Posted on Wed, Jan 25, 2012
It is becoming increasingly more prevalent in the Private Investigation industry for more and more companies to offer the use of GPS devices for covert tracking of vehicles. It is important for any individual considering the use of a GPS device to understand the Texas laws for using such devices. Texas Penal Code Section 16.06 states that “A person commits an offense if the person knowingly installs an electronic or mechanical tracking device on a motor vehicle owned or leased by another person.” An offense under this section of the law is punishable as a Class A misdemeanor with a max of one year in prison, a $4,000.00 fine, or both.
GPS Technology can be an extremely effective tool when used in conjunction with surveillance and can help reduce the need for multiple investigators in a difficult surveillance location thus making the investigation less expensive. However, one must be prudent in making sure that the investigative agency being hired is utilizing the technology properly and not just looking for an illegal quick fix or another means of billing the client. Fleet and company vehicles in corporate theft matters, litigation situations, and personal and/or family matters can all be aided by, legal, ethical and efficient use of GPS technology.
Posted on Wed, Jan 25, 2012
We at Texas Investigative Network, Inc. recognize that once a decision has been made to contact a licensed Private Investigative Agency, it is because attempts to establish clarity in a given situation through other means may have been unsuccessful, at this point your situation may not quite be ready for litigation and/or criminal prosecution and/or the sensitivity of your situation demands strict discretion and confidentiality. By no means do we take for granted the calls or inquiries we receive for investigative assistance. It is a privilege, a vote of confidence and a conveyance of trust when a Client awards us OUR ASSIGNMENT. We trust you will view and recommend Texas Investigative Network, Inc. as YOUR premier Private Investigations agency in Texas. If we can answer any questions concerning anything of an investigative nature, please do not hesitate to contact us at (713) 807-881 1 or visit our web-site at
www.texasinvestigators.com .
Posted on Wed, Jan 25, 2012
Please join me in welcoming Jennifer Callon to Texas Investigative Network, Inc. Jennifer is a native of New Orleans, Louisiana, attended High School in The Woodlands, Texas and is a 2009 Magna Cum Laude graduate of the University of St. Thomas in Houston. Jennifer is anxious to work in the private sector and contribute to our investigative staff, having spent the past 3 years working as a Case Manager, including work in the government sector. I am confident that our friends and clients will realize why I deem it such a privilege to have Jennifer on-board when given the opportunity to meet and work with her.
Posted on Wed, Jan 25, 2012
In review of our agency revenues for 2011 earlier this month, a couple of figures caught my attention and frankly speaking, stirred a humbling and gracious moment for me. First example: 39% of the our agency revenues last year were a result of assignments generated by previous clients. Second example: 31% of our agency revenues were a result of assignments generated by referrals from previous or current clients. Combined, these numbers represent 70% - a significant level of our agency income for 2011. Obviously, these types of numbers could not have occurred unless an existing client made the decision to rely upon our service capabilities once again, or a current or former client had the confidence in T.I.N. to direct a colleague, friend or client to our agency. In either case, circumstances were encountered by a person or entity which warranted the expertise of a Professionally Licensed Private Investigator, and our agency was ultimately engaged.
We certainly thank all of our current and former clients whom we were able to successfully serve in 2011. May we all continue fightin’ the good fight in 2012.
Posted on Wed, Jan 25, 2012
Over the holidays, we moved from our Katy Freeway office address which served as our home for a period of 10 years, to our new office location at 5555 W. Loop South, Suite 510, Houston, Texas 77401. If you have yet to make note of this change, please do so immediately. Our telephone/fax numbers, Web-Site address and Email Addresses all remain unchanged.
Posted on Wed, Jan 25, 2012
Best wishes for a Happy New Year in 2012 to all, and thank you to those whom we have been fortunate to work with, work for and serve in an investigative capacity in conclusion of our 17th year in business. We certainly could not have accomplished all that we were able to achieve without many loyal clients from a variety of professions, our conscientious staff of Investigators, our tenacious Research Personnel and our always reliable service providers. Most importantly, we are truly grateful for the many blessings and graces we received this past year from God our Father.
Posted on Wed, Jan 04, 2012
An assignment in Mexico required our physical presence during the shut down process of one our client’s “maquiladoras”, or factories. Our client, a U.S. entity who maintains corporate offices in Chicago, had made the unfortunate, but necessary decision to terminate all 65 employees at this particular facility shortly before Thanksgiving in 2006. The primary concern was that of potential threats, unrest, retaliation or harm to management in the form of physical violence, all of which are common during factory shut-downs in Mexico.
Having previously handled special assignments in Mexico, our client requested my personal, direct involvement in this matter. The person I considered to partner with in this assignment was one of our Houston area Investigators, who is also a trained Personal Protection Officer and is originally from Vera Cruz, Mexico. Not only is this Personal Protection Officer someone with a significant amount of Investigations and Security experience, he also served as a “Capitan” for 10 years in the Mexican Military, and still maintains contact with many high level military and law enforcement officials.
A sound, detailed and effective Personal Protection/Executive Assistance plan (which contained contingency considerations) was then prepared by Texas Investigative Network, Inc. and submitted to our client. As confident as I was in the plan we submitted to our client, I knew with certainty that once our team arrived at the “maquiladora” and initiated the process, we would be viewed as “the bad guys” by factory employees.
Once we received our engagement and authorization to initiate the assignment, we traveled immediately to Laredo, Texas, acquired a rental vehicle, and traveled across the border for 1 hour until we reached our client’s facility in Mexico. One day prior to our client’s arrival, we initiated an inspection in order to properly identify all entrances, exits, parking areas, office and manufacturing areas, the status of the residences and business situated in proximity to this facility, and, most importantly, all main and alternative thoroughfares back to the U.S. Border. In my professional opinion, it became increasingly clear and imperative that the employee terminations and plant shut-down would have to be initiated swiftly the next morning and concluded on the same day.
Early the next morning, we met with our client’s management team (2 from Chicago), as well as legal counsel (2 from Mexico) and the Human Resource Director (1 from Mexico). In this meeting, my primary objective was to identify any and all employees on the H.R. list with a criminal history, drug or alcohol addictions, a propensity for violence, or whose record of employment may contain details of disciplinary action or malevolent behavior. We identified 2 men with very volatile tempers who had previously demonstrated combative behavior towards management. The consensus was that the termination process would begin with these 2 individuals in order to remove the most likely threats to the safety of all involved in this process, progress immediately to the front line supervisors (6 – 7 men), on to the morning shift (approximately 30 employees) and then conclude with the evening shift (approximately 25 employees).
To say that I was concerned about the capabilities of the existing security personnel when we arrived at the “maquiladora” would have been an understatement. The 3 on-site security guards were equipped with whistles and hand held radios. These security guards, who appeared to be no more than 16 – 18 years of age, reminded me of valet parking attendants, more-so than security guards. The most imposing of the 3 may have weighed 135 lbs. I encouraged the management team to get settled into the conference room as quick as possible and initiate the process.
Our assignment required that we keep employees waiting in separate groups until called upon by management. The objective was to create a functional process in which those terminated employees would not have the opportunity to meet or converse with those employees who had yet to be notified by management of the shut-down. Those few employees who actually had vehicles on-site were instructed to depart the premises immediately for safety reasons. Those employees who did not have vehicles, of which there were many, were escorted onto a private bus waiting in one of the facility parking lots. Fortunately, the termination of the 2 employees of primary concern was handled very efficiently, with no threats or incidents of violence directed toward management, other than a couple of angry glares and some colorful language (so “now” they were able to speak English I thought to myself).
About 2 hours into the process, a full size, off-road pick-up truck marked with police lights, communications antennas, official law enforcement designation, and occupied by the 3 Mexican Police Officers, arrived on the premises. All 3 police officers exited the vehicle immediately and looked inquisitively at me (the lone gringo). Carrying AK Assault rifles and wielding 9mm pistols in body holsters and pistol belts and with rows of ammunition bullets attached to and visible on their upper bodies, I was not convinced specifically as to what their intentions were. After several tense moments of exchanging identification information and providing an explanation as to the purpose for our being at this “maquiladore”, the officers departed and advised that they would remain in the area in the event any problems arise.
As we continued the termination process 1 small group at a time, I began to experience compassion and a heavy heart for those employees who were departing, not knowing where their next paycheck may come from. Some men physically displayed the hazards of the jobs they had embraced through the absence of fingers, severe burn marks on arms or legs, and even a missing eye on 1 young man. Some carried themselves with an obvious limp while departing the “maquiladora”. I’m sure many had families that depended on them.
Completing the entire termination and shut down process just before dark, we loaded into 3 vehicles and departed. Upon reaching the U.S. Border, and passing appropriately through the required check-point, our team had achieved its objective. This achievement became more evident when back in Laredo, our client described our involvement in the matter as being “crucial and as having provided a sense of relief”. Fortunately, a comprehensive plan, coupled with effective personnel enabled us to successfully complete our “maquiladora” assignment.
Posted on Tue, Nov 22, 2011
At a recent business luncheon, I sat next to a gentleman I had never met before and within a few minutes, we exchanged business cards and began discussing our respective experiences with local banks, etc. In this conversation, I used discretion not to disclose (by name) the banks that my family or agency currently conduct business with. I then (with no malicious intent) phrased a couple of questions which prompted this gentleman to tell me the names of the banks he uses for family and for business purposes — the banks were not the same. Remember, I already had this person’s business card which contained all appropriate contact info for him.
One doesn’t have to be a licensed Private Investigator to know that Identify Theft, Internet Fraud and Financial Crimes are rampant in society today. Due to the volume of these types of crimes (many of which are unreported), law enforcement in most jurisdictions simply do not have the man-power and/or resources to investigate the majority of these cases. As a professionally licensed Investigator, I am obligated to advise all of our friends to use extreme caution and sound judgment before providing personal identification, credit and/or financial information to any person or entity who may solicit this type of information from you or from your business.
Please feel free to contact myself or Kyle Pfister (Case Manager) if questions or doubts surface regarding the legitimacy of a person or entity who has initiated or has attempted to arrange a new business “opportunity” with you or with any of your clients. Once we have received a brief explanation of the circumstances and arrangement as it is being considered, we will be happy to conduct our basic level of 3rd party vetting of your Subject/Entity of interest (at no charge) on your behalf.
Posted on Tue, Nov 22, 2011
In the investigations industry, prospective clients often tell us “We’ve already done an investigation on the internet - that’s all that should be out there...right?” Well, the Internet clearly maintains an extraordinary level of information as well as a multitude of data sites consisting of information and records compiled by government agencies, personal and professional associations, information brokers, etc. As the Internet remains a convenient place to begin most assignments, any honest licensed Private Investigator will acknowledge that many an investigation and/or research assignment begins “on-line”. In some cases, one succeeds in finding everything, factually speaking, that is needed relative to their topic of interest “on-line”. In other cases, information is found on the Internet on the issue of interest; however, the pertinent information is either unconfirmed, inaccurate, outdated or simply raw in format and as such, no factual conclusion can be drawn.
Consequently, discerning the quality, accuracy and reliability of the information becomes paramount. Information obtained through on-line research often produces viable leads, which can direct the researcher (or a licensed Private Investigator) toward the actual source of this information — be it a government agency or courthouse, a hospital or medical facility or any other type of institution or professional association.
An experienced licensed Private Investigator is often required to continue his/her research beyond the Internet and utilize Proprietary Computer Databases and/or Private Informational sources—but that is for another discussion.
Ultimately, obtaining authentic, factual records and/or documents, etc. is the key to confirming the information that is needed for yourself, or for the licensed Private Investigator who is reporting critical information to a Client. In either case, when this is done in a court-admissible format, a level of clarity is achieved that is rarely, if ever, challenged.
Posted on Wed, Nov 16, 2011
BY DEON DAUGHERTY
HOUSTON BUSINESS JOURNAL
In more prosperous times, energy companies may have been more likely to write off internal theft, but as the economy has stumbled, the industry is less willing to look the other way, local private investigators say.
Rob Kimmons, president of Kimmons Investigative Services, Inc. in Houston, said during the past 18 months his business has seen a spike in oil company contracts of up to 40 percent. At one oil company, former employees were breaking into warehouses and stealing expensive oilfield parts and valves. Kimmons’ team of retire Houston police and Department of Public Safety officers waited in the warehouse and apprehended the burglars, holding them until police arrived.
“A lot of what we do, you’d think would be law enforcement, but the police just don’t have the manpower to put the hours into every case,” Kimmons said. One client told me, ‘Y’all are just the rich man’s police.’”
Kimmons retired from the Houston Police Department in 1981 to start his own business. Today, he has 11 full-time investigators and more than 20 contractors who supplement teams of investigators on 24-hour jobs. Surveillance is priced at about $85 per hour, per investigator. Depending on the complexity and needs of a case, the cost can range from roughly $5,000 to $30,000, he said.
Kimmons and another private investigator, Bill Pellerin, President of Texas Investigative Network Inc. in Houston, said another significant part of their work comes from major oil companies that institute regular sweeps using electronic countermeasures – debugging devices – through their conference rooms and boardrooms prior to meetings in which sensitive data and plans will be discussed.
“Before they meet and put their cards on the table, they want to take some comfort that the information will remain confidential,” Pellerin said.
Confidentiality agreements preclude Kimmons and Pellerin from revealing their clients.
In some instances, an energy company will hire a private investigator to perform surveillance work when there is suspicion that an employee might compromise sensitive data.
Kimmons said a recent case involved the vice president of a company that develops seismic technology use in oilfield exploration. Kimmons’ team learned the executive was selling information to a competitor. Although the executive was dismissed from the company, no charges were filed.
Pellerin, whose business with energy companies has grown by 25 percent during the last 18 months, said that in a recent South Texas case, an oil company working a large project was losing parts and equipment. When his investigation revealed that a site supervisor was involved, the company stopped short of filing charges and handled the matter internally.
“In that industry, they are very, very sensitive to word getting out of internal losses or anything else that may lead shareholders to believe there is a problem internally,” he said. “The higher it goes up the ladder, the impact can be more devastating and more upsetting to shareholders. Our job is to fix it and keep our mouths shut.”
Alex Mills, president of the Texas Alliance of Energy Producers, said the oil and gas industry has always been secretive.
“Companies are notorious for leasing under assumed names to outsmart their competition so they won’t know exactly who is leasing the land and cause a rush that drives up the cost of the leases,” Mills said.
However, while a generation ago a well could be drilled for $100,000 or so, it may cost $10 million to drill a single horizontal well in the Eagle Ford shale formation.
“The stakes are real high these days,” Mills said.
-- deondaugherty@bizjournals.com, 713-395-9627
PDF:
Private Investigators see surge in Energy clients
