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So You Want To Be a PI?
So You Want To Be a PI?
So You Want To Be a PI?
Ebook115 pages46 minutes

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.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateNov 2, 2015
ISBN9780979876882
So You Want To Be a PI?
Author

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.

Read more from Pamela Beason

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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

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