My Dad was an old baseball man. Besides teaching me the finer points of the game, he always said: "If you look like a ballplayer, you’ll play like a ballplayer. If you look like a ham-n-egger, you’ll play like a ham-n-egger." That goes with people’s perception of a professional investigator. Their perception is that he or she wears business attire and carries a notebook or legal pad. If you want to get the job done, it’s usually best to go with perceptions (There are always exceptions, but not on this one). A police detective should always wear a sports jacket and tie, but a private investigator can get away with a nice sports jacket and collared shirt. Even if it’s hot out and your witness canvassing, you should always wear a sports jacket and collared shirt when you’re out dealing with the public. I recall once when I was a homicide detective we had an investigation that took us to a small town in another state. That agency had their narcotic squad also handle their homicides. Even with me, subconsciously it didn’t seem to fit seeing a long haired, bearded and casually dressed detective saying he was a homicide detective. I wonder how many potential witnesses he talked to held back information because of perceptions. They carry you a long way in this business. If you want to be an investigator, dress like an investigator.
