Ever since legendary actor Humphrey Bogart donned a fedora hat and trench-coat to play hard-boiled characters like Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe, Americans tend to think of private eyes as a two-fisted, pistol-toting cynical loners who lead smoke-filled lives revolving around danger, booze and broads.
But the real life of a private investigator, or ‘shamus? to use an old slang term, couldn’t be more different than the romanticized images conjured up by TV, films and literature.
‘Interesting things happen, but it’s far less glamorous,? said Michael R. Scott, a private eye for 25 years and owner of Probe Investigations.
‘Jim Rockford wrecked his car every week and (Thomas) Magnum used to get beat up and shot at every week. It’s not that way,? explained the 55-year-old Oxford Township resident, who works out of his house. ‘I haven’t had a gun pulled on me in 20 years . . . I can count on one hand the times since I’ve been in this business where it’s gotten physical.?
So what exactly does a PI do?
In reality, the majority of private eyes aren’t investigating murders on a regular basis, breaking up smuggling rings or rescuing damsels in distress.
PIs often work for attorneys in civil cases or on behalf of a defense attorney, doing witness interviews and gathering evidence for court proceedings. Many insurance companies will hire them to investigate suspicious claims.
A PI’s more likely to work on domestic cases involving cheating spouses and child custody battles, do background investigations or look into fraudulent worker’s compensation claims than get caught up in a high-speed car chase or life-and-death gun fight.
They even do things most people wouldn’t think of like process serving, the personal delivery of summons, subpoenas and other official documents to parties in legal cases.
Because of the poor economy, Scott spends a lot of time these days searching for the hidden assets of construction contractors who’ve neglected to pay their subcontractors.
‘Right now, contractors are just hiding in the weeds,? he said. ‘Just a couple weeks ago I found a contractor had a 43-foot sailboat up in Traverse City that he wasn’t telling people about.?
Getting started
Many people who enter the field of private investigation are former law enforcement officers looking to put their skills and experience to use.
But Scott wasn’t one of them. He was just an average Joe tired of selling insurance and looking for a new career. ‘The insurance business was boring me to tears,? he said.
Scott hooked up with a private eye he met through his insurance work and the two decided to open an agency together. It was there that he received on-the-job training by apprenticing under his partner for three years before obtaining his own PI license.
‘There are all kinds of PI schools out there, but most of them are shams,? Scott said. ‘You have to actually have the experience.?
He and his partner stayed together for five years before Scott struck out on his own.
How and where to get info
The techniques employed by PIs to gather information have changed over the years with technological advances, but as the old saying goes ‘the more things change, the more they stay the same.?
‘When I first started out in this business it was pretty much you’re out in the field burning the shoe leather,? Scott said.
Then along came the internet and with it, fingertip access to a seemingly endless amount of information. The world wide web definitely became an invaluable tool to PIs, but ironically, Scott said the sheer vastness of available data forced him to fall back on old methods.
‘In the last few years, it’s kind of done a 360,? he explained. ‘I’m spending more time out in the field using the old-fashioned techniques for the main reason you get information overload from the internet. You get so much information because it’s all cross-referenced. You input a name and get 100,000 pages of info. Then you’ve got to be able to decipher what is valid and what’s not.?
Court documents and property records are great sources of information for PIs, but one of the best places to find the dirt, or at least start looking for it, is the thing you’re holding in your hands right now.
‘If I’m doing a background investigation, one of the first things I’ll do is a newspaper scan,? Scott said. ‘I’ve worked with reporters all over the place on various stories. Reporters are valuable sources of information.?
Out in the field
No matter how much time a PI spends surfing the internet or searching through public documents, there’s almost always field work that needs to be done ranging from surveillance of house to tailing a car.
Surveillance is especially important when a private eye has to testify in court.
‘If I say I saw a subject go into a house and I was out there all night, then I saw him leave at such-and-such time in the morning, that’s a slam dunk,? Scott said. ‘I always try to get (video)tape or photographs because it’s more dramatic, but you really don’t need it. If I show up to court and testify the judge is going take that as just as good as a tape.?
Some of Scott’s more interesting, even comical, surveillance experiences have come from cases where someone’s faking an injury to get money.
He recalled watching a Lapeer woman, who claimed she couldn’t lift more than 20 pounds or lift her arms above her head, tossing around 70-pound bales of hay. ‘I caught her throwing eight or nine of those things.?
Then there was the man who’s back injury was supposedly so severe he could barely walk. Scott watched him hook his boat up to his truck, drive about 70-80 miles, then do a little water skiing, which was captured on videotape. ‘He was pretty good, too.?
Although his job involves tailing people, don’t look for Scott to make the 11 o’clock news as part of some Hollywood-type high-speed chase on the freeway.
If someone Scott’s following starts acting suspicious by checking their mirrors, speeding up, slowing down or intentionally running traffic lights, ‘lots of time, I’ll just let ’em go.?
When it comes to tailing a vehicle, Scott said, ‘There’s a real technique to it. It all depends on traffic and whether you’re in the city or out in a rural area.
‘You’ve got to change positions frequently and keep a car or two between you and the subject. Lots of times I’ll pull around in front of them. Very few people look for somebody tailing them in front of them. That can bite you if they turn off.?
But no matter how skilled he is at the art of the tailing, Scott said in the end, ‘I’d rather be lucky than good.?
Not as dangerous as people think
Although he’s not out there risking his life on a daily basis or constantly looking over his shoulder for thugs lurking in the shadows, Scott said there are dangers involved with being a PI, particularly when doing process serving.
‘It’s kind of like a traffic stop for a cop, you never know what’s going to happen.?
The only time he ever had to draw his weapon was 20 years ago when he and his partner had to serve court papers to guy in Farmington Hills who had already shot a process server. Ironically, the papers they were serving were for the civil case related to the shooting.
‘We surprised him at his place of business,? Scott said. ‘When he turned around, his gun started coming out and we already had ours trained on him. That was the end of that.?
These days Scott said he really doesn’t carry a gun that much because he’s found observation and experience to be better weapons in most cases.
‘If you pay attention ? now that I’m getting older I pay more attention ? you can see the stuff developing and just avoid it,? he said. ‘You can see adverse situations developing before they actually develop and diffuse them.?
What makes a good PI
Those interested in becoming private investigators must have two personal qualities, in Scott’s opinion.
‘You’ve got to be real curious and you’ve got to be analytical,? he explained. ‘You don’t want to get into a case with any preconceived notions.
‘When somebody hires me to get information, that’s what they get,? he said. ‘We’re not paid to make judgements on whether somebody is negligent or guilty. We just provide the information.?
Because PIs must often testify before judges and juries, Scott said they have to come across as truthful. ‘The best way to do that is to be truthful.?
Scott said being a private investigator is ‘not really that difficult if you have the proper mind-set.?
Making ends meet
As far as wages go, Scott said ‘it’s not great money, but it’s a living.?
He averages about 30-35 hours a week, but that can fluctuate due to the ‘feast or famine? nature of the business.
‘Sometimes I’m working 60-70 hours a week,? Scott said. ‘Other times I see an unemployed guy staring at me in the mirror every morning when I shave.?
But for a guy like Scott, who’s been self-employed since the age of 19, the independent aspect of his job is priceless.
‘I’m a very poor employee.?
To learn more about Probe Investigations visit www.probeinvestigations.net or call (248) 969-0121.

Becoming a PI
According to the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth, in order to become a licensed private investigator in this state a person must meet the following requirements:
? U.S. Citizen
? At least 25 years old
? Not been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor involving dishonesty or fraud; unauthorized divulging or selling of information or evidence; impersonation of a law enforcement officer or government employee; illegally using, carrying or possessing a dangerous weapon; two or more alcohol-related offenses; controlled substances; or assault.
? Has not been dishonorably discharged from any branch of the U.S. Armed Forces.
? Must have at least three years of full-time experience in the professional investigation business; or working for a government agency in a law enforcement, investigative or intelligence capacity; or possess a degree in police administration, security management, investigation, law, criminal justice or computer forensics; or have been employed as an investigative reporter for a recognized media outlet; or served as a proprietary or in-house investigator for a business or attorney.
? Post a $10,000 bond or insurance policy.
Source: www.michigan.gov/dleg