Look Before You Leap: How prejudgment can impact the investigation
Every investigator begins a case with the goal of reaching an outcome that supports the client’s objective. However, preconceived judgments can skew the investigator’s outlook, can impact yours or your client’s credibility, and may create irreparable damage. Several...
Open Up: Some keys to success with a cold interview
Careful preparation is always the best way to ensure a good result when interviewing witnesses. However, situations often dictate a “cold interview” in which no advance preparation is possible. In such instances, the ability to think on one’s feet can make the...
Left Behind: Employees who supply information to corrupt former co-workers
It often seems that company loyalty has gone the way of the cassette tape. Businesses are increasingly being put at risk by employees who conspire with former co-workers to siphon out information or intellectual property to market to competitors or others with profit...
So he’s not who he says he is! Resume Fraud: What it is and How to Combat
Would you believe that a whopping 53% of resumes and job applications have been embellished with false information? These embellishments cost employers approximately $600 million annually. What happens and what can be done. Common Lies on Resumes1 Embellish skill set...
Fringe Benefits: Employees who rationalize workplace theft
In this age of relativism, it seems that the old mores of society are increasingly being cast aside in favor of a nonjudgmental environment in which people are viewed as not wholly responsible for their actions. Outside influences and factors are continually blamed...
The Competition Within : Identifying and documenting the double-dealing of disloyal sales representatives
The sales force is the lifeblood of a corporation. A capable sales representative acquires new customers and keeps established ones coming back. However, when a sales rep sells out and begins the double-dealing act of secretly selling for the competition, the...
Fox in the Henhouse: How keeping the former owner on board can cost you
Our investigators were called in to assist the general counsel of a major oilfield services company that had purchased an established construction company. The oilfield services company opted to keep the construction company’s’ founder on a multi-year contract to...
Cutting Loose: Some precautions to take when terminating disloyal personnel
There are times when most businesses face the prospect of terminating a disloyal employee. The reasons can run the gamut, but when the moment for dismissal comes, it is essential to be deliberate and prepared. Here are some steps you can take to help the process go...
Knowing When to Say When: Overzealous surveillance can be counterproductive
A seasoned investigator should develop the discipline to avoid actions that needlessly expose your operation to risk of detection. Typically, following the subject away from their home best reveals activities that are of interest to the client. However, situations...
Reading Between the Lines: Making the most of limited surveillance results
It has been said that one of the most crucial skills an investigator can possess is a methodical attention to detail during surveillance operations. A former FBI agent, who spent many years conducting surveillance on Soviet spies once remarked, “Anything worth...
Dark Twilight: Recognizing and combatting elder financial exploitation
As our population ages, a growing percentage of Americans are entering retirement. Many have devoted years of hard work and investment toward establishing a nest egg with which to enjoy the twilight of life. Sadly, the assets of elderly retirees are frequently...
Limiting Your Exposure in Selecting an Investigative Firm
You want success when you hire an investigative firm. However, more fundamentally, you want the work done with a high level of professionalism and a critical eye, with limited liability. To achieve this, you need to know the following: Licensing Is the firm licensed...
Escape Plan: Learning to practice situational awareness
Our culture seems to be trapped in an upward spiral of crime and violence in which innocent life has no meaning to the perpetrators. Robberies and disputes are routinely resulting in murder. Accounts of disgruntled, disturbed individuals acting out in misdirected...
Packin’ Heat: The dilemma of guns in the workplace
The United States, and particularly Texas, has an affinity for guns. According to a number of estimates, there are about 15 million holders of concealed handgun licenses in our nation, with Texas, Florida, and Pennsylvania each having issued more than 1 million...
41: President George H.W. Bush and his indelible impression on Houston
On November 30, 2018, Houston lost one of its greatest backers- and one of its finest citizens. George Herbert Walker Bush, the 41st President of the United States, died just seven months following the passing of his beloved wife and inseparable partner, Barbara. The...
CTPAT 101: The basics regarding Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism for companies who wish to engage in smooth and efficient international trade
By Richard A. Edwards The Customs -Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (CTPAT) program is an often overlooked but potentially vital tool for companies engaged in international trade. Through this program, US Customs & Border Protection (CBP) works with the trade...
Helping Interested Parties Fill in the Blanks in Official Death Investigations
By Jim Binford Tragedy. None of us are ever very far from it. As professional investigators, we are sometimes asked, both personally and professionally, about how to obtain official information from local, state, or federal investigations. Too often these requests...
Reflections of Harvey: How the worst of nature brought out the best in mankind
Author John Steinbeck once commented, "Texas is a state of mind." Never was that state of mind more unified and dedicated toward good than in late August 2017, when Hurricane Harvey stalled over southeast Texas and dumped several billion gallons of rain over the...
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Free Consultation
Please fill out the form below and we will contact you shortly or call our office at (713)781-9040.
Look Before You Leap: How prejudgment can impact the investigation
Every investigator begins a case with the goal of reaching an outcome that supports the client’s objective. However, preconceived judgments can skew the investigator’s outlook, can impact yours or your client’s credibility, and may create irreparable damage. Several...
Open Up: Some keys to success with a cold interview
Careful preparation is always the best way to ensure a good result when interviewing witnesses. However, situations often dictate a “cold interview” in which no advance preparation is possible. In such instances, the ability to think on one’s feet can make the...
Left Behind: Employees who supply information to corrupt former co-workers
It often seems that company loyalty has gone the way of the cassette tape. Businesses are increasingly being put at risk by employees who conspire with former co-workers to siphon out information or intellectual property to market to competitors or others with profit...
So he’s not who he says he is! Resume Fraud: What it is and How to Combat
Would you believe that a whopping 53% of resumes and job applications have been embellished with false information? These embellishments cost employers approximately $600 million annually. What happens and what can be done. Common Lies on Resumes1 Embellish skill set...
Fringe Benefits: Employees who rationalize workplace theft
In this age of relativism, it seems that the old mores of society are increasingly being cast aside in favor of a nonjudgmental environment in which people are viewed as not wholly responsible for their actions. Outside influences and factors are continually blamed...
The Competition Within : Identifying and documenting the double-dealing of disloyal sales representatives
The sales force is the lifeblood of a corporation. A capable sales representative acquires new customers and keeps established ones coming back. However, when a sales rep sells out and begins the double-dealing act of secretly selling for the competition, the...
Fox in the Henhouse: How keeping the former owner on board can cost you
Our investigators were called in to assist the general counsel of a major oilfield services company that had purchased an established construction company. The oilfield services company opted to keep the construction company’s’ founder on a multi-year contract to...
Cutting Loose: Some precautions to take when terminating disloyal personnel
There are times when most businesses face the prospect of terminating a disloyal employee. The reasons can run the gamut, but when the moment for dismissal comes, it is essential to be deliberate and prepared. Here are some steps you can take to help the process go...
Knowing When to Say When: Overzealous surveillance can be counterproductive
A seasoned investigator should develop the discipline to avoid actions that needlessly expose your operation to risk of detection. Typically, following the subject away from their home best reveals activities that are of interest to the client. However, situations...
Reading Between the Lines: Making the most of limited surveillance results
It has been said that one of the most crucial skills an investigator can possess is a methodical attention to detail during surveillance operations. A former FBI agent, who spent many years conducting surveillance on Soviet spies once remarked, “Anything worth...
Dark Twilight: Recognizing and combatting elder financial exploitation
As our population ages, a growing percentage of Americans are entering retirement. Many have devoted years of hard work and investment toward establishing a nest egg with which to enjoy the twilight of life. Sadly, the assets of elderly retirees are frequently...
Limiting Your Exposure in Selecting an Investigative Firm
You want success when you hire an investigative firm. However, more fundamentally, you want the work done with a high level of professionalism and a critical eye, with limited liability. To achieve this, you need to know the following: Licensing Is the firm licensed...
Escape Plan: Learning to practice situational awareness
Our culture seems to be trapped in an upward spiral of crime and violence in which innocent life has no meaning to the perpetrators. Robberies and disputes are routinely resulting in murder. Accounts of disgruntled, disturbed individuals acting out in misdirected...
Packin’ Heat: The dilemma of guns in the workplace
The United States, and particularly Texas, has an affinity for guns. According to a number of estimates, there are about 15 million holders of concealed handgun licenses in our nation, with Texas, Florida, and Pennsylvania each having issued more than 1 million...
41: President George H.W. Bush and his indelible impression on Houston
On November 30, 2018, Houston lost one of its greatest backers- and one of its finest citizens. George Herbert Walker Bush, the 41st President of the United States, died just seven months following the passing of his beloved wife and inseparable partner, Barbara. The...
CTPAT 101: The basics regarding Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism for companies who wish to engage in smooth and efficient international trade
By Richard A. Edwards The Customs -Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (CTPAT) program is an often overlooked but potentially vital tool for companies engaged in international trade. Through this program, US Customs & Border Protection (CBP) works with the trade...
Helping Interested Parties Fill in the Blanks in Official Death Investigations
By Jim Binford Tragedy. None of us are ever very far from it. As professional investigators, we are sometimes asked, both personally and professionally, about how to obtain official information from local, state, or federal investigations. Too often these requests...
Reflections of Harvey: How the worst of nature brought out the best in mankind
Author John Steinbeck once commented, "Texas is a state of mind." Never was that state of mind more unified and dedicated toward good than in late August 2017, when Hurricane Harvey stalled over southeast Texas and dumped several billion gallons of rain over the...