Dawn Krantz-Watts, Private Investigator

A Little Private Eye Trivia from Wikipedia

Dawn Krantz-Watts — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 02:28:47 +0000

In the U.S., the Pinkerton National Detective Agency was a private detective agency established in 1850 by Allan Pinkerton. Pinkerton had become famous when he foiled a plot to assassinate then President-Elect Abraham Lincoln. Pinkerton’s agents performed services which ranged from undercover investigations and detection of crimes to plant protection and armed security. It is sometimes claimed, probably with exaggeration, that at the height of its existence the Pinkerton National Detective Agency employed more agents than the United States Army. ^[1]

Pinkerton agents were also hired to track western outlaws Jesse James, the Reno brothers, and the Wild Bunch, including Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The Pinkerton agency’s logo, an eye embellished with the words “We Never Sleep,” inspired the term “private eye.”^[4]

It was not until the prosperity of the 1920s that the private investigator became a person accessible to the average American. With the wealth of the 1920s and the expanding of the middle class came the need of middle America for private investigators.^[5]

Is a Private Investigator an Asset to the Litigation Team?

admin — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 04:37:24 +0000

As an investigator and a past litigation paralegal I think it is important for attorneys to consider if they are using all the resources they have to win a case(s).

I recently spoke to a group of trial attorneys about the importance of hiring a private investigator. The most common question was can’t my staff do the investigation in-house. Sure you can investigate your case yourself but that does not mean you should. Leave the investigation to the professional. Hire a licensed investigator with experience because they can be the most important asset to your case.

Investigators can help from the first client intake appointment to the final day of Trial. The investigator is trained to get a comprehensive history of the client’s life. Investigators can conduct interviews with the clients and witnesses in thier home at a time that is outside the usual 8 to 5 schedule. Interviews that take place at home during the evening or weekend create a more relaxed atmosphere which can lend to a much more productive interview. A good investigator knows how to read a witness, they are trained not only to listen to what is said but to also listen to what is not being said. A good investigator will pursue all possible leads because we know even the smallest detail can be valuable. Our skill set allows us to focus on the client, the case facts/details and the witnesses, while the attorney can focus on the legal aspect of the case. Hiring a private investigator is s cost that can be passed onto the client as a case preparation cost.

Considering hiring a private investigator for your next case, it could be the best money you spend.

Am I an Investigator or a Trial Consultant….

admin — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 23:57:42 +0000

Most of the time I blog about interviews or communication because that is the central part of my job as an investigator. Many of you may not know that Investigation is not my only talent. Because I understand the dynamics of sex abuse claims so well I am always thinking of the case in the big picture sence. I work my cases as if they are going to trial tomorrow. I work the investigation in sections: 1) interview and evaluate wwitnesses, 2) locate evidence, and 3)I formulate how the story will be told. I suggest that the attorney use a combination of pPowerPoint presentations, large board exhibits (graphs, maps and photographs) and live testimony. It takes an intuitive sense of the case: history, case specific details, client personality combined with visual evidence and expert witnesses to really grab a jury. I understand this process. So the whole time I am in the field I am always thinking about how this process will formulate for the current case.

This past weekend while I was out interviewing people for my case it hit me, I need to find a way for the jury to see the size and scope of this case and not just hear it. The fact is this case starts in a neighborhood and the size of this neighborhood is small but the amount of victims is large. The families all lived within a 1/2 mile radius of the pedophile who abused their children. I mapped out the neighborhood and went back to all the homes and photographed them. All this can be set up within a PowerPoint presentation with a map to show the jury the numbers vs the size. This can be very powerful. This information may not get used but it is something the attorney may need and they may not even know it. I gather all the information I can, suggest the many ways it can be used and the rest is up to the attorney. I do know they hire me for a reason and the reason is I am an expert in this type of litigation.

Life of Private Eye -

admin — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 15:57:19 +0000

Sometimes my job takes me to other locations for work. When that opportunity presents itself I use it to work and network. Yesterday I left messages for two law firms that specialize in sex abuse litigation, hopefully they will take me up on my offer to buy them a cup of coffee. I also introduced my self to a local investigator in town Neal Custer. I may not always be able to get to the town I am working in so it is vital to my profession that I make good contacts.

Secondly, it is important to scope out he area. It is important to know the following: local library is for research, courthouse, police station and most importantly coffee shops with wifi. with all these things in place I can accomplish just about anything on a case.

6 Reason you should hire a private investigator

admin — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 16:48:58 +0000

You want to conduct an investigation for a case or need to conduct surveillance, but you don

Pro Bono work for the Investigator -

Dawn Krantz-Watts — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 21:48:47 +0000

How many other investigators do you know who do pro-bono work? Since working in the legal profession for more than 20 years I have come across attorneys all the time, from all different specialties doing pro-bono work. It made me wonder how I could do the same. One day it came to me, It came in the form of an unexpected case.

A woman contacted me who wanted to reconnect with her birth parents, we had our first consultation. After that consultation I knew this woman did not know where to start looking, nor did she have the resources to pay me for my time so how was I going to help her? The next day a local columnist in the Oregonian talked about the topic of private investigators who do pro-bono work. At that moment I knew this is how I can give back for the blessings I have had in my business. Currently, I have two pro- bono cases. I can not afford more than two at this time but my goal is one pro-bono case per year. I will know the right case when it comes in the door.

It feels good to give back so ask yourself what are you doing to give back for your blessing!

Institutional Child Abuse -

admin — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 17:18:29 +0000

Institutional child abuse is a problem because the leaderships of the the various institutions believe they are above the law. Any time that a child is abused within an organization that fails to protect the child because they are protecting their own is committing a crime. Schools, churches, sporting organizations, clubs like the boy scouts and girls scouts have a duty to protect the children we place in their care. So why don't they always do the right thing; is is ignorance, selfishness, what is it? I believe it is fear and that fear drives them to do the unthinkable which is covering up the crime.

Many times these crimes can not be brought forward to law enforcement because the abuse happened decades ago. I investigate these types of cases almost every single day. Sexual abuse of a child is like a stone you throw in a pond, the ripple affects are not something that can ever be measured, the damage can never be undone. If you know someone who has been abused or is being abused help them get help. Don't be part of the problem be part of the solution!

Client Relationships

admin — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 07:49:39 +0000

Sometime it becomes important for me to go above and beyond my role as a private investigator. Client relationships are the key to success in my business which includes the attorneys I work for and the clients they have hired me to assist. Today I recieved a call from a very upset client, he felt like his attorney was not listening to him or communicating key information to him in a timely manner. I stopped and just listening to a confused and upset client, a client who felt victimized by the legal system. In this instance I go into fix-it mode or as others may call it, damage control but I call it advocacy.

Many times the client blames the attorney when things go wrong. I can be the person to advocate for both the attorney and the client. I can listen to the client, sympathize with the client and offer a reasonable explanation about why the legal system works the way it does. It may seem like this is a job that should be the attorney's because he is the legal scholar, but this is the time for a sympathetic voice to offer support, someone not connected in the same way a lawyer is. As the outsider I can often times help smooth things over with the client which can be a huge benefit to the attorney.

Sex abuse clients are a unique community of clients because they bring the trauma of abuse with them into the lawsuit. This makes them especially vulnerable to the legal system and the many disappointments. Because this is my specialty I have been able to develop a relationship of trust with the clients I have worked with. These relationships allow me to help both the client and the attorney when issues come up. This can be called damage control, fix-it mode or advocacy.

Legal representation vs Advocacy

admin — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 07:12:21 +0000

Often times attorneys I work for are so focused on the case they forget about the client. Many times I talk to people about this issue and the first thing I hear is "attorneys are not hired to be hand holders" or "maybe it was just a misunderstanding in communication between the attorney at the client."

Attorneys can harm, confuse, anger, and frustrate their clients all the time.This is not always avoidable but it could be. Attorneys in many instances are not just handling a legal matter for their client they are also an advocate for a client. In the process of advocating for a client it is important for the communication between the client, the attorney and any representatives for the attorney to remember their clients are not experts in the legal field. Secondly, it is important to remember the most legal matters are inherently stressful and lastly, the client is the most important part of the attorney client relationship because in Essenes they are not just a client, they are also a customer and a human being.

Advocating for the client is key to successful representation.

Forms of advocacy according to Wikipedia

There are several forms of advocacy, which each represent a different approach in the way change is brought into society. One of the most popular forms is social justice advocacy.

Although it is true, the initial definition does not encompass the notions of power relations, people

Be a Free Thinker- By Mr. Sting

admin — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 22:15:38 +0000

I think on a day like today, Mr. Sting's post yesterday is worth repeating on my blog:

Today is Martin Luther King Day. Tomorrow we inaugurate a new president. This is a new world.

Doesn't matter if you like the changes, or if you don't. Fact is they are here. You can learn to adapt, or not.

I don't know what color you are, and I don't care. I don't know what religion you are, and I don't care. I don't know what country you was born in, and I don't care. I don't know what political party you belong to, and I don't care. All I care about is the person you are, and the person you strive to be.

Were ever you come from, is not what matters. What matters is who you are, and where you are going. Be a free thinker. Think for yourself. Question everything. Learn something every day. Learn from yourself, learn from others, learn from books. Then take what you learn, and think about it. Does it make sense? If not, make sense of it. Think for yourself.

Learn to think for your self. Be a better person. Be a better friend. This world is changing. Change with it. Change for the better.

We are all in this world together. Let's behave like it.