I should have been posting all along, but I've been busy. I was called in on a case, and of course the lawyer waited until the last minute, so I spent about 10 days just interviewing witnesses and establishing the timeline on a series of assaults that occurred last year to get the case ready for court. The trial was not completed and was put on continuance, so back to court for me next month.
Honestly, the cop who made the arrest didn't even try. Of course, it was 4am and I'm sure he was tired, so he made only the most superficial investigation before he decided to just bust someone. My job on the stand will be to show where he failed to do his job.
I've also been called in to assist another PI with a child custody case. Let me tell you something, following people isn't as easy as it looks on TV. These days everybody tries to tag the vehicle with a GPS tracker, although the constitutionality of that is being challenged. I suspect they will require a court order before they will be used in the not so distant future.
Following someone takes several vehicles coordinated by radio to effectively follow someone without them becoming suspicious. I followed a car almost 30 miles and I am petty sure they had me tagged by the end of the run. Of course, it was after 2am and there weren't very many vehicles out at that time. The reason I don't like to tail someone is that I expect to be paid whether or not I follow them successfuly. Clients want results and don't want to pay for incomplete work. However, they also don't want to pay for a proper crew to do the job. Following someone is a test of judgment. If you follow to close, you'll get burned and if you follow too far back, you will lose them. Then there is the ever-present road construction in this town and goofy traffic lights that can really interfere with following someone. I won't comment on the quality of local drivers. I am also going to have to charge mileage. Gas prices are going up to high to make a profit if you're doing a lot of driving.
My plate is clear right now, probably won't be for long. I have a business meeting tomorrow and I might be off on another case.
