The purpose of this book is to provide the skills and information necessary to conduct effective and ethical investigations. The reader should note the importance of the operative words: "effective" in this context means an investigation that obtains results. The term "ethical" means not only an investigation that is conducted in a lawful manner, but also an investigation that is conducted in a manner that is not offensive to the normal standards of decency. In other words, an investigation that is conducted with a clear sense of professionalism. When an investigation involves unethical behavior, it is ultimately less effective and indicates a lack of skill. Effective and ethical investigations are the product of proper training and developed skills. It is learned behavior, not natural ability. Like most skills, proficiency in respect to the development of investigative skills concerns the issue of "failure". In many other endeavors, failure is a bad thing with bad consequences. In the context of investigations, it is a serious mistake to think in those terms for three reasons. First, the development of investigative experience is built upon learning what works and what doesn't. It is this process that sharpens one's skills, and with time, makes the investigator more effective. Secondly, the exploration may be useful in conducting a future investigation. For the investigator, the exploration process represents a beneficial experience in and of itself. Finally, it is important to think of an investigation as a process that does not end. An investigation may be cut short because of time considerations or cost benefit issues, but those are decisions independent of the process. Investigation almost always produces some beneficial result because there is almost always more known after an investigation than before. In other words, "success" is a matter of degree and the degree of success in investigations often comes down to two critical factors: identification and utilization of resources. This book addresses these two factors in such a way as to develop skills and enhance the degree of success. The notion of identification and utilization of resources may seem simple. In the "real world" it is not. Rather, it involves motivation, training and discipline because even a small increase in the degree of success can make a huge difference to the one seeking to benefit from the investigation. The point is this: while an investigation will almost always yield some benefit, there are situations were even a slight increase in the degree of success will make a real difference. This is the ultimate mission of an investigation - to reach a degree of success that makes a real difference. -- Types of Investigations -- There are a number of ways to classify investigations and some of those are as follows: - Accident / Reconstruction - Arson / Fire - Asset Search - Background Checks - Bounty Hunter - Bug Sweep, Bug Detection, TSCM - Cell Phone Records - Child Support / Custody - Civil - Computer Forensics / Cyber Crime - Corporate - Crime Scene - Criminal - Domestic - Due Diligence - Electronic Data Discovery - Electronic Surveillance - Executive Protection - Financial - Forensic - Fraud - General - Identity Theft - Infidelity / Cheating Spouse - Insurance Fraud - Judgment Recovery - Missing Persons - Mystery Shopper - People Locate / Skip Trace - Polygraph / Lie Detector - Process Service - Public Records - Repossessions - Surveillance - Trial Preparation - Video Surveillance / Photo Surveillance - Workers Compensation - Wrongful Death This book is a no nonsense tool for people who want or need to learn how to conduct investigations. It contains structured methodology for obtaining information by personal interviews and other means. Further, the book discusses and details a variety of resources and techniques that can be used to engage in lawful gathering of information.
About the Author: Thomas B. Swanson received paralegal, law enforcement, counter-terrorism and investigative training in the United States Air Force. From 1973 to 1976, he was the investigator for the United States Foreign Claims Commission based in Taipei, Taiwan. While serving overseas, he investigated matters ranging from motor vehicle accidents to complex fraud and murder. In 1976, he received the Air Force Commendation Medal for outstanding service. After receiving his B.A. from the University of Florida in 1978, Swanson moved to Houston, Texas to attend law school. While in law school, he resumed conducting both criminal and civil investigations for local law firms. Swanson graduated from the South Texas College of Law and became a licensed Texas attorney in May, 1981. In 1986, he founded his own law firm. In 1987, Swanson began educating and training paralegals, which included a course in investigations. Also, for several years during the 1980's, Swanson served as a member and vice-chairman of the Houston area Committee On Admissions, which investigated certain applicants seeking admission to the Texas bar. During the 1990's, Swanson was licensed as a Security Consultant and certified as a continuing education instructor in investigations by the Texas Board of Private Investigators and Private Security Agencies. As of the date of this book, Swanson has been a Texas trial lawyer for over thirty years and a teacher of paralegals for over twenty-five years. He is presently an instructor and the Academic Dean at the Center For Advanced Legal Studies, a private paralegal college in Houston, Texas. Over the last twenty-five years, Swanson has written numerous books and articles on matters ranging from law to security to investigations. He has also been an invited speaker to numerous industry groups to speak on topics relating to law, security issues and investigations.