Ross Investigators PC, Inc.

By Susanna Speier
Denver Private Investigator Blogger 

The Denver Private Investigator blog just launched an new Instagram and we look forward to figuring out what we're doing based on your feedback. Instagram is a platform that many of our esteemed colleagues still regard as a clandestine surveillance tool rather than a broadcast one.so we'll be paying close attention to your likes and comments as well as observing how other PIs use the platform for day to day observations about the local, regional and national private investigator world.

Our top five selections were made based on storytelling ability, originality, distinct voice, photo quality, relevance and useful information. Metrics and follower count were not a factor in this selection . Not because it isn't important but the internet and Instagram already rewards high follower counts. We wanted to invest our time into custom picking grams that provide value to the security and private investigator community and might otherwise be overlooked.

If your Instagram can teach us more about crime investigation, surveillance, to DNA analysis, skip tracing, surveillance, criminal defense, and witness interviews the history of the industry then please be sure we know about it so we can consider it for inclusion in future recommendations. 

#1 -International Spy Museum - the International Spy Museum, which we have reviewed in previous posts, is about to move to a magnificent new building Washington, D.C. The museum presumably has an expanded marketing team that overshadows anything that a part-time employee with more limited financial resources could do however for history nerds following them will keep you current on the museum while teaching you about spies, artifacts  and about spyware throughout history.

​Giving them first place is, in many ways, about honoring the museum that provides everything from lock picking workshops to historical documents like the one George Washington penned initiating America's first spy network by enlisting Nathaniel Sackett. "The letter served as the launching point for an intricate and secretive intelligence network known as the Culper Spy Ring that would in large part save the American Revolution," according to the museum's instagram.
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See also: the Denver Private Investigator Blog's International Spy Museum review 

History buffs and gadget geeks will be having the time of their life following this feed. If your focus is more on engagement and shop talk, however this pop culture and government espionage focused feed will be less useful than posts focusing on personal injury, corporate espionage, infidelity surveillance and legal investigations. That said, who knows where your best ideas might come from? 

An additional Spy Museum events feed is entirely museum events focused and if, like us, you're based in the Denver metro area (or Lone Tree, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, Pueblo, Glenwood Springs, Steamboat Springs, Crested Butte, Boulder, Craig, Grand Junction, Breckinridge, Telluride, Durango, etc) area it'll trigger a major FOMO crisis so consider yourself warned. 

We selected it as the top Instagram to follow because of the quality and variety. There are diverse historical figures represented and stories with a global interest and impact.

#2 - Lancaster Detective - Lancaster Detective agency CEO, Sean L. Hall has been doing such a supurb job of documenting the day-to-day activities of a private eye in Pennsylvania that his work was featured in a summer photography exhibit as part of a first Friday walk And, yes, we learned about it by following his Instagram. We also like how Hall juxtaposes mundane day-to-day objects like coffee cups with sophisticated surveillance devices like built-in camera glasses and acquisition for his vintage camera  collection. 

One day he is sharing a reflection in a puddle and the next wandering through a snowy Lancaster street and taking you with him as he takes us from diner breakfasts to snow covered trees all while on assignment. Whether you want to take a peak at how he uses a cough drop packages to hold a surveillance camera in place or just want to get a glimpse into the sometimes black and white and sometimes color world of someone who does something similar to what you do but in a different part of the country we recommend following Lancaster Detective on Instagram.

#3 - p.i._memes - Will the anonymous gumshoes responsible for these please step forward? And yes, this "invisible one's" gags are mostly surveillance focused however they are original, industry relevant and appear to be sparking interesting conversations in the comments section about only things a private investigator who pulls long surveillance hours and has to figure out how to create. 

If you read the conversation you'll even some impromptu schooling on how to improvise an in-vehicle, um, restroom on those extra long surveillance days.

We have a hunch this is a Cali based PI but can't be sure. We have also noted that the oldest post is dated February 23 which means this poster is greener than us. Yes that is actually possible. So please follow this meme making surveillance operative and encourage new posts since it is not easy being green. 

​#4 - the_detectiveagency - this Florida based private investigator firm shares memes that are funny, insightful, informative and historically relevant. Props earned for going the extra distance with exceptionally dynamic black history posts interspersed with provocative commentary on today's criminal justice system.

#5 - WantedPodcast - behind this gem of a gram is a modern day Bonnie and Clyde couple (pictured below in photo taken by Charla Ayers/Wild Blooms Photography) documenting their  daily Boba Fett activities on Instagram and a Podcast on which they debrief. While the Instgram isn't as dynamic as each of their personal Instagram accounts accounts we laud their innovation -- they've even launched a line of branded bail recovery merch!

We wish we could see more of letter written by 'Gary,' the sovereign nation guy featured in podcast two. In the letter he actually proclaims the agents were guilty of "treason" and "war crimes" for interfering with his independent nation -i.e.- the nation of Gary. 

We will provide more details on the Wanted Podcast team in our next post so be sure to subscribe to our blog but submitting your email to us using the box in the top righthand column of this page.

 By Susanna Speier
Denver Private Investigator Blogger

You got busy. Then you then procrastinated and now you have to figure out what to get the kids for Christmas. Too late to order by mail but look on the bright side. Kids don't know how much of your time is spent monitoring driveways, watching and rewatching slip n' fall footage and finalizing the final revision of your witness testimony reports and thanks to a robust children's literature industry --conveniently saturated with an abundance of scrappy, savvy teen and adolescent sleuths-- some kids may actually regard you as the grownup embodiment of Nancy Drew or Encyclopedia Brown.

Read also: 85 years of Nancy Drew detective stories

We recommend leveraging this perception to help with the crisis at hand. In other words, yes literary misconception about the private investigation and security profession are at best, irritating  but this this is the time of year to make the most of the trench coat, magnifying glass and fedora. Especially if you're trying to make some last minute, on-the-spot Christmas magic happen. 

Read also: Valentines Day gifts for private investigators 

For starters, if, in the worst case scenario, you had to improvise something on Christmas morning, you can always grab a boxcutter and turn a cardboard delivery box, pair of old socks and the kookiest witness interviews of the last half-decade into original and memorable puppet sketches for the kids to watch or even participate in.

Better yet, you could track down a couple of Unemployed Philosophers Guild Sherlock Homes finger puppets, pair them with the right music playlist (a simple google search lead us to some spy kids ones) and you'd have the option of placing Sherlock in the show!

If they're totally in love with the puppet theater progress you'll have the entire 2019 season to take them to shows at The Denver Puppet Theater, located at 3156 West 38th Avenue, Denver, CO 80211.

​Unfortunately, the local independent company has a real life unsolved crime.  Between $300 and $500 worth of hand puppets were stolen in May of this year for reasons that still seem to elude the owners. Who would steal a bunch of puppets from a puppet theater? Perhaps a new case assignment will also come out of it.

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There is even a Denver International Airport Tattered Cover if you're headed out of town for the holiday and want to grab something on the way. Additional book recommendations are covered in our books for kids segment in our content partner, Pursuit Mag's article. .

​Back to the local Denver metro area, though. Taluah Jones, located at 1122 east 17th avenue in Denver has a cubby shelf featuring spy gear, walkie talkies, fingerprint detectives, invisible writing ink and spy view specs according to a sales associate we spoke with on the phone. They have also extended their evening hours to 7:30 p.m. to accommodate -ahem- last minute Christmas shoppers.

Second Star to the Right, located at 4353 Tennyson St in Denver is another incredible locally owned store for kids. They another shop at 1545 South Pearl if that is more convenient. Their sales associate recommended the new edition of Clue because it has "more suspects, rooms and weapons." It also has the classic art of the original. "The character portraits are neat and art in general is older style which is cool." Almost as iconic as Monopoly, Clue thankfully, continues to pass the test of time in flying colors. 

Also worth mentioning is we saw the Scientific Explorer, Crime Catchers Spy Science Kits, were sold out at the Glendale Target but seems to be available in area Kohl's, Walmart and possibly the Colorado Blvd Barnes and Noble.

Although the focus has been primarily on locally owned retailers the fact that we're mentioning this now should probably say a lot about how high quality of an educational tool we consider it to be. One of the many reasons we feel this toy deserves a top spot on our recommendation list --besides what we perceive to be simplicity of the educational toy, we feel it's accessibility combined with the importance of preparing kids for STEM careers so you're not supporting them through their early and mid adult years on a limited or perhaps nonexistent private investigator pension. 

Whatever you end up with we hope you'll enjoy the holidays and find us on social media to let us know what you got! 

Taluah Jones, 1122 east 17th avenue, Denver, Colorado 
​Second Star to the Right, located at 4353 Tennyson Street, Denver, Colorado 

​By Susanna Speier
Denver Private Investigator Blogger 

The leaves are raked, the dogs are walked and the person with multiple parking tickets is sipping spiced apple cider as she picks up the remote and queues up Black Mirror's chilling "Crocodile" episode on Netflix because she enjoys futuristic sci fi dramas about doomed insurance claims.

The dog barks The bell rings. What's going on? Door to door landscaping service solicitation season and Halloween are over. A shadowy figure standing beneath the burned out porch light that the person with multiple parking tickets keeps meaning to replace. An arm extends across the frayed welcome mat. It is the hand of a process server holding itemized parking tickets and collections notifications from the City of Denver.

The person with multiple parking tickets freezes. Her FICO score took a plunge when she missed last month's car payment and this will only worsen her distress. However, despite her bad parking habits, this person graciously accepts the papers, even apologizing for her burned-out front porch light. She holds the front door open so the process server can avoid tripping over her garden rake when walking down the staircase, back to the car. Do most night serves go this smoothly?

I wrote this fictitious anecdote after discussing night serves with private investigators who do them and private investigators who do not do them. Some believe night serves should be avoided altogether. Others feel differently. 

According to Process Servers Association of Colorado, President and longtime process server, Steven D Glenn, "process servers are vulnerable, regardless of the time of night or day." Glenn's company serves about 700 Coloradans a month. Many of his serves have been to individuals like the one in the opening scenario. He has also had several guns pointed at him.

"It doesn't matter day or night, process serving is dangerous" Glenn explains during a phone interview. "I honestly believe it's gotten worse with all this fighting between the Republicans and Democrats," he says before calling attention to the ironic dichotomy of all this, "in reality we're protecting their constitutional right to due process." 

Reminding me again, "assault doesn't matter time of day," Glenn added that most people think (process serving) is easy and put themselves at risk. "It doesn't matter whether the sun is up or the sun is down" reiterates Glenn then adds, "but 2:00 a.m. is stupid." 

,By Susanna Speier
Denver Private Investigator Blogger 

"I have nightmares," explains Tom Mills in a phone interview less than two months after Brett Carbone, the Denver Deputy Sheriff who threatened Mills at gunpoint, was sentenced to community service and probation. 

It has been almost a year since Mills knocked on Carbone's Commerce City door to serve papers for an overdue bill of less than $200. The incident, however, left Mills' limbic system, the neuro networks that control emotion, mood and instinct, in a suspended flight/fight state. The ramifications are taking their toll on his business and on his health. 

Mills continues to work. His day to day functions, however, are not what they used to be. He can't do a lot of night serves. "This is a job I used to love," he explains to me. "I used to love doing this work. I was sought after by clients because I was good at it." Post-traumatic stress disorder, he and the medical professional treating him, believe, changed everything. 

According to the American Psychiatric Association, "People with PTSD have intense, disturbing thoughts and feelings related to their experience that last long after the traumatic event has ended."
Mills is suffering from something that has a diagnosis for which there is medication and talk therapy. The recovery process, however, requires time, money and support. 

Mills is still unable to do most night serves and his business has taken a hit financially as a result. "I have nightmares," he tells me. "I keep thinking over and over 'what could I have done'?" He adds that Carbone was a trained police officer yet he still wonders what he could have done to take the gun away. What could he have done? 

Mills feels the court handled Carbone's criminal case fairly since rehabilitation includes probation, community service, anger management seminars and court fees. "I was okay with that" he responds when I directly ask whether or not he thinks it was a fair sentence adding, "I think that's fair with what he did," and acknowledges Carbone "will always be a bully." 

Carbone did apologize to Mills. Unfortunately, Mills has no way of knowing whether or not the apology was sincere, however. "When he did this to me, he lied to the police when they got there," he recalls and then spirals into darker associations. 

"Imagine what happens in jail," Mills says, referring to Carbone's former Sheriff Deputy job. "What has he done to inmates? What has he done to other people?" Mills wonders before reflecting back to the event and his surprise discovery. It wasn't until after Mills got away from Carbone, returned to his car called the police that he learned Carbone was actually an off-duty sheriff's deputy. And Carbone withheld that information until the Adam's county police forcibly disarmed Carbone who initially tried to deny he had threatened Mills with a firearm. The video evidence, however, was already documented on a smart phone. "I had no idea he was a cop!" Mills exclaims again, as though uncovering this reveal for the first time. 

Being a process server is a tough job and it takes tough person to do the job. But Mills, who also happens to be a retired Marine, used to enjoy the job's risks as well as its rewards. Ultimately, "I lost something I really loved doing," he concludes. "Process serving was one of my big passions." 

By Susanna Speier 
Denver Private Investigator Blogger 

In mid-July, the 17th Judicial District Adams and Broomfield Counties District Attorney's Office sent Thomas Mills a letter informing the Colorado process server that former Denver Sheriff's Deputy and Defendant, Brett Carbone --the man who pointed a gun at Mills during a Commerce City serve--- was found guilty of felony menacing charges and sentenced to 1 year probation, 100 hours of community service and fines. 

See also: Are process servers safe, part 1? and Felony Menacing charge issued to the Denver Deputy who pulled a gun on a Colorado private investigator. 

Carbone is "no longer with the Denver Sheriff Department," according to City and County of Denver Sheriff Department Communications Director, Daria Serna who did not provide additional information, however when he pulled a gun on Tom Mills late last year, he was an off duty Sheriff's deputy being served papers for a late bill that was less than $200. 

Was termination of employment and community service a sufficient penalty and rehabilitation measure and has the court taken action to ensure the incident will not just recur the next time an unlucky process server happens to knock on Carbone's Commerce City door? 

In a phone conversation with 17th Judicial District's Chief Information Officer, Sue Lindsay, I was assured that Carbone will indeed undergo a "mental health evaluation and anger management." Lindsay also explained that Carbone will be charged for the probation expense which the court itemized at $2400.

A more extensive interview with Lindsay is be forthcoming and hopefully details like the $2.50 "genetic testing service charge" will be clarified.

In the follow up interview, which will be done over email and perhaps a follow-up call, Lindsay will also address my questions regarding the resources that will be allocated to Mills for treating  Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as Mills now suffers from the condition as a direct result of being threatened at gun point.

Do you have questions for Sue Lindsay or for Tom Mills (who I will interview later this week)?  Feel free to post them in the comments section below. You can also comment on the Twitter feed or Facebook page and all relevant questions will be forwarded. 

 By Susanna Speier
Denver Private Investigator Blogger  

A new report released by Criminologists Geoff Alpert, Louise Porter and Justin Ready may challenge the previous understanding of a police officer's ability to accurately recall a traumatic event after a shooting.

According to Tom Jackman's Washington Post article, the leading Force Science Institute interview expert, Bill Lewinski insists, “a recovery period of at least 48 hours before being interviewed in depth," is required.  Alpert, Porter and Ready's new study, however, implies the opposite.

Does this mean Lewinski's post trauma witness interview policies are due for a reevaluation? Maybe. Maybe not. Not surprising. "Lewinski criticized the use of multiple-choice questions in the study to gauge accuracy of memory and levels of stress, which could be better done with heart and pulse monitors. He said using trained cognitive interviewers would be a more realistic way to replicate how an officer would respond in a police interview. He also noted that the study did not consider that many officers have worked extremely long hours by the time of a shooting or post-event interview, which harms their cognitive abilities." 

"Alpert, a University of South Carolina professor who studies high-risk police behavior, said the policy of waiting to question officers was “based on philosophy, not data.”

He further defended his study and dismissed Lewinski's by adding that delaying creates an issue of “Do you remember because you were told or because it happened?”" 

The new study took place in Australia and involved "87 veteran police officers, some interviewed immediately after active-shooter training and some two days after the training, could start to change that thinking." The study, a live active shooter simulation, took place in an abandoned building and the average police officer age was 42. It was not based on actual traumatic events, however. 

Also worth pointing out: Lewinsky's policy of waiting is supported and enforced by a lot of jurisdictions and police unions in the United States so undoing it would undoubtedly involve a lot of red tape even if subsequent scientific studies reinforced the conclusions of Alpert's team. 

With so many former and retired police officers in the private investigator industry it is important to be aware that witness interview and witness testimony protocols used in training and on the job are not set in stone and could, in fact, be updated or revised based on Alpert's new criminology research. 

By Susanna Speier 
Denver Private Investigator Blogger 

The only reason I haven't seen "RBG," the documentary about Supreme Court Justice, Ruth Bader Ginsberg a second time is because of how much I enjoyed watching it the firsttime. Wouldn't it be a better idea to rewatch after I've seen her biopic, "On the Basis of Sex" starring Felicity Jones which premieres in December 2018?  

Since discovering the Colorado Women's Bar Association (CWBA)'s upcoming "RBG" screening at Sie at the end of August, however, I am reconsidering. If I wait until after I see the biopic to see RBG a second time I will miss the amazing lineup CWBA has slated for their post-screening discussion on Monday, August 27th.

The screening takes place at Denver's Sie Film Center and will include a discussion moderated by Colorado Supreme Court Justice, Melissa Hart. Judge Sandra Rothenberg (Ret.), Senior Judge, Colorado Court of Appeal; Rep. Jessie Danielson (D), Legislator; Speaker Pro Tempore of the House; Colorado General Assembly; Denise Maes, Esq., Public Policy Director of the ACLU of Colorado and Professor Catherine Smith, University of Denver Sturm College of Law will serve as panelists. Whether you've seen the movie once, twice or three times already, it is unlikely you'll find a more dynamic discussion forum this side of the Mississippi than the one the CWBA has organized. 

Directors Betsy West and Julie Cohen did a great job of looking at the roles support figures in her personal life play and characters ranging from her husband Marty to her personal trainer make entrances and exits that counterpoint the pivotal cases of her legal career trajectory.

Because of the high ticket price of $75 ($74 for film society members) I will still, most likely, have to skip out on this particular networking event, screening and panel discussion. In the price tag's defense, however, the money will go to support the organization's work in public policy. According to the website, public policy includes includes promoting women "As Lawyers," "On the Bench," "In the Legislature" and "In Our Community." Regardless of the merit's it may keep the program off limits to a lot of the legal industry support staff. If, like me you live on a tight budget and are already a Sie member, RBG plays at Sie through August 2nd and is only $6.00 for member matinees. 

If, on the other hand, you find yourself craving pop corn, airco and legalistic edification in late August or you are an ambitious legal investigator, process server or legal admin looking for the vertical or lateral career opportunity, this may be the perfect close to your summer. 

​The screening takes place August 27th at 7:00 p.m. at 2510 East Colfax Avenue, Denver, CO 80206.
Cocktail reception at Sie Film Center's Henderson's Lounge starts at 5:30 on August 27th. Tickets are here. 

By Susanna Speier
Denver Private Investigator Blogger

What better way to hone your aerial navigation skills than borrowing the company drone to shoot wildfires over the Fourth of July holiday, right? 

Actually, according to Colorado Public Radio, some of Colorado's 1st responder, firefighting drones were grounded due to interference from recreational drones and the situation's become so dire that Colorado Senators Cory Gardner (Republican) and Michael Bennet (Democrat) are now pushing for federal legislation to make drone flying over wildfires a federal felony. They're calling it the SAFER Act (Securing Airspace for Emergency Responders).

Ever the outlier, Aspen, Colorado, by contrast, plans to light up the Fourth of July sky with a fifty drone show! You can't beat that --- or can you? 

Boulder's drone company Black Swift, according to The Daily Camera, has won a NASA contract to develop a drone to study the atmosphere of Venus. So there's that. 

It is being funded through the federal government's Small Business Innovation Research program and is expected to complete phase one in six months for --get this--  $125,000!! 

The Daily Camera article, written by Lucas High, also points out that last year Black Swift developed another NASA funded drone for $875,000 that will be studying the inside of a Hawaiian volcano later this year.

By Susanna Speier
Denver Private Investigator Blogger 

DENVER - Denver Pride Festival, took place June 16th and 17th at Denver's Civic Center Park and Denver Police Lieutenant, Michael Wyatt whose role as LGBT Liaison to the police was formally established in June of 2017 answered a few questions about his new role as liaison between the Denver Police and the Pride event organizers. 

The Denver LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) Community Center, the organization producing Denver Pride Fest annually hires private security and private detectives to assist with the Denver's Civic Center event celebrating community, family and culture however a recent spike in biased motivated crimes occurred leading up to the march. No biased related crimes were reported during the event however in late May, Dylan Payne, 24, was arrested for stabbing Chris Huizar, 19, and Gabriel Roman, 23, while they were walking home from Denver's Church nightclub on Sunday, May 27, 2018 in a hate crime and unfortunately targeted crime like this is on the rise in Denver.

Wyatt declined to detail heightened surveillance measures during the event however, he said his role police liaison to the LGBT community included accessing whether or not threats coming in from people hostile to the LBGT Center and community needed to be forwarded to the Denver Police Department detective unit.

Wyatt's more prominent role was coordinating a unit of allies in the police department who showed their support for the local LBGTQ community by participating in the parade. It is about more than just a parade, though. Citing the historic Stonewall nightclub tragedy happened in 1969 in New York City, Wyatt acknowledged that relationships between police and the LGBT community has not always been a harmonious one.

Although Wyatt himself has been out for twelve years and his sexual orientation has never been a problem in the Denver police force, "we still live in a time when a certain segment of our society faces harassment, intimidation, and assault simply for being “who they are," he points out.

This was reinforced by his acknowledgement that, "leading up to PrideFest we did have some Anti-LGBTQ motivated violence and property crimes. Arrests were made in both the violent incidents."

​To counter balance this, Wyatt has brought the Safe Space initiative to Denver. Originally started in Seattle it is a movement to involve the community in protecting LGBT citizens from hate crimes by posting a safe haven sticker outside of a business establishment. 

Any business, including private investigator firms, wishing to participate can display a “DPD SAFE PLACE” sticker in their business window. A clearly visible DPD SAFE PLACE sticker in their window, lets everyone know they are a participant and that their business will provide a safe place for victims of any crime while waiting for the arrival of police and that the business/employee will call 911 or assist the victim in calling 911 and encourage the reporting of this crime.

If you want the community to know that you that you share the belief that all people should be given assistance when being victimized or harassed, go to dpdsafeplace.com and register to participate. The program is limited to businesses and does not include private residences. 

By Susanna Speier
Denver Private Investigator Blogger 

According to Ross Investigators' Senior Executive Editor, Joanne Lu,, writing a report for a private investigator, "is communicating all of the most relevant details in a concise way that really has the best in mind for the client, meaning the personal injury lawyer and their client."

Ross Investigators now has a team of two editors working to ensure, as Lu puts it, "language and formatting communicate a certain level of professionalism." The challenge is how to "paint a comprehensive picture without obscuring details." One way Lu meets this challenge is by retrospectively asking, "have we provided enough details or have we obscured what's really useful by providing too much detail?" 

Because they don't get to talk to the Client's Client (the CC) and know what they're looking at is second hand, Lu and her team "are trying to laser focus on what's really helpful." Ultimately Lu wants to properly represent the quality of work the Ross Investigators team does in the field. 

If your own report writing skills could use a tune up, you're in luck. June's PPIAC Training Meeting, which takes place Wednesday, June 06, 2018 at 6:30 PM, MDT at CB & Pott's in Greenwood Village, Colorado. The trainer is John Morris of EVCO LLC which is based in Greely, Colorado. Social hour begins at 6:00.