FBI Releases Video with Tips for Surveillance

The TV news anchor soberly announced the day’s top story: another city transit bus had been bombed, and a domestic terror group was claiming responsibility. The report went on to say that witnesses saw a man get off the bus just before it blew up, and that the FBI was investigating.

The scene described above—realistic as it may sound—is part of a fictional new video.But Caught on Camera is not a product of Hollywood. While it does have high production values, special effects, and narration by Annie Wersching, co-star of the TV show 24, the video was created by our Operational Technology Division to show business owners how their security cameras can aid law enforcement investigations and maybe even help solve a terrorist attack.

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The Online 'Pre-Marital Detectives' Making Marriage a Safer Proposal

A surge in the number of arranged weddings brokered online has given rise to India’s first web-based “premarital detective” service — a supplier of private eyes who will snoop on prospective in-laws.

A multitude of matrimonial websites have sprung up in recent years, catering to every niche of Indian society from the obese to lovelorn eunuchs.

The sites are populated by an estimated 40 million singletons, whose online profiles specify everything from their regional roots and caste to their academic achievements, skin tones and professions. In a country where 95 per cent of marriages are arranged by parents such tools have proven hugely popular.

With online matrimony, however, nothing can be taken at face value. The number of internet-enabled marriages — many of which involve the payment of a large dowry by a bride’s family — has paved the way for misrepresentation on a massive scale, experts say.

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Detective Honored For Recovering $50,000 In Stolen Jewelry

A Jackson Police Department detective, who through diligent police work recovered $50,000 in jewelry that was stolen during a party, is honored for his actions.


Detective James Cornelius was named JPD Officer of the Year during a recent ceremony.

Cornelius focused in on a suspect who had attended the March 5, 2009 party, police said. Although the woman denied any involvement, Cornelius discovered that she had pawned several pieces of jewelry in the past. He visited two different Jackson pawn shops, but didn’t find the stolen items.


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Policy on Police with PI Licenses Regulated Locally

The executive director of the Louisiana State Board of Private Investigator Examiners says discussions have been held through the years about changing the state laws governing private investigators to exclude law enforcement officers.

"It's suggested from time to time, but it just hasn't happened," said executive director Pat Englade. "There are departments, Baton Rouge and Shreveport, that don't allow it as part of their own policies, because of the possible conflicts."

J.A. Oster, a West Monroe private investigator, said he brought the issue up a number of times during his 13-year board tenure. "I could never get the votes on the board that were needed," Oster said.

The News-Star learned that Sterlington Police Chief Barry Bonner had been issued a private investigator license and formed a limited liability corporation, Rogue Private Investigations. There have been past issues in Ouachita Parish about police officers having a PI license and the possible use of National Crime Information Center and ThinkStream materials, which other PIs would not have access.

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FL House Approves Background Check Bill

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Anyone seeking a state-regulated job working with children, seniors and disabled people would have to undergo a more thorough screening process under a bill that unanimously passed Thursday in the Florida House.

It would prohibit applicants from going to work before their screening has been completed and require everyone seeking such a job to be fingerprinted and undergo a criminal background check.

Existing law permits some people, including employees of day care centers, to work before getting cleared. Some now can get jobs with just name checks instead of getting fingerprinted.

The bill (HB 7069) was filed in response to an investigation by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel that showed some convicted felons were slipping through the present process, getting jobs at day care centers, nursing homes and other facilities that help vulnerable people.

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Victim's Grandson Tracks Down Fugitive 38 Years Later

Convicted murderer Frank Dryman spent nearly 40 years on the lam for skipping parole before his past caught up to him this week.

Dryman, 78, spent decades building a new life as successful wedding chapel and notary business owner Victor Houston in Arizona City, Ariz. Dryman may have died under that alias had it not been for Clem Pellett, the curious grandson of the man Dryman killed on a muddy Toole County road nearly 60 years ago. Pellett, an oral surgeon in Bellevue, Wash., grew up with his family in Great Falls. His father was longtime Great Falls dentist Marion Pellett.

Dryman was tracked down by private investigators hired by Pellett. The yearlong search culminated Tuesday with the arrest of Dryman, who is set to hear today on his extradition to Montana to face a parole board in the next few months that could send him back to prison. Dryman could also be reparoled or sent to a prerelease center. No Montana offender has ever been on the run longer than Dryman.

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'Dead' Scottsbluff Man Found

SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb. -- A Scottsbluff man believed to have been a homicide victim 11 years ago is alive and well.

Jose Alfredo Flores, also known as Freddie, was reported missing on July 1, 1999, when he was 23.

At the time, police believed Flores, who was reportedly involved in illicit drug activity, might have been the victim of foul play based on intelligence and an investigation.

Investigators have proceeded with the investigation based on that information, Capt. Kevin Spencer said Monday.

According to the Scottsbluff Police Department missing person records on its Web site, Flores had been reported as living in a shed behind an aunt's house at the time of his disappearance. Clothing and other personal items had been left in the shed, according to police.

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Private Eyes, Stung by Bad Economy, Turn to Gadgets for Edge

DALLAS — Let's say you're a private investigator, and your client wants to get the goods on that philandering spouse.

You could do it the old-fashioned way, trailing him (or her) all over town.

Or, for $695, you could buy a GPS Personal Asset Tracker and hide it under the bumper of the subject's car. Then you could sit back in your office, turn on the computer and, via a secure Web site, get the location of every place Cheatin' Heart goes.

"It works in real time so if they're in a bar or at someone's house, you can show up," said Cody Woods, a private investigator and manager of the Spy Exchange & Security Center in Austin, Texas.

Technology is one of many factors changing the P.I. business, and nowhere was that more evident than at the recent World Investigators Conference in Dallas. Some 600 gumshoes from as far away as Thailand were on hand to learn about the latest gizmos and services for "getting the competitive edge" in a down economy, as one speaker put it.

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Wife Wins $9 Million From Husband's Alleged Mistress

Cynthia Shackelford's story could have been no different than that of any other aggrieved wife: The North Carolina woman, 60, thought her husband Allan was deeply in love with her. Then came his late nights at the office and suspicious charges on his credit card and cell phone bills. And finally, a private investigator confirmed what she had feared: Her husband, she said, was having an affair.

But Shackelford's story has a $9 million twist. Under centuries-old North Carolina case law, Shackelford sued her husband's alleged mistress, Anne Lundquist, for "alienation of affection," charging that the woman broke up her 33-year marriage.

Last week, Shackelford won. A jury awarded her $5 million in compensatory damages and $4 million in punitive damages to be paid by Lundquist.

"She set her sights on him. ... She knew he was married," Shackelford said of Lundquist. "You don't go after married men and break up families."

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Detective Now Facing Local Charges

HOLYOKE - Holyoke police detective Paul C. Barkyoumb has been charged by his own department with perjury, larceny and harassment.

The charges represent a new wave of allegations for Barkyoumb, a veteran narcotics investigator who has been hit with a restraining order and two sets of criminal charges during the past six months.

His once unblemished career has unraveled after his ex-girlfriend accused him of sending her threatening text messages from a cell phone he stole from a drug raid in September.

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NameUs Database Can Crack Missing Person Cases

MINNEAPOLIS — A new online database promises to crack some of the nation's 100,000 missing persons cases and provide answers to desperate families, but only a fraction of law enforcement agencies are using it.

The clearinghouse, dubbed NamUs (Name Us), offers a quick way to check whether a missing loved one might be among the 40,000 sets of unidentified remains that languish at any given time with medical examiners across the country. NamUs is free, yet many law enforcement agencies still aren't aware of it, and others aren't convinced they should use their limited staff resources to participate.

Janice Smolinski hopes that changes — and soon. Her son, Billy, was 31 when he vanished five years ago. The Cheshire, Conn., woman fears he was murdered, his body hidden away.

She's now championing a bill in Congress, named "Billy's Law" after her son, that would set aside more funding and make other changes to encourage wider use of NamUs. Only about 1,100 of the nearly 17,000 law enforcement agencies nationwide are registered to use the system, even though it already has been hailed for solving 16 cases since it became fully operational last year.

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More Employers Tech To Track Workers

Almost every worker has done it: gotten in a little Facebook updating, personal e-mailing,YouTube watching and friend calling while on the clock.

Such indiscretions often went undetected by company management everywhere but the most secure and highly proprietary companies or governmental agencies. Not anymore.

Firms have become sharp-eyed, keenly eared watchdogs as they try to squeeze every penny's worth of their employees' salaries and to ensure they have the most professional and lawsuit-proof workplaces.

Managers use technological advances to capture workers' computer keystrokes, monitor the websites they frequent, even track their whereabouts through GPS-enabled cellphones. Some companies have gone as far as using webcams and minuscule video cameras to secretly record employees' movements.

"There are two trends driving the increase in monitoring," says Lewis Maltby, author of the workplace rights book Can They Do That? "One is financial pressure. Everyone is trying to get leaner and meaner, and monitoring is one way to do it. The other reason is that it's easier than ever. It used to be difficult and expensive to monitor employees, and now, it's easy and cheap."

Employers no longer have to hire a pricey private investigator to install a complicated video system or computer-use tracking devices. Now, they can easily buy machine-monitoring software and tiny worker-tracking cameras at a local electronics store or through Internet retailers.

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Roethlisberger's Lawyer Hires Private Investigator

An attorney for Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has hired a private investigator to look into a sexual assault allegation made by a 20-year-old Georgia college student.

Police in the college town of Milledgeville continue to investigate, but have released little information since the accusation was made a week ago.

The two-time Super Bowl champ's lawyer, Ed Garland, said he has hired his own investigative team.

"Any lawyer representing anyone needs to know all the facts so that he can perform his duties," he said.

Roethlisberger has not been charged, and Garland said "no criminal conduct took place."

Carl Cansino, a lawyer for the club where the woman says the assault took place, said he was contacted Friday by the private investigator, Charles Mittelstadt. Cansino was also on hand when authorities interviewed club manager Rocky Duncan Wednesday.

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Private Investigator David Hill Saves Burglar From Drowning in River Ouse

A private investigator hunting a wanted burglar ended up saving his quarry from drowning in the River Ouse.

Retired police officer turned private investigator David Hill ended up swimming out into the muddy waters of the Ouse at Clifton Bridge, York, to not only get his man, but to save his life as well.

Now Mr Hill, 50, of Lindisfarne Close, Hartlepool, has been awarded a Royal Humane Society Testimonial on Parchment following the dramatic incident at Water End on September 16 last year.

Dick Wilkinson, the society’s secretary, announced the awards yesterday.

He said Mr Hill had been hunting for the 65-year-old man, who was wanted for burglary, when he happened upon him in the street.

“Mr Hill followed, alone, and kept the man in sight. The man then leapt into the River Ouse, where he immediately began to struggle to keep his head above water. He was heard to shout out that he was unable to swim, and disappeared under water several times.

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Colonie Soldier's Mom Pledges to Investiate Death

The mother of a local soldier who died in Iraq maintains that her daughter did not commit suicide despite an Army pathologist’s findings, and she said she will now launch a private investigation.

Sgt. Amy Seyboth Tirador, 29, of Colonie died Nov. 4 at a military base in Kirkush, Iraq. Her family said the Department of Defense told them Tirador died of a single gunshot wound to the head. Her body was found in the base’s generator room.

Tirador’s mother, Colleen Murphy, said Amy’s father received the results of a military investigation into the death, including Amy’s death certificate, which states the cause of death as a self-inflicted gunshot wound. She said they were led to believe the investigation had been completed.

Murphy has openly refuted the possibility that Amy killed herself on numerous occasions. At a press conference last month, Murphy said she felt the Army was trying to build up potential domestic problems and work issues in Amy’s life to make a suicide ruling seem more plausible. Amy’s husband, Michael Tirador, was living at the Caldwell Forward Operating Base where Amy was stationed at the time of her death.

Murphy has also denied any history of depression or substance abuse in her daughter’s past.

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Misinformation Spread by Private Investigator

The parents of Escondido teenager Amber Dubois say they are angry about misinformation being spread by a private investigator the family hired shortly after Amber disappeared in February 2009.

Amber’s father, Moe Dubois, said Monday that neither he nor Amber’s mother, Carrie McGonigle, have spoken to private investigator Bill Garcia since their daughter’s skeletal remains were discovered Saturday near Pala.

“Carrie is livid that he is going out and speaking on behalf of the family,” Dubois said. “We haven’t talked to him.”

Garcia told The San Diego Union-Tribune in a phone interview Sunday afternoon that the tip leading investigators to Amber’s remains did not come from John Albert Gardner III, the man now facing murder charges in connection with the death of 17-year-old Poway High School senior Chelsea King.

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Husband Had Hired Private Eye To Find Orlando Publix Cashier Wife

The man who police said gunned down his estranged wife, an Orlando Publix cashier, before dozens of terrified customers had hired a private investigator to find her, a police spokeswoman confirmed Thursday.

Andreau Yankton, 62, was estranged from his wife, Anicia Yankton, 34, when the fatal shooting took place Tuesday. Police spokeswoman Sgt. Barbara Jones did not say when the investigator was first contacted or what information was provided to the gunman.

Anicia Yankton is survived by a 6-year-old child in the Philippines, Jones said.

Also on Thursday, the Orlando Sentinel obtained Orange County Circuit Court records that detailed Andreau Yankton's turbulent — and sometimes violent — personal life.

The gunman married his second wife, Teresita G. Caneda, 1985 in the Philippines while he was still married to first wife Marietta Yankton, according to the records.

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Unlicensed Private Eyes A Problem In California

When you hire a private investigator in California, you are supposed to get someone with at least three years of training or a background in law enforcement. But as the I-Team discovered, that is not always what you get.

The state's private investigator trade group is cracking down on unlicensed private eyes using undercover stings. Some use fake names; some even have a criminal past.

In an undercover surveillance video, unlicensed private investigator Adrian Garfias thinks the two women are prospective clients, responding to his Craigslist ad offering private investigation services, but they are actually undercover investigators working for licensed private investigator Chris Butler. And it was all being recorded on video.

"We specialize in undercover stings, so for us to execute an undercover sting on a unlicensed private investigator, that's very easy," Butler said.

Garfias brought his wife and two young boys, a six-year-old and a six-month-old, to the meeting at San Jose's Santana Row and discussed his fee.

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Tighter Rules For Schools Training Guards, PIs

Schools that provide substandard security and investigator training in Ontario will soon be subject to police and provincial investigation if they don't comply with new provincial rules.

The new rules, announced Thursday by Rick Bartolucci, minister of community safety and correctional services, come just months after two Star investigations revealed major problems with the province's licensing procedures.

The investigations showed lax rules were resulting in poorly trained guards and investigators and allowing unregistered security academies to offer subpar training to would-be guards.

In September, a Star reporter revealed that, despite five-year-old legislation calling for mandatory training, almost anyone could become a licensed security guard or private investigator in the province for $80 – no training required.

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