Direct correspondence to Ann Flaherty, The R.D.D. Detective Agency, P.O. Box 794, Pacifica, CA 94044.

Suspicious Clients:
A Case Not To Be Taken

           Every once in a while I get a call or an email from a potential client that just stops me in my tracks.  The requests are sometimes completely out in left field or they are requesting you to do something that would land you in Federal prison, quicker than you can say Martha Stewart.  I know that most of you are thinking that private investigators are a nefarious bunch that are violating laws and the privacy of others.  The truth be told, most private investigators are true professionals who take pride in doing their job well, and doing it legally.

           I have been approached many, many times to obtain information that should not be obtained.  Do I do it?  No. I have learned a long time ago that your integrity is worth way more than any amount of money, and my freedom is worth even more.  Just the other day I got an email from a potential client who asked me to obtain the flight list from an airline so that she could identify her “friend” that she had lost touch with.  I rejected the assignment which then prompted the next wave of emails; saying that she would “pay anything” to get this information.  That my, friend, is more than a red flag, that tells me that this person is a danger.  Needless to say, I again rejected the assignment and the elusive promise of a financial windfall.

           I wish I could tell you this is an isolated incident; it's not.  Many of the various contacts that I deem as “suspicious” come from those that are paranoid, delusional, and are obviously suffering from a mental illness.  I have received countless calls from persons who claim that the Government is harassing them through electrical impulses.   The persons have gone to great lengths to stop these impulses by placing aluminum foil on their windows, sleeping on magnets, etc.  Their suffering is real and what they need is assistance from mental health resources or through social service agencies.

           I know that these calls will never stop and in this day and age, I usually I have to investigate my own clients, before I take on a case.  My investigative skills have afforded me the ability to usually see the handwriting on the wall before it’s been written.  The legacy of a good investigator is not only the great cases they have investigated but those that they have turned away.

Copyright 2005 by Ann Flaherty