WELCOME TO OCTOBER BOYS AND GIRLS!!!
Like always....it's been a while :( sorry lovelies, my move up the coast has taken up plenty time and proved to be a lot of work! Lots of fun exciting stuff has been happening along with the worst feeling an investigator could ever have....my first ever compromise!!!!
Now I won't lie to you lovely people but I still consider myself a newbie, I've been in this field for only a short 18 months, so I don't make my self to be the best out there as I am still learning everyday (believe me, rural surveillance keeps you on your toes) however I took some pride in the fact that unlike other newbies, I had never been compromised, or caught out by the person I was following.
WELL that all changed about a month ago!
I had been given a case that had been handed around previously and other investigators had been compromised or had interaction with him and or didn't get that specific thing that the client wanted. So I got it. Thinking back now I wish I had of turned it down, being compromised really rocked my confidence in doing my job.
To give you an idea of what this guy I was following was, well I can indulge that he was an ex-cop, medium build, Caucasian nearly 40 years old, and a really dodgy C-U-Next-Tuesday!!!! With conversations to my client I was informed that there may be other companies with surveillance on him, so this guy was pretty surveillance aware!!
So I did the whole, "ok cool" look back on my training and rural surveillance 101 I was taught to NEVER SIT IN THEIR STREET! Blend in with the town and sit in the main strip or in the road that leads out of the town. Hence this is what I did. It didn't work.
I moved closer and still nothing. One day I actually did sit in his street and I followed him until I ended up doing a front follow and he made a right at a round about! By the time I managed to double back he was well gone and I was furious and yelling at my steering wheel! (My poor car must think I hate it lol). So I got a 2nd investigator on the job, first few days in proved nothing again and by now I'm seriously thinking like WTF....
So you know when you're having one of those days and you couldn't sleep the night before, and you find that your dog has chewed through yet another shoe when your about to put it on, and then you spill the coffee over the counter and think f**k it I'll just go to work...Yeah I really should have stayed home.
I caught up with the second investigator and we both agreed that we would sit on the nearest main strip each at a different end and cross our fingers. I make sure that I am nestled between two other cars so that mine isn't a focus point if he comes out my way....So 6 am rolls by and I'm watching people walk their dogs, jog along the road and water their gardens....0642 rolls along and lo and behold here he comes. So I act normal since he is going to go over the top of me so I call the other investigator and start chatting whilst perusing through my purse. So I'm doing this and watching my mirrors and this guy has started to slow down and I'm thinking "what the hell..." and then he stops. Right next to me!
So naturally I pay him no attention. So he drive off, and my heart starts beating and I swear I can hear it. I watch him as he comes to a T intersection, and continue watching and he conducts a U-turn and drives straight toward me again. By now I'm screaming in my head "I hate you" as I start smiling and telling the investigator exactly what is happening...So he drives toward me and slowly passes me, he does another U-turn and parks behind me right next to the car behind me, and I'm thinking this dude is cutting off the road....so then he drives forward and does the same thing to the car in front of me! By now I'm thinking "please just go, just leave, I don't wanna be here any more" but no he does ANOTHER U-TURN!! I seriously just feel like crying by now, and I can hear the other investigator down the line saying "It's ok I'm on my way, he's just trying to intimidate you" So I watch as he slowly comes to a stop beside me and rolls down the window, turns to look at me and yells "Gotta do better than that next time you f**king b-i-t-c-h!!" and then drives away.
I continue talking to the investigator and giving instructions as to which way he turned and the direction he headed, the investigator passes me and speeds off hoping to catch up with the douche bag. I turn on my ignition and I just went straight home.
I was hoping the other investigator would have had some luck but unfortunately he didn't.
I called the office and spoke to my case manager, and he felt sorry for me, but cheered me up by saying that most people get compromised within their first few months, and that the guy was just a general dodgy man. I still have no idea how he just managed to pick me out. What really iced the cake was when I called the client and told him the whole story. Apparently the douche bag got in before me, and called the client and informed him to cease surveillance OR ELSE. This douche bag even lied and said that I had my camera out and was taking pictures of his kid!! And I laughed with the client cos this guy definitely didnt have his kid in the car, I hadn't even seen his kid before and who the hell uses a still shot camera these days for surveillance?! Hello you just take photos from your video you obtain and I sure as hell did not film him in this instance. I'm not that stupid with a surveillance aware person! But apparently it was a pleasure to work with me and the client hopes he gets me again.
Given that this douche bag actually lives like 3 streets away from me I am still so tempted to just rock up one night and egg his place, the guy is clearly working and clearly has something to hide so I hope that one day he really gets what is coming to him. It's people like him that are like the poster boys to the lying fraudulent people on workcover and makes it harder for the seriously legit people out there!
Since then I haven't had another compromise and I'm setting a goal of breaking the 18 months before the next one.
In other news I can finally sub-contract!! I'm even considering starting my own PI set up, so if anyone out there has any stories and info they wanna share on starting their on PI business please please contact me! I'd love as much info as I can get before I launch anything.
Hope you are all well and enjoying the warmer and remember to take extra fluids when on the job!!
Bunny
xox
