/family counseling expert, began formal classes to share their expertise with the fledgling new Rwandan Police force. In 2009 & 2010, Dan led 2 more teams back to Rwanda to conduct additional police training. You will want to hear this story of commitment and courage by a PI who decided to make a difference.

Private investigators often find themselves in dicey circumstances. It comes with the territory. But they don’t anticipate getting assaulted or getting charged with a criminal act. Both occurred to Private Investigator Eric Echols. Increasingly, private investigators are targeted in high stakes, high profile cases. Some prosecutors even look for creative and devious ways to undermine an investigator working for a criminal defense attorney and engage in forms of prosecutorial misconduct. Tune in to hear the remarkable experiences of Private Investigator Eric Echols, an African American man, where his situation was exacerbated by wide-spread racism in Georgia’s all white Catoossa County.

A license is required in California and in most states for an individual to operate as a private investigator. A license is earned by meeting the requirements set forth by the applicable licensing law. It cannot be transferred, purchased or sold without meeting criteria set forth by the state regulatory agency. At a minimum, any person who is hired by another to investigate the identity, habits, conduct, business, occupation, honesty, integrity, credibility, knowledge, trustworthiness, efficiency, loyalty, activity, movement, whereabouts, affiliations, associations, transactions, acts, reputation, or character of any person is required to have a license.

Deputy Bureau Chief, California Department of Consumer Affairs, Bureau of Security and Investigative Services, Connie Trujillo and Private Investigators Justin Hodson and Lori Johnson will discuss this topic along with two specific high profile cases involving unlicensed activity.

Are you interested in meeting a woman who is an accomplished private investigator in the Asian Theatre? Can you imagine what kinds of obstacles she must encounter? Envision the difficulties she must have where an American or European woman wouldn’t even think twice. A woman serving in a leadership position or serving in work traditionally performed by men is unique in most countries. And yet, following in her father’s footsteps, Sheila Ponnosamy has been conducting investigations through all of Asia and other parts of the globe for over fifteen years successfully. Tune in to listen to the travels and experiences of this capable woman.

Israeli based Jacob Lapid has tales of intrigue to tell. From investigating the Dutch connection to the Enron Corporation fraud to exposing a secret association between managers, clients and a Swiss bank involving 90 million pounds to finding two abducted American children in Tunisia, Jacob has experiences spanning over 30 years. And, he is an acclaimed artist as well, often chronicling his experiences of the 1973 Yom Kippur War. You will definitely want to join in to hear the adventures of Jacob Lapid.

The media calls him “America’s Toughest Sheriff” and he runs the nation’s 3rd largest Sheriff’s office located in Maricopa, Arizona. It is none other than Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Sheriff Arpaio has introduced many innovative and controversial practices including pink underwear and pink handcuffs for inmates, inmate selective service registration and volunteer organ donation, the infamous tent city, and volunteer chain gangs. Incorporating the community into his policing practices, he has expanded Maricopa County civilian posse to include involvement in all sorts of traditional police duties such as search & rescue, prisoner transport and traffic control along with others. Co-hosting this week’s program is private investigator and immediate past president of the California Association of Licensed Investigators, Jim Zimmer. Tune in to hear what Sheriff Arpaio has to say that promises to be both educational and entertaining.

Employee dishonesty and fraud has its cost. Whether goods or services are provided, successful employers recognize that employee fraud is one of the most expensive and harmful challenges they face, one that often cripples a company’s financial resources. During this session, particulars will be offered to assist in identifying suspicious circumstances surrounding these employee missteps as well as the positive steps an employer can take to either thwart or prevent this crime.

Eugene Ferraro, Board Certified in Security Management and Human Resources Management and a renowned Certified Fraud Examiner will provide a provocative look at this problem and means by which modern investigators confront it. He will reveal how forensic fraud examination, interviewing and covert surveillance are used to detect fraud and confront it when found. He will also discuss the legal aspects of investigating fraud and the privacy rights of those who commit it.

What “victimless” crime costs more than 5 billion dollars annually…

• Is paid for by every person who purchases any product or service…anywhere in the United States

• Is paid for by every person who pays taxes to any governmental agency…anywhere in the United States

• Is frequently committed by law enforcement officers or firefighters in the last 5 years before they retire…

The answer? Workers’ Compensation Fraud…A wide-spread hoax that occurs in both the private and public sectors, it frequently becomes the job of a private investigator to investigate the suspected scam and prepare the case for prosecution. Husband and wife team Riley and Jane Parker are worker’s compensation fraud specialists and will share some of their expertise and case histories.

What is your opinion of the death penalty? Do you agree with state ordered executions? Are there viable alternatives? What or who determines the circumstances for those who get charged with special circumstances resulting in a potential death verdict? What about the factor of possible innocence? How many have faced a death sentence before they were exonerated? How many were executed first? Mike Farrell, president of Death Penalty Focus, one of the nation’s largest, most innovative and highly respected advocacy organizations dedicated to the abolition of capital punishment, will be providing his unique viewpoint on this hot topic. Joining Mike in this controversial discussion is a former senior deputy district attorney, Darryl Stallworth.