Crime, Violence, Arrests, and the NFL: An Uneasy Convergence

After the arrest in Massachusetts of New England Patriot Aaron Hernandez for murder, the newspapers were filled with headlines regarding the number of NFL football players who had been arrested in 2013.  With the year just barely past the halfway mark, NFL players have been arrested for, among other things,  gun charges, attempt murder, assault, DUI, Public intoxication, drag racing and resisting arrest, burglary, battery, a prostitution sting, child abuse and domestic violence.

In many cases, you have young men barely out of their teens who suddenly find themselves with lots of money and little, if any, adult supervision.  It seems to me that some have adopted a gang culture mentality, complete with guns, tattoos and an intimidating attitude that we see portrayed in the entertainment media.  In a sport that prides itself on hard hits and physical violence, it's not hard to see how some players might lose their perspective here.

I'm also troubled by the comparison to football games and other sporting events as 'going to war' and 'combat.'  When I was growing up, most of our fathers served in World War II and Korean War and had seen real combat in the South Pacific, Europe and the Korean peninsula.  Many had seen untold carnage and death and lived with those memories.  It would never have crossed anyone's mind in those days to have referred to any sporting event as a war or combat.  Just as today, that comparison cheapens the sacrifice of the men and women of our armed forces who gave so much in Vietnam and Iraq, and are still giving in Afghanistan.

My last comment is on how much sports have changed in my lifetime.  Today I see college players signing million dollar contracts.  As a young boy, I remember that most professional ball players in the 1950's and 60's had to have off-season jobs to supplement their incomes and support their families.

Take for example Hall of Fame quarterback Johnny Unitas of the Baltimore Colts.  He was the originator of the two minute drill and led his Colts to a come from behind victory over my New York Giants in the 1958 NFL championship game. To this day, many still call it the greatest football game ever played.  It's the game that put professional football on the map.  If I ever wanted one quarterback to lead my team down the field with the game on the line, it would be Johnny U.  He was the greatest quarter back I ever saw.

During the off-season, Johnny Unitas laid linoleum.    

LAPD Officers Shot

On June 25, 2013 the Los Angeles Times reported that two LAPD officers were ambushed as they were waiting for the gate to open at the station parking lot.  On the same day, in a different part of town, another LAPD officer and a parole agent were shot inside a home during a search.

Although it appeared that both shootings were unrelated, it brings up the dangers that police throughout the United States face on a daily basis.  Both situations were on different ends of the threat level meter.  One occured out of nowhere, while officers are sitting in a relatively safe area in a police vehicle waiting to enter the police parking lot.  They were ambushed from the rear and fired on in a location where the threat level would be considered very low.

In the second shooting, the officer and the parole agent were in a much more heightened  threat level as they searched a residence for a suspect.

Police work is a job that can go from sheer boredom to extreme danger in the blink of an eye.  Cops are always looking, their minds working like a computer that can register things in a nano-second that 'don't seem right' or are 'out of place.'  The work is extremely mentally taxing.

Cops are the ultimate symbol of authority in our society. They are the ones that can take away a person's freedom.  They are the ones who stop people from acting out there worst behavior on others.  There are really bad people out their with a grudge against society and the people that stand between them and us are the police.  These people obey their own code, and shooting a cop is their ultimate defiance against the society they hate.

Whether there uniform cops on patrol or detectives working on cases, once they hit the street, they are always on alert.  Even when off-duty, they're always looking.  You cant turn it off.  The price they pay for that over a career is often high blood pressure, broken marriages and alcoholism.  It comes with the job.  But they are the sheep dogs who protect the sheep from the wolves who would prey on them.

Informants: Working Hard or Hardly Working

When I first started out as a young police detective, I would spend hundreds of hours, often times for naught, trying to solve a heinous or complex crime.  After a while, I discovered that if I spent about fifteen minutes with the right person, in the right place, and maybe throw in a cigarette and a candy bar, I could often crack the case.  In investigating terms, the right person was an informant.  This goes for both police detectives and private investigators.  Often times there is someone out there who has knowledge of the case, but you have to use the right approach and do it in the right location, in order to get the right results. 

Try not to let police movies or TV cloud your vision of how to work an informant.  You don’t approach someone on the street and expect them to talk to you.  By doing this, it also shows your lack of knowledge of the street and you won’t be trusted.  For police detectives, an individual can be interviewed back at the police station or in the lock up. 

I used to scan the daily arrest logs to see if anyone got arrested near one of the crimes I was investigating, or if any of my informants had managed to get themselves locked up.  I’d talk to the detective that was handling the individual’s current arrest to clear it with him, and then I’d go and talk to him.  It’s amazing how many arrestees, knowing that their looking at going back to prison, will talk to you if you have the right approach.  You have to be able to convince them that you will protect them and not reveal their identity.  Start small, and once they give something up that appears to be good, that’s when they get rewarded with the coffee or soda.  The more they give up, and the bigger the case, is when the candy bars and cigarettes come out.  Remember, they get the goodies after they cooperate, not before.

The same holds for private investigators.  You can meet with a possible cooperative informant off-site from his workplace or home.  Whether you’re a cop or a PI, you always pick the time and location.  You want to make sure you’re not being setup.

Different motivations motivate different people to give up information.  It can be fear, revenge, retaliation, power, honesty etc.  You need to find which one is the one that turns your informant.  Find the right one, and your case can be solved.

WHEN THE BAD GUY DIDN’T DO IT

During my police career, I put many suspects in prison for crimes they committed.  There were two cases, however, where I proved that the arrestee didn’t do it.  What was even more extraordinary was that both of these arrestees were two of the biggest jerks I ever handled. 

The first case involved the suspect being arrested sitting in a stolen car that had been taken in a residential burglary.  He had a lengthy arrest record and had already done time in prison.  When I interviewed him at the police station, besides being an incessant chatterbox who just wouldn’t shut up, he tried to tell me that a guy had picked him up and had given him the keys to the car.  He had fallen asleep in the car and was subsequently arrested by some uniform officers.  When it came time for his court date, he asked to see me.  In the lock up interview room he told me that the suspect who had given him the car was also in the lockup that day.  He saw him on the transportation bus from the jail to the court lockup and had even gotten his name.  I followed up on it and was able to prove that his story, incredible as it sounded, was true.  I was able to get the charges against him dropped, and filed burglary and auto theft charges against the other individual.  From that day on, every time he saw me either on the street or when he was at the police station, he always made it a point to thank me.

The second case was another residential burglary.  When I interviewed the arrestee at the police station, he was very arrogant and antagonistic.  As memory serves me, he had been identified by a witness and the case seemed very strong against him.  As I got further into the investigation, however, it became apparent that he hadn’t committed the crime.  When I went to court and requested the case against him be dropped, the public defender told me that his client was one of the most obnoxious persons he had ever represented.  That being said, he didn’t do the crime, and he was subsequently released.

Here’s the bottom line: As an investigator, your job is to find the truth.  If someone is charged with a crime, no matter what his background or record is, if he didn’t do it, then he goes free and you continue your search for the guilty party.  That’s what justice is all about.

WHY WOULD YOU DO CRIMINAL DEFENSE?

Although its not the major part of my business, I do occasional criminal defense cases for some top notch, ethical defense attorneys.  As a retired police detective, I’ve been asked numerous times by current and former police officers why I would do any criminal defense work.  When I do get asked that question, I always respond with the fact that in the United States, every defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a defense.  I then bring up the fact of the Duke Lacrosse players who were filed on for serious criminal charges by a rogue prosecutor, convicted in the press in a trial by media, then ultimately, completely exonerated.  If not for a spirited defense team, these young men would have been sent to prison for a crime that never happened.

On a personal note, I was the defense investigator in a case in which a police officer was accused of excess force in apprehending a suspect. Criminal charges were filed against him and he was facing prison if convicted.  I was able to find an independent eyewitness whose testimony cleared the officer of any wrong doing, which resulted in a not guilty verdict.

A person’s whole life can change in a blink of an eye.  Sometimes, like in the Duke Lacrosse players case, the judicial system can do terrible things. In police work, officers have to make split second decisions that can go horribly wrong.  When it seems like the weight of the whole criminal justice system is aligned against you, it’s just your attorney and your defense investigator that stands between you and jail.  Pray that you’re never placed in that situation, but if you ever have the nightmarish experience of being arrested and formally charged with a criminal offense, you’ll understand why I do criminal defense work.

STAGED BURGLARY INVESTIGATIONS

Private investigators can be called upon by insurance companies to conduct an investigation of one of their client’s claims due to a residential or business burglary.  Usually the claim has raised some red flags with the insurance company and they want an investigator to look at it.  

First, interview the insurance company representative to find out their concerns in the case.  Many times a claimant has taken out a policy shortly before the burglary.  Find out the date the policy was requested, the date it was issued, and the date of the burglary.  Has the claimant made any prior burglary claims?  Check and see if the claimant or his/her significant other has any recent bankruptcies, tax liens or judgments filed against them.

Obtain a copy of the burglary report and review it.  Pay close attention to the point of entry that was made and the object used (Bodily force, pry tool, brick etc.).  Interview the police officer(s) who were at the scene and took the report.  Ask them if they had any concerns regarding what they saw at the crime scene.  Most police officers and detectives have been to hundreds of burglary crime scenes.  Those that appear to be suspicious usually jump out at them.  If any photographs were taken, ask to view them.  Pay close attention to what the photographs show at the point of entry and the amount of ransacking.

Lastly, interview the claimant in person and conduct a crime scene investigation.  Did the claimant have any photographs or sales receipts of the items claimed taken in the burglary.  Is it physically possible that the burglary occurred the way it was claimed?  Could a suspect(s) physically have done what is in the report? 

Burglars usually know the places to look in a residence for jewelry, money, guns, electronic equipment etc.  They may do some ransacking, but it’s usually not extensive because they want to get in and get out quickly before being discovered. They usually don’t take large, bulky items and oftentimes use a pillow case to stash their loot in.

Most people have little experience with burglary crime scenes.  Their big mistake is that they usually over produce it.  Excessive ransacking is always a red flag.  I vividly recall on investigation where the claimant had dumped multiple drawers in each room throughout the house.  He had even moved dining room furniture and left it by a door.  Large paintings had also been moved to appear that they were being staged to go out the door.  On another case, the point of entry was claimed to be a window smash.  The problem was that the majority of the broken glass shards were on the lawn outside of the house rather than on the floor underneath the window.  It was apparent that the window had been broken by someone standing inside the house.

UNDERCOVER WORK AND DISGUISES

How do you make yourself blend in to your surroundings?  How do you dress if you’re doing foot surveillance or you’re undercover in a specific location and you don’t want to be ‘made’?  Most cops who start out in undercover work immediately grow a beard and long hair.  It’s almost a dead giveaway, like an undercover uniform.  When you see a neatly scrubbed guy with a trimmed beard, long hair, baseball cap, Pendleton shirt and jeans with clean hands and often times a wedding ring in a high crime area, it’s usually a cop. 

I got to be good at disguises when I worked Hollywood Vice and other undercover assignments with the LAPD Metropolitan Division.  When I started out in plainclothes undercover work I thought, “Where would be the best place to look at lots of people and figure out who didn’t look like a cop?”  Answer:  The local mall.  I would go down there and just sit for an hour or so and watch all the people walk by.  I’d take notes on individuals regarding how they dressed, walked and what things they carried.  Pretty soon I came up with a number of disguises that I tested in the field.  The hardest people to fool in those days were the street walkers in Hollywood, so if I could fool them, I could fool anybody.  Here’s a list of just some that I used:

1. Car accident victim-I wore a whiplash neck brace.  For added effect, I would put a plaster cast (taped) on my non-shooting hand.  If I had someone in the car, I would act like I had difficulty turning my head.

2 .Crutches-I’d practice walking with crutches so I had the gait down.  I’d also use a taped on plaster foot cast for added effect.

3. Emergency room scrubs-I put on a pair of scrubs with a stethoscope in my pocket as I drove or walked around.

4. Baseball Uniform-During baseball season I’d put on a baseball uniform and have a bag of bats, balls and a glove or two in the car.

5. Workout clothes-Shorts, sweatshirt or T shirt, towel around the neck and gym bag with a racquetball paddle sticking out. I’d also have a dirty towel along with wet socks and T shirt in the bag.

6. During an interior bank stakeout, I was dressed in a dark suit and tie sitting at a desk in the bank.  I had a shotgun between my legs along with a handgun in the wastebasket next to me.  I also had another gun on my hip.

7. Passed out drunk-On one occasion I had to be the guarding officer for an undercover female officer on a ‘Trick’ task force.  I wore an old watch cap, my old Marine Corps horse blanket overcoat, rubbed in axle grease around my face and hands, rubbed on some cheap wine for aftershave, and for the piece de resistance, mixed wine and oatmeal in a bag and poured it on the ground when I ‘passed out’ just a few feet away from the undercover female on Sunset Blvd in Hollywood.  Pedestrians literally stepped over me like I was part of the scenery.

8. Homeless-Working undercover with my partner in the Skid Row area of Los Angeles, I dressed in an old Navy pea coat, watch cap, unshaven beard, dirty jeans, and carried a sleeping bag tied by some rope over my shoulder.  We followed two car burglars for over three hours before they broke into a car and we arrested.

9. Santa Claus outfit-I arrested 4 different prostitutes who propositioned me on Christmas Eve driving around in a Santa Claus outfit.  I even put a pillow under my costume to have the fat man look. 

Here’s the bottom line regarding disguises; the sky's the limit. Use your imagination and have some fun in the process.

WHEN IT RAINED BULLETS IN THE CITY OF ANGELS

Back when I worked as a police officer and homicide detective for the LAPD in South Central Los Angeles in the 1970s and 1980s, it was a custom there that on New Year’s Eve the local citizens would fire off their guns in celebration.  You would hear a cacophony of gunshots from 11:30 PM on New Year’s Eve till about 1:00 AM New Year’s Morning.  If you were working patrol during those hours, you would try to get back to the station and sit in the parking lot to avoid getting hit.  I vividly recall pulling into the station parking lot and seeing a guy who lived in one of the apartments next to the station run out on his porch and fire a bunch of rounds from his gun into the air right around the stroke of midnight.   If you couldn’t make it back in by then because you were on  a call, as soon as you cleared that scene you’d at least try to make it to a freeway underpass if you weren’t close to the station.  It wasn’t that people took a free pass to shoot at the cops, it was just that there were so many guns down there and so many rounds going off you might become an accidental casualty.  Newton’s Law of Gravity, what comes up must come down, definitely plays into effect here.  All those rounds being shot in the air have to go someplace, so if they go up, eventually there going to go down. They also come down at the same speed they went up.  My homicide partner at 77^th Street Division handled a murder that happened just around midnight one New Year’s Eve where the unfortunate victim happened to be walking down the street when a spent bullet  came down and hit him on top of the head, killing him instantly.  With so many people firing their guns off in celebration in the area, how were you going to identify the shooter?  The case went unsolved. One year we put a tape recorder on top of the station on New Year’s Eve and left it up there for about an hour.  When we played it back, it sounded like the Battle of Hue City (Viet Nam).  So every year when I celebrate the New Year, my memories take me back to the one night each year when it rained bullets in the City of Angels.

HOW DO INVESTIGATORS FIND WITNESSES

You’ve been hired to investigate an incident that took place 3 months prior.  Let’s say it’s a traffic accident.  It occurred on a specific day at a specific time.  How do you go about finding any witnesses to the accident, particularly if it happened some time ago.  In a case like this, you go back to the tried and true old fashion way, you conduct a canvass of the area.

Time permitting, it’s very important that you conduct your witness canvass on the same day of the week and at the same time that the incident happened.  Let me give an example of what I mean.  An attorney hired me to investigate a traffic accident.  The accident took place on a weekend night shortly after midnight.  It occurred on Sunset Blvd in West Hollywood.  I went there on the same day of the week and began my canvass about a half hour before the accident occurred.  There were a few stores still open, and I happened to find an employee at one of the businesses who happened to be looking out the window and saw the accident.  Because he was a night time employee, I never would have found him if I had gone out in the daytime to canvass. 

Another reason you want to go out at the same time as the incident is that you can see what the lighting in the area was like at the time of the incident along with the pedestrian and vehicle traffic.  This gives you a much better feel for the incident scene similar to when it occurred. You also may find a witness on a delivery truck or other work related vehicle that happens to stop by around the time of your incident.  As I’ve stated before on this blog, you only need to find one witness to break a case wide open. 

PURSUING GANG KILLERS

With all these seemingly insurmountable difficulties, how then do gang murders get solved.  My answer, in one word, is HEAT!  You have to be relentless.  You keep constant pressure on the rival gang, both with uniformed police presence, gang units, and good detective work. You make it difficult for them to conduct their criminal activities. I’ll give you an example.  My partner and I handled a gang murder where an OG (Original Gangster, or older member) had been shot down in front of his house shortly after being paroled.  Besides being out in that neighborhood every day, we arrested over the span of the investigation numerous gang members for guns, narcotics, parole violations and various other felonies and assorted misdemeanors.  We even arrested one individual for an outstanding traffic warrant on Christmas Eve. Like I said, the heat was relentless. You interview every arrestee in an attempt to gain intelligence on the gang and especially to turn them as an informant on your murder case.  You go into the jails every day and interview arrestees who have been arrested in the vicinity of the murder.  You’re looking to develop an informant who can give you the information you need to identify the killers. Believe me, not too many people, no matter how hard core they are, want to spend a lot of time incarcerated in prison if they can give out information that can cut their sentence down.  You just have to be patient and skilled on this approach.

The gang unit’s expertise is invaluable in identifying suspect(s) real names from their gang names and monikers. Eventually when an informant’s information is corroborated or a witness comes forward and the suspect(s) have been identified, you begin to close in on the killers.  Believe it or not, some people still refuse to be intimidated and come forward as witnesses and do the right thing.  The detectives then obtain search and arrest warrants and attempt to obtain additional evidence, like the gun(s) used, clothing worn etc.  Gang members don’t always get rid of guns, and they often pass them around to their fellow gang members.  Once the suspect(s) have been apprehended, the detective’s final effort is to attempt to obtain a confession.  Oftentimes it may come down to the suspect(s) walking on the charges unless the detectives are skilled interrogators and can obtain a confession.

MORE ON WALKING SURVEILLANCES

Here are some additional tips on conducting walking surveillances.  You don’t have to be on the same side of the street to follow someone.  I find it’s actually more advantageous to walk on the opposite side of the street when following someone.  Even when they’re ‘hinked up’ and looking for a tail, they usually only look behind and rarely if ever look across the street.  Try putting An object between yourself and the subject.  The best one is a parked car.  You can stand to the rear of a parked car and peer through the rear & front windows of the vehicle and observe an individual for a long distance without exposing yourself.  You can also use mailboxes, telephone poles or any other object that’s handy.  If there’s a bus bench around, sit down and enjoy the rest while you take in the subject.  Use store windows as mirrors and building entrances to mask your profile.  You can also walk pass the Subject and and view him as he walks by.  A great way to do that is to enter a store and then watch him through the window. 

My partner and I once followed two car burglars on foot during the Christmas shopping season for over 3 hours in downtown Los Angeles before they finally hit a car.  It was in the business district and there were numerous pedestrians, parked vehicles and open air parking lots along the streets.  They cased a number of vehicles but for some reason would back off on each one.  They finally went into a parking lot where they quickly punched the trunk lock with a screwdriver, removed the stored gifts and closed the trunk, all within a few seconds. They were surprised to say the least when my partner and I appeared from out of nowhere and hooked them up.  Remember, patience and good tactics are the key to any successful surveillance.

VEHICLE SURVEILLANCE EQUIPMENT YOU NEED

Here are some of the actual surveillance tools you’ll need for your vehicle..  Have a small tape recorder available because you won’t have the time to be writing things down like license numbers, addresses or descriptions. Whether you’re parked or driving, you can dictate right into the recorder.  Keep a pen and paper handy for when you have time to write things down.  You need some type of binoculars for distance viewing.  I like to have both binoculars and a monocular.  I find the latter is great if you’re sitting in the front seat of your vehicle and you don’t want to be obvious by using binoculars. A monocular is small and used with one hand.  Make sure you have a number of coins handy in case you have to use metered parking.   Have a good video and single shot camera that you’re familiar with.  For camera use, I suggest at least a 70-300 lens.  It’s also a good idea to have a tri-pod that you can use for shots focused on one spot.  This stabilizes the camera for better pictures.  Be sure that you have charged the batteries on both your video and single shot camera.  If you do a lot of surveillance work, you might want to think about getting a portable air conditioner that you can run off of the cigarette lighter in the vehicle.  Sitting inside a vehicle with the windows closed, especially during the dog days of summer, can be brutal.  Bring some pillows to prop up against the seat for extra comfort.  Lastly, make sure you have a change of clothes and a baseball hat in case you need to change clothing and/or your appearance.

THE BEST DETERRENT TO COP KILLING

As a brand new officer with the LAPD, I was fortunate to have as a training officer the best street cop I ever worked with, and I worked with a lot of them.  This was the first night I ever worked with him.  As it was getting close to End of Watch, we started the perennial circling pattern near the station so when the on-coming shift came down we’d get in quick.  It was near midnight and we were driving in a residential neighborhood when we both noticed two men peering into the picture window of the corner house.  Even though I had only a few months on the job, I knew something wasn’t right.  My training officer stopped the car, and we both jumped out with our guns drawn.  The two men both started walking away from the house in different directions.  As we yelled for them to freeze, they both reached into their waistbands and tossed guns on us.  After proning them out on the ground and calling for backup, they were taken into custody without further incident.

Once we got them back to the station, my training officer interviewed them separately with me just sitting there.  One of them confessed that they were hit men sent out from the East Coast to kill the people who lived in that house.  He was a parolee and had done a lot of prison time back east.  My training officer asked him, what with his prior record, the fact that he was on parole and had a gun, and knowing he would go back to prison again for this, why didn’t he shoot it out with us.  I will never forget what the suspect said.  He told my partner, “You both came out of the police car with your guns out, and you were ready.  I didn’t want to die!”  My training officer then told him, “Your right.  We’d of shot you down like a dog in the street.”

After we booked them, I talked to my training officer about that conversation.  He told me that every time he got a gun off of a suspect, he would always ask them why they didn’t shoot it out and try to get away.  Invariably they’d say something like you were ready, or it wasn’t worth it, but whatever the reason they’d initially give, they’d usually end by saying they didn’t want to die.  He would give them that signature line about being shot down like a dog in the street to make an imprint on their mind.  He told me, “Someday that guy may have the drop on some cop. I want him to think about the consequences and what’s going to happen to him if he kills a cop.  I figure someday that will save a cop’s life.”

From that day on every time I got a gun off of a suspect, I had the same conversation and told him the same thing.  I’m sure there’s more then one cop walking around alive today because a suspect who had a gun and had the drop on him hesitated when he thought of the consequences.

HOW I BECAME A PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR

One night while I was still a rookie police officer with the LAPD, my training officer and I made a felony arrest.  In those days, in order to book an arrestee for a felony, you had to get booking approval from the night watch detective.  On this particular night, our division night watch detective was on a day off, so we had to go to another division to get booking approval.  When I handed their night watch detective the booking approval, I noticed he was looking at what appeared to be an identification card that had his photograph on it.  Being naturally inquisitive, I asked him what the card was. He replied that it was his private investigative license.  I was non-pulsed, to say the least.  I asked him how a police officer could also be a private investigator.  He told me that the department allowed you to work as a private investigator off-duty as long as you didn’t work any criminal cases or civil cases involving the City of Los Angeles.  He added that you needed three years on the job before you could apply to the state and take the PI test.  You also needed a work permit from the department after you received the license.  I filed that away in my mind under things to do later, and thirteen years later I took the test and obtained my PI license.  Another chance encounter, but one that would later have a large impact on my life.

PS-Some years after I retired, after a headline grabbing case, the LAPD rescinded their approval of allowing officers work off-duty as PIs.

SURVEILLANCES: ARE YOU REALLY BURNED?

Especially to a new person just starting out in surveillance work, one of the big questions that comes up often in a tail is, am I burned?  Has the subject made me?  Here’s two incidents that happened to me which may be of help to you.  When I was a young police officer, I was able to get a loan to my division’s narcotic unit.  I was fortunate to work with some exceptional dope cops there who had the patience to teach me their trade.  On my first vehicle surveillance we were following a couple of amphetamine abusers or ‘tweekers.’  They drove erratically, pulling over for no reason, making u-turns, and just doing things that to a new-be like me I just knew we were burned.  The veteran detective I was with just told me to stay on them and keep following them.  Eventually we arrested them, and when we interviewed them I was shocked to learn they had no idea they were being followed.  The second incident happened after I retired and was working as a PI.  I had been hired by a client on a cheating spouse case.  I followed the errant spouse to a swap meet and some other locations and at some point he made a U-turn in the middle of a busy street.  I was able to pick him up again, eventually following him to a residence where picked up his girlfriend and went shopping with her.  The point is, most of the time on a surveillance the subject has no idea he/she is being followed.  In the first incident, the veteran detective told me that ‘tweekers’ always drive crazy.  In the second incident, I had the job experience to feel that even though the subject made a u-turn, he wasn’t looking back in his rear view mirror or turning around to look directly at my vehicle.  I stayed on him, got good photographs, and had one satisfied client.

DEALING WITH THE POLICE

How do you deal with the police when you’re a PI?  What do you do if you’ve never been a police officer, yet you need to work with them or get information from them on one of your cases.  Here’s what I suggest.  First try to contact a police officer or detective that you know who works the same department as the detective handling your case.  Ask him/her for an introduction to the police officer your trying to contact.  If you don’t know it already, cops are very clannish.  It always helps to have a gatekeeper.  Once you have a contact person on your case, try to go in person.  I always find that it’s a lot harder for someone to blow me off in person then it is on the phone. Here’s another helpful hint.  The best time to contact a police detective is between 7/8:00 AM.  They usually try to get a jump on their paperwork and case load at that time before they head out to court or the field.  Once you actually get to speak with the detective, don’t be intimidated.  Most detectives will be helpful, especially if you have something to give them that will help them in a case.  Once they’ve warmed up to you in person, they’ll often tell you things they normally wouldn’t tell you over the phone.  Here’s another tip.  Every detective bureau has its share of slugs and does nothings.  But they also have their one or two hard working street detectives who know all the bad guys, the crime patterns in their area, and will work their tails off with any information you can provide them.  The trick here is you have to find that one.  If you don’t know anyone in that department and/or division, try to find a veteran uniformed officer, identify yourself, and ask him point blank, “Who’s the best street cop in the detective bureau.”  That’s the guy you want to deal with. 

FORENSICS: IT’S WHAT YOU KNOW AT THE TIME THAT COUNTS

When I was a young homicide detective we had a case where a young woman had been strangled and her body was left in a vacant field.  The body was naked except for her panties.  An examination of those panties revealed some small plant-like material inside them.  My partner and I took the material to a botany professor at a very prestigious university nearby.  After examining the residue, he advised us it was pink heather.  Additionally he told us it was a small plant that grows back east, not in southern California.  He also said it was it was used for garnishment in floral displays.  This really caught our attention.  The victim’s boyfriend was employed at the time at a flower shop.  Once we had this information we raced up to the flower shop and detained the boyfriend.  We took him back to the station where he eventually confessed to the murder.  The next day we got a call from the botany professor.  He was extremely apologetic and advised us that he had been incorrect in his analysis.  During the criminal trial of the boyfriend, the court ruled that the confession was admissible because the detectives were acting on the information they knew at the time, which was based on the expert botany professor’s analysis.  Every time I go into a flower shop, I still think of that case and pink heather.

HOW TO DO WALKING SURVEILLANCES

Most PI’s do a lot of vehicle surveillances, but there will usually come a time when you’ll be out of a car and have to follow a subject on foot.  The first thing to keep in mind is to dress according to the neighborhood. It’s wise to carry an extra set of clothes in your vehicle in case where you’re going doesn’t fit with what you’re currently wearing.  Try to wear comfortable walking shoes.  I prefer black ones, because they can also pass for dress shoes if you have to go upscale.  Wear neutral colored clothing.  Don’t wear bright colors like red or orange that will make you stick out.  I also like to have handy a dark colored baseball hats without a logo. You can put it on or take it off and it gives you a different look.  When following someone on foot, the most important thing is to know how the subject looks from behind.  Rarely will you be in front of him/her to see their face.  The next important thing is to pay attention to the subject’s walking gait, because that’s what you’ll be keying on, especially in a crowd.  Don’t be too close to the subject.  Remember that you can only have to see a small portion of the subject and still successfully follow him.  I once followed an individual who was carrying a black gym bag in his hand on a busy downtown street.  At times all I could see was a portion of the bag, yet I was able to follow him successfully.  Keep in mind that most people are oblivious to their surroundings and are totally unaware someone is following them.

DEALING WITH THE POLICE

How do you deal with the police when you’re a PI? What do you do if you’ve never been a police officer, yet you need to work with them or get information from them on one of your cases? Here’s what I suggest. First try to contact a police officer or detective that you know who works the same department as the detective handling your case. Ask him/her for an introduction to the police officer your trying to contact. If you don’t know it already, cops are very clannish. It always helps to have a gatekeeper. Once you have a contact person on your case, try to go in person. I always find that it’s a lot harder for someone to blow me off in person then it is on the phone. Here’s another helpful hint.The best time to contact a police detective is between 7/8:00 AM. They usually try to get a jump on their paperwork and case load at that time before they head out to court or the field. Once you actually get to speak with the detective, don’t be intimidated. Most detectives will be helpful, especially if you have something to give them that will help them in a case. Once they’ve warmed up to you in person, they’ll often tell you things they normally wouldn’t tell you over the phone. Here’s another tip: Every detective bureau has its share of slugs and do-nothings; but, they usually have one or two hard working street detectives who know all the bad guys, the crime patterns in their area, and will work their tails off with any information you can provide them. The trick here is you have to find that one. If you don’t know anyone in that department and, or, division, try to find a veteran uniformed officer, identify yourself, and ask him point blank, “Who’s the best street cop in the detective bureau?” That’s the guy you want to deal with.

THE NIGHT STALKER

From April 1984 through August 1985, the state of California was terrorized by a series of 13 grisly murders that would eventually become known as the Night Stalker case.  Richard Ramirez was eventually arrested and convicted on the case and now sits on Death Row.  Because the murders happened in both the City and County of Los Angeles, both the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department had their own separate task forces to investigate the crimes.  I was one of the 11 LAPD Metropolitan Division officers who were loaned up to LAPD Robbery-Homicide Division to assist their detectives on the case.  I can still vividly recall one of their senior detectives giving us our initial briefing on the case.  He told us that they thought the killer was taunting the police because at one of the murder scenes he scrawled what looked to them to be a Sheriffs badge.  What we didn’t know at the time, but found out as the case progressed, was that it was a pentagram, the sign of the devil.  As the investigation continued, it became more apparent that the suspect was involved in devil worship.  I mentioned to the lieutenant in charge of our task force that the Catholic Church has an exorcist in each of their diocese who would be very knowledgeable on that subject and maybe able to help us.  He gave me the approval to contact the Los Angeles Archdiocese, and they put me in contact with a priest in one of the nearby parishes.  When I contacted him by phone, I was somewhat circumspect about the real reason we wanted to talk to him.  I just told him we were working on a case that might have overtones of devil worship and could he help us out.  He readily agreed to talk to us, and I brought him down to the task force headquarters at the old Parker Center headquarters of the LAPD.  When he walked into the task force office he saw the large computerized print out with the words’ Night Stalker Task Force’ spread out on the wall.  He turned to me and said, “I thought this was what it was about.”  For the next hour and a half, he spoke to us about devil worship, Satan, and the Black Mass.  There were 6 veteran homicide detectives from RHD along with 11 hardened street cops from Metro in the room at the time.  He had our rapt attention.  When he was finished, it was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop.  We all wondered what had we gotten ourselves into here.  I’ll write more about this case in some of my up-coming posts.