So You Want To Be a PI?
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About this ebook
Ever thought you'd like to be a private investigator? This book, written by a former PI, will explain the skills you need and describe what it's really like to work in the field of private investigation.
Whether you're interested in becoming an investigator or writing a mystery with a PI protagonist, this is the book for you.
Pamela Beason
Pamela Beason, a former private investigator, lives in the Pacific Northwest, where she writes novels and screenplays. When she's not writing, she explores the natural world on foot, in cross-country skis, in her kayak, or underwater scuba diving. Pam is the author of nine full-length fiction works in three series: The Run for Your Life young adult adventure/mystery trilogy (which includes RACE WITH DANGER, RACE TO TRUTH, and RACE FOR JUSTICE), The Neema Mysteries (which feature Neema, the signing gorilla in THE ONLY WITNESS, THE ONLY CLUE, and coming soon, THE ONLY ONE LEFT), and the Summer "Sam" Westin wilderness mysteries (which include ENDANGERED, BEAR BAIT, UNDERCURRENTS, and BACKCOUNTRY). In addition to these series, Pam has written the romantic suspense novel SHAKEN, and CALL OF THE JAGUAR, a romantic adventure novella. She also wrote the nonfiction titles SAVE YOUR MONEY, YOUR SANITY, AND OUR PLANET and SO YOU WANT TO BE A PI? and has published informational ebooks for wannabe auhors. Pam's books have won the Daphne du Maurier Award, the Chanticleer Book Reviews Grand Prize, and the Mystery & Mayhem Grand Prize, and a Publisher's Weekly award, as well as a few other awards.
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Book preview
So You Want To Be a PI? - Pamela Beason
So You Want to Be a PI?
by
Pamela Beason
COPYRIGHT © 2012, updated 2020 by Pamela Beason
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
Published in the United States of America by:
WildWing Press
Bellingham, WA 98226
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be resold or given away to other people. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Contents
Introduction
Part I: What Do Private Investigators Actually Do?
Assisting Attorneys in Preparing Court Cases
Doing Background Checks
Working on Child Custody Cases
Investigating Cases of Suspected Fraud
Locating Individuals
Doing Internal Workplace Investigations
Difficult Service of Process
Investigating Suspected Cheaters
Finding and Documenting Assets
Computer Forensics Work
Protection Detail or Security Work
Part II: What Sort of People Become Private Investigators?
Availability
Business Skills
Start-Up Money
Discretion
Analytical Skills
People Skills
Knowledge of the Legal System
Knowledge of Information Sources
Ability to Learn Quickly
Ability to Think Like an Attorney
Time Management Skills
Organizational Skills
Writing Skills
Creativity and Acting Ability
Concocting a Story in Advance
Inventing Stories on the Spot
Being Charming to Jerks
Section III: What It’s Really Like on the Job
Investigation Is a 24/7 Business
Dealing with Potential Clients Is Time Consuming
Dealing with Contracted Clients Can Be a Challenge
Dealing with Attorneys
Dealing with Corporations
Dealing with Individuals
The Computer Work is Constant
Doing Database Searches
Writing Reports
Doing Timesheets and Billing
Process Service Can Be a Risky Job
Interviewing Skills Are a Must
Interviewing the Accused Criminal
Interviewing Victims
Interviewing Law Enforcement Officers
Interviewing Witnesses
Interviewing Children
Think Surveillance Looks Like Fun? No Way.
You Need to Work Out Positioning and Disguises
You Cannot Trespass
You Will Eventually Attract Attention
Block Watch is the Bane of Surveillance
Retired Folks and Housewives Are Always Looking Out the Window
Getting the Photo or Video Is Job #1
Eating, Drinking, and Yes—Peeing
People Have a Right to Privacy
Following by Car
Communicating While on Surveillance
Surveillance Is Sometimes Frightening
The Technical Challenges Are Ongoing
Dealing with Computers and Software
Working with Cameras – Transfers of Video, Photos
Sound Devices – Transfers of Sound Recordings
GPS & Other Tools
Smart Phones
You Always Need to Watch Your Own Back
You’re Responsible for the Bookkeeping
Billing and Arguing About Billing
Paying Taxes
Licenses and Insurance
Keeping Secrets Is of the Utmost Importance
Justice Does Not Always Prevail
Still Want to Become a PI?
Find Out the Requirements in Your State
Follow the Rules
Check Out the Business Opportunity
Go!
Frequently Asked Questions
So You Want to Be a PI?
Introduction
HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT about becoming a private investigator? Many people are lured by the stories they read in mystery books or the programs they see on television and they wonder if the investigation business is for them.
Investigation can be a satisfying and lucrative field to work in if you understand what is truly called for. However, it’s not the right job for everyone. I am retired from the PI biz now, but people still ask me about investigation work all the time, so I decided to write down all my answers here. I hope this little book answers those questions for you.
Everyone who finds out that I have worked as a private investigator asks me two things:
Is the work fun?
What do you do as a PI?
I’ll address question #1 first: My answer is sometimes.
I’d choose the word interesting
rather than fun,
because most of the time the work is interesting. What other professions allow you to peek into other people’s lives like this? Maybe psychology or social work, and believe me, you need a lot of those same skills to be a good investigator.
I’m also a mystery writer, so being a private investigator is a great profession for me to gather material. But most people are not authors. Investigation work can be frustrating, tedious, and stressful, and sometimes all of those things simultaneously. On occasion, it can also be dangerous. And over time, doing investigation work can be a bit depressing, because you deal with a lot of people in trouble. Nobody hires a private investigator when their lives are going well.
So, to answer