Just Ask Susie . . . Continuing Education For Investigators

THE NEW HAMPSHIRE LEAGUE OF INVESTIGATORS, INC.

PO BOX 108 CONCORD, NH 03302-0108

 

FORENSIC DEDUCTIVE PROFILING

 

By John M. Healy
 Litigation Intelligence Services, LLC
Warner, NH 03278
603 746 4994
Lt (Ret) NH State Police
President: NH League of Investigators

I became a PI after I retired from the New Hampshire State Police, at the rank of Lieutenant.  Though I had a background and training in “investigations” there was a steep learning curve, to acclimate myself to the tools of my new profession, the various forms of public and publicly available records that I had never heard of in law enforcement.

There are similarities between the professions.  To a large degree, everything an investigator does is in anticipation of litigation, therefore his/her knowledge of what is and is not evidence can be vital to a case.  They testify in criminal court, civil court and before administrative boards on a regular basis.

One thing that I noted then and still see now is that the public, law enforcement, and politicians have a lot of misconception about what a licensed private investigator really does and the tools needed to accomplish that job.

In my role as the President of the New Hampshire and New England Associations, I have made telling that story a priority.

Sometime ago I developed a PI seminar on Databases, to introduce those not on line to the various sources of public and publicly available records that are the staple tool of the Profession.  I have always wondered why I was not exposed to these tools in law enforcement.

I recently got together with an old friend and colleague, a retired Homicide Detective from the State Police.  He is now teaching various courses to law enforcement around the State.  I gave him an overview of my database class and he was so excited he expanded his four-day program to five, to include my presentation.

The experience of the first two classes allowed me to reformat the presentation and focus it directly on the needs of law enforcement.

Today the course has evolved into what you see below:

 

 

The Art and Science of Forensic Deductive Profiling

Private Sector Investigative Tools for Law Enforcement

During this block of instruction, the student will be introduced to various forms of public and publicly available records, not often utilized in law enforcement investigations.  These records are available through their various repositories, on public Internet websites and through subscriber, fee based, databases that buy, repackage, and reformat these records for resale to approved subscribers.

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COURSE OUTCOMES

At the conclusion of the presentation, students will:

  1. Understand that investigators are a licensed and regulated profession.
  2. Learn that private sector investigative tools can save time and money.
  3. Be introduced to new sources of information, not always used in law enforcement.
  4. Understand the public records available at subscriber only databases.
  5. Be introduced to “The Investigators Little Black Book” with hundreds of sources of information.
  6. Learn of new ways to search corporate and real estate records in New Hampshire.
  7. Be introduced to a FREE source to search thousands of public records worldwide.
  8. Be able to “translate” and verify a Social Security number.
  9. Understand the proper use of these sources in the investigative and employment screening process.
  10. Learn how to build a “profile” of a person’s character, behavior and anticipated behavior using public and publicly available records.
  11. Learn how to trace a person back in time by developing their “address history” from publicly available records.
  12. Recognize the content and importance of civil court records in the criminal investigation process.
  13. Build a financial picture of a subject using public record research.
  14. Understand the fact that when no records are found, this too paints an accurate picture of the subject (based upon the type of records that were searched).  
  15. Be introduced to trap lines and sting cards as investigative and fugitive recovery tools (4th Amendment may apply).
  16. Be introduced to Internet Research, Newsgroup postings, e-mail tracing, and Internet Profiling.
  17. Be introduced to the process of obtaining information from AOL by subpoena and warrant.
  18. Learn that checking criminal records at the Court level is more accurate than a statewide, central repository check.

 

Investigator’s Assignment

You are given the name of: _____________________. Age about 50.

Your assignment:

  1. Locate and verify his SSN and Age and phone number. It may be unlisted.

  2. Locate present and previous employment.

  3. Locate everywhere he has lived for the past 5-10-15 years.  

  4. Gather a list of neighbors at his most current addresses.

  5. He may be divorced.  Identify and locate his former wife.

  6. He owns property somewhere in NH, a “camp” where he may be. Locate this property.

  7. Locate any other assets he may own.  Intelligence indicates he has his own a business and business name, in NH.  Its name and location are unknown.  

  8. He may own a large boat or aircraft with which he moves drugs, verify these facts.

  9. Locate any other property he may own and try to uncover banking relationships.

  10. He may own property out of state, according to our informant, verify that fact.

  11. He recently took out a loan and bought a smaller boat, verify that fact and locate the lien holder to verify the type of boat.  He may have bought this while living in Vermont. 

  12. Obtain copies of the financing statements for the boat.

  13. He has owned shell corporations in other states, to hide drug proceeds, locate and identify their names and locations.

  14. He has recently remarried, within the last two years. Identify his wife’s maiden name and run the above background on her.  

  15. Locate all the banks and self-storage facilities and schools within in current zip code.

  16. Locate any liens, bankruptcies and judgments against this subject.

  17. Locate any other names he may have used.

How long would this take an investigator in the field?

  You will be shown how to accomplish this, and more, with out leaving the office, in a few minutes and for a few dollars.

I present this as a daylong course at the NH Police Academy, at various In-Service programs and have presented it to the Office of the Attorney General in the State of Vermont.  The positive response to this course, by law enforcement, exceeded my wildest expectations.

The intent of the course is to introduce law enforcement to some additional tools, resources, and ideas.  The secondary benefit will come at Legislative hearings when some well meaning, yet uninformed individual advocates closing yet more public records to our profession.  We will be able to demonstrate that we now train law enforcement.  We cannot be all that bad!

Mr. Healy has almost thirty years of investigative experience in the private and public sectors.  He retired from the NH State Police at the rank of Lieutenant. He currently serves as the President of his professional association,  The NH League of Investigators and the New England Council of State Investigator Associations.

Previous Presidents of the NHLI have awarded him the “President’s Award” for “Outstanding Service and Dedication To the Profession”.

He received his formal LE education through St. Anselm College in Manchester, NH.  And is a graduate of the NECPAC NCO Academy. As the first full time Commander of the NH State Police Training Unit he also served as the Training Coordinator for the New England State Police Administrators Compact.

In the private sector he has earned the title of Certified Master Investigator after meeting the testing and experience criteria of the National Investigation Academy of Los Angeles, California.

Prior to his law enforcement career he earned a degree in Electronic Engineering. Mr. Healy is an Adjunct faculty member of a New Hampshire College where he teaches computer  and investigative courses. He has lectured on computers, public record research, and deductive profiling from public records to numerous investigative associations in New England and New York, as well as New Hampshire Law Enforcement Officers and the Office of the Vermont Attorney General.

He has presented courses at the New Hampshire Police Academy and for The New England Polygraph Institute.