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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.
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By Susanna Speier Denver Private Investigator Blogger DENVER - I'm sipping coffee in a beryl-blue-gray vinyl restaurant booth in Capitol Hill's Jelly cafe as Tom Mills steps through the door. Mills' story was brought to my attention by 9News' Kyle Clark and Anastasiya Bolton. Colorado process servers and private investigators are reassessing safety practices and deliberating on how best to minimize risk, following the coverage, which I summarized in a November 27, 2017 blog post. After ordering a glass of water --diabetes symptoms were prohibiting coffee-- Mills thoughtfully reviews the printout of questions I’ve handed him. Before starting the interview, I want to know how he’s been doing since the November 6, 2017 Commerce City, Colorado serve that turned into a life threatening situation. The day of the serve, Mills drove to Adams county to serve papers to Bret Martin Carbone --who also happens to be a Denver Sheriff's deputy. Carbone lied, telling Mills he was just there to take care of the dogs, however, Mills didn't buy it. After returning to his car to verify Carbone's identity on Facebook, Mills returned to Carbone's house to complete the serve. As anyone who has seen the widely posted and shared video knows, Carbone opened the door, pointing a gun at Mills and telling him to get off of his property. See also: Felony menacing charge issued to the Denver Deputy who pulled a gun on a Colorado private investigator Despite the threat to his life, Mills actually did manage to complete the serve. "Got in my car shaking like crazy. I already have high blood pressure," he explained. He called the police who arrived just as Carbone was trying to drive away. The police had to order Carbone out of his vehicle and disarm him in order to make the surprise discovery that the perpetrator of the felony menacing charge also happened to be a sheriff's deputy. Mills is now being treated for post traumatic stress disorder. He is no longer doing evening and night serves. Although Mills is a military vet who served overseas, he did not have PTSD prior to the November 6, 2017 serve. Carbone is now being charged with felony menacing. The case was moved from a local to a district court because of the seriousness of the charge and the next hearing will take place in a district court on January 29th. Two of the female process servers who worked for Mills quit immediately following the incident citing safety concerns. As he now only serves papers during the daytime, when it’s safer, Mills' income has also taken a hit. Mills is not the first Colorado process server to have a gun pointed in him. Process Servers Association of America President, Steve Glenn had found himself in an almost identical situation when serving papers, however because Glenn had no video evidence and "it was all he said, she said," Mills explained, there were no grounds for pressing legal charges in Glenn's situation because he did not video record his serve. For the benefit of every process server reading this, I ask Mills to demonstrate how he records his serves discreetly. Mills holds his phone in front of the clipboard he carries with him when he does his serves. For purposes of a photo demo (below) he holds his phone in front of the paper I handed him with the interview questions printed out. If you are a process server reading this and you do not video record your serves, please begin doing so immediately. No need to invest in special equipment. All you need is a phone, a clip board and/or piece paper, as shown in the photo below. (end of part 1)  PROCESS SERVERS: THIS IS HOW TO USE YOUR PHONE TO DISCREETLY VIDEO RECORD YOUR SERVES  By Susanna Speier Denver Private Investigator Blogger The day was overcast and unseasonably warm. The staff of Colorado's Judicial Center was professional and friendly. "That's actually a job?" the front desk receptionist asked when I handed the business card listing my title as the "Denver Private Investigator Blogger," over the round, dark wood receptionist table. Indeed it is, I explained and could I schedule a meeting with Attorney General, Cynthia Coffman or one of her media representatives to discuss Rule 8.4 C? Following its September 28, 2017 announcement, I've only heard shocked and horrified responses from the private investigator community. Jesse Paul's Denver Post article stated "lawyers can now engage in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation when advising law enforcement officers, investigators or clients during lawful investigative activities. The Colorado Attorney General’s Office says they can’t personally conduct such subterfuge, but can supervise those actions." Let that sink in. Attorneys ---the ones who hire private investigators to interview witnesses, obtain evidence and investigate cases--- can now outsource the sordid and insidious tasks of committing fraud and acting deceitfully to the private investigators who depend on those attorney's assignments in order to make payroll!!
 Future posts will explore the question of how much pressure a client can put on a private investigator to push legal boundaries. I'll be interviewing a wide range of Colorado legal industry professionals. I shall also continue trying to get through to Coffman's office or get referred to another Colorado government official who can help clarify why this rule seemed necessary to ensure safety and justice in Colorado. Is there is someone you think I should speak with or interview? Please leave a message in the comments below or notify us via Facebook or Twitter. 
By Susanna Speier Denver Private Investigator Blogger This summer, the Denver Private Investigator's Blog made the PI Now list of top private investigator blogs!! It ranked 4th place after Brian Willingham's Diligentia blog (which ranked #1), Pursuit Magazine (which ranked #2 and with whom the Denver Private Investigator Blog has a content partnership) and Guns, Gams & Gumshoes (which ranked 3rd). We are honored to have The Denver Private Investigator Blog: Mile Hi PI featured among so many other informative and well renowned online publications. PI Now's rating system was based on the premise that the private investigation blogs most worth your time contain the following criteria: they are readable and interesting. The website is accessible and easy to navigate and the content is relevant and regularly updated.  Meanwhile, as summer winds down and we all dust off our nonexistent fedoras and shake out our trench coats, plans for the Rocky Mountain region private investigator conference are currently underway. The Professional Private Investigators Association of Colorado (PPIAC) conference starts tomorrow, Thursday, September 14th and runs through Saturday, September 16th at Denver Marriott in Westminster and you can still get tickets. The conference will include an optional class 8:00 - 5:00 pm class with certified forensic interviewer, Brandon Perron which begins on the 14th. There will be also be a fraud investigation workshop with Richard Brooks a Russia investigation workshop with Anastasiya Bolton and an ethics workshop with JP Moore. Andy Kindred, Joe H. Dickerson, Brandon Perron, Jeff Boxer, Kitty Hailey. If you are a Colorado attorney, please note that the Colorado Supreme Court has just authorized 12 general credits and three ethics credits for attendance. Go here to register. 
By Susanna Speier
Denver Private Investigator Blogger On or about January 26, 2017, Colorado’s Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) reviewed a complaint regarding Patrick Baird, a Granbury, Texas based private investigator who has held a Colorado level 2 license since June 16, 2015. According to public records, around September 26, 2016, Baird pled guilty to calling and leaving over twenty voicemail messages with a client in a single afternoon. The Harris County District Court in the State of Texas sentenced him to two days of confinement and a $250 fine. Baird admitted the violations to DORA’s Office of Private Investigator Licensure Program Director, Mark Browne who cited several licensing regulation sections including 12-58.5-109 which includes stalking and failing to meet generally accepted standards of practice in private investigation. After he was fined an additional $250 by the State of Colorado --plus an additional 15% surcharge, bringing his total Colorado fees to $287.50-- Baird was issued an Admonishment for failing to meet generally accepted standards of the practice of private investigations. He was warned that such conduct would lead to formal action against his license including probation, suspension or revocation, should it recur. DORA and the Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) require disclosure of public documents which, according to their website, "are generally defined as an existing written or electronic document made, maintained or kept by a state agency for use in a government function or purpose." The Order, signed by Baird as well as Browne, is now a public record in the custody of the Director which is how it was obtained for the article. |
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