The Rockford Files: Magical Surveillances in a Gold ’78 Firebird

Rockford's Shiny Gold Firebird

How'd Rockford Pull Off Surveillances in That Flashy Firebird?

I'm a huge fan of the old TV series The Rockford Files, staring one of my all-time favorite actors James Garner -- in fact, my husband and I own the entire series on DVD.  But gotta say, how'd he pull off all those surveillances in a shiny gold Firebird?

Magic.  

Having co-owned a private investigations agency for a decade, I can definitely say it was magic because in the real world, a P.I. driving a shiny metallic muscle car is gonna get the P.I. burned, or caught, sooner or later, likely sooner because the car stands out like a Vegas neon sign. That's why Rockford's surveillances in that Firebird aren't realistic, but who cares -- that show was all about entertaining viewers, which it did and still does.

Want to watch some of those Rockford Files  classic shows? They're available on hulu - click  here.  

Writing Realistic Private Eye Characters

But when it comes to writers portraying realistic private eye characters, they need to keep them out of flashy cars while they're on surveillances. A successful P.I. knows how to blend in, from the clothes he/she wears to the vehicles they drive.  Let's look at some examples.

Blending In: What a P.I. Might Wear on Surveillance

When working a surveillance, I've worn elegant dresses to five-star restaurants to jeans and flannel shirts in the country. 

I've also made the mistake of not researching what women were wearing to a certain function I was attending undercover, and although I was dressed differently than everyone else, I fortunately didn't stand out enough to hinder the case. Taught me a valuable lesson though.  Research, research, research. 

Below are a few generalized examples of "blending in" attire:

• Hotels: Suits/Dresses
• Grateful Dead Concert: Tie-dye (what else?) and jeans
• Nighttime stationary surveillance (stationary refers to a non-moving surveillance, such as one conducted in a parked vehicle): Dark clothing
• Rural areas: Jeans, shirts, boots.  

And a few suggestions for types of weather/ lengthy surveillances: 

• Winter: Wear layers, jacket, coat, boots if it's snowing
• Summer: T-shirt, shorts, sandals
• Lengthy surveillances: Comfortable, appropriate clothing.

Summer Surveillances: Respect the Heat!

Another lesson I learned the hard way.  On a summer surveillance several years ago, I made sure to wear appropriate clothing, but I failed to respect the heat. So I'm going to throw in some tips for staying cool on a hot-weather surveillance -- maybe some of these ideas are useful for any of you writing a private-eye story:

• Bring ice packs.
• Pick shady spots to park in.
• Ensure there’s adequate ventilation.
• It can be problematic running the air conditioner (remember, surveillance is about blending in, not drawing attention to a parked, seemingly empty vehicle that's suddenly running the A/C ).  Some investigators purchase portable units that help keep the inside of a vehicle cool).
• If possible, take breaks in air-conditioned buildings.
• Wear a rimmed hat and sunglasses.
• Stay hydrated (drink water, Gatorade or fruit juices, not sodas or coffee).

Blending In: Surveillance Vehicles

In the country, a P.I.might drive a pick-up (not a shiny one, a dusty one). In the city, a P.I. might drive a sedan or van. Bicycles are great for areas like parks. It's helpful if a vehicle model is difficult to identify and easily confused with other makes. Also, the vehicle should be an unremarkable color that no one remembers clearly (a shiny gold Firebird stands out!).

Last, I'm sharing an excerpt of my article "Top Three Mistakes About Private Eyes Depicted in Novels," posted at Digital Book Today. An excerpt is below, with a link to the full article at the end. Enjoy!

Top Three Mistakes About Private Eyes Depicted in Novels

Besides working as a private investigator, I love reading the private eye genre.  And there’s plenty of wonderful writers out there crafting compelling stories featuring private eye protagonists.  I should know -- for the last three years I’ve been honored to be a judge for the Private Eye Writers of America, and in this capacity I’ve read over 200 novels featuring private eye protagonists.

But sometimes I cringe when I read a cliche or blatant mistake about private investigators or their work.  Today I’ll note the top three mistakes I’ve found.

Bungling Crime Scenes

This covers a range of activities, from PIs hanging out at crime scenes with their cop pals to rummaging through a dead body’s clothing to find a wallet, cell phone, matchbook, etc.  Regarding the former, I know, we see PIs and cops hanging out at crime scenes all the times in movies and TV shows, but it’s not like that in real life.  It’s not totally improbable–as my PI-lawyer-partner and I wrote about at our sister site, Guns, Gams, and Gumshoes  (“Answering Writer’s Questions about Police Detectives, PIs and Crime Scenes”), it’s possible a law enforcement officer, under extraordinary circumstances, might invite a PI onto a crime scene–for example, if the PI had some forensic expertise that would benefit the investigation–but as I said, it would have to be for an extraordinary reason.

As to bungling crime scenes, I wrote about that in greater detail, with input from several homicide detectives and a criminal defense attorney, for the blog Novel Rocket in the article “Top 5 Mistakes Writers Make at a Crime Scene.”

Understanding that Most PIs Today Are Techno-Savvy

I debated whether to write “most PIs” or “many PIs,” but I opted for most because in my experience, most PIs I know have some level, from basic to advanced, of technological smarts.  

To read the full article, click here. 

THE NEWSROOM TV Series and Regional Dialects in These United States

Guest Post by Barbara Graham

When I as growing up in the 1940s and '50s you could easily tell what part of the United States one came from by the way they spoke. I have wondered recently whether television, movies and the Internet have worked to make us all sound more alike? Are our regional dialects disappearing?

The Newsroom: Dialects True to Their Region

In watching the series The Newsroom on television, one of my favorite shows, I am thinking our regional dialects are not disappearing so much. Or at least we have not lost the speed of our speech as experienced in the varying dialects. For example, I have trouble understanding what those wonderful people are saying on The Newsroom. They just talk too rapidly for me to keep up.  Hey, I am from New Mexico where we like to savor our words a bit before we present them to the world!

Obviously, on the East Coast, as in The Newsroom, their competitiveness is so great that they have to put their words out there as quickly as possible -- but for me it is like using a machine gun vs a little ole handgun. With this machine-gun speed, I cannot distinguish easily any nuances between the rat-tat-tat.  Are Easterners afraid that if they speak too slowly someone else will claim their speaking time?  Perhaps. 

Dictaphone from 1920s. Photo is credited to the Columbia Phonograph Co.

Back in the Days of the Dictaphone

I once worked as a secretary for a man newly from Louisiana. I used a dictaphone, and he spoke his letters into a dictation machine for me to transcribe. This man spoke so very slowly, and here was such a long time between his words, I simply could not complete a single letter. Not one. This was before computers -- and I just kept putting periods where they should not be. Have you ever tried to erase a period? Periods in those days were pretty permanent. Plus, if you wanted to have copies, you had to type several pages at once. We did not have a copying machine. We used inked paper between pages, and it was extremely hard to make changes. No fun at all!

So I assume Southerners just cannot stand to toss their words out there, potentially to lose them forever? They spoke ever so slowly, and ever so carefully back then.  However, I have not traveled in years, so these days I do not normally hear dialects of people from other parts of the country.  But I do see and hear politicians, and do not notice much of a language difference with them. 

Improved Communications Systems = Less Regional Dialects?

Have our improved communications systems served as a melting pot for our regional dialects? Perhaps so. Many years ago when traveling with my family around rural Kentucky, we noticed many dilapidated small houses with very large TV antennas attached, almost overwhelming the small structures. This was in the 1950s. One has  to assume that the popular TV shows influenced the growing populace that watched them -- making small but increasing inroads to their culture and their language. 

Appreciating vs. Understanding The Newsroom's Dialects

I will continue to watchThe Newsroom, but with lessened expectations. I no longer expect to understand every word, but will appreciate what I can understand. And, maybe someday, they will hire some actors with slower cadence in uttering their very smart scripts. 

And, by the way, I have been forced to speed up my cadence just so Californians do not get bored and tune me out. Also, I have stop addressing just about everyone as “you all” or y’all, but don't hold me to that if a Southern relative calls.

Author Bio

Barbara Graham has enjoyed wonderful careers as a teacher, counselor, grants writer, fund raiser and nonprofit agency manager.  These days, she creates jewelry and sun catchers using natural gems and Swarovski crystals, on display at HeavenlySuncatchers.

Book Excerpt: SECRETS OF A REAL-LIFE FEMALE PRIVATE EYE

“This book is a great source of information for those wishing to become a PI. However, authors can pick up a lot of tips to make their sleuthing characters more believable and pick up tips about the work of a PI. How it is done and why it matters, Colleen’s book has it all.”

— Alice de Sturler, former human rights defender, author, owner Defrosting Cold Cases blog

“As an experienced private detective and a skilled storyteller, Colleen Collins is the perfect person to offer a glimpse into the lives of real female P.I.s”
~Kim Green, managing editor of Pursuit Magazine: The Magazine of Professional Investigators

“SECRETS OF A REAL-LIFE FEMALE PRIVATE EYE is a great resource for anyone writing a female P.I. character, or any P.I. character. Filled with great tips and real-life examples, it helps clarify how things are really done. But it's particularly interesting how the book shows that a female P.I. can have a distinct advantage over a male P.I. in many situations, something for writers to think about.”
~Paul D. Marks, author of the 2013 Shamus winning noir-mystery, White Heat

Book Topics

Secrets of a Real-Life Female Private Eye kicks off with a history of the first female P.I. in the U.S., followed by the advantages and dangers of being a woman in this profession; various tools of the trade; investigative tips; case stories; links to P.I. blogs, online magazines and popular private-eye and crime fiction sites; excerpts from How Do Private Eyes Do That? and How to Write a Dick: A Guide for Writing Fictional Sleuths; and much more.

Book Excerpt

Some Favorite Sites

Below are a few of my favorite blogs, websites and online magazines, authored by real-life P.I.s or people in associated fields.  I’ve added a few private-eye genre sites as well for those interested in reading about gumshoe writers and stories.

Defrosting Cold Cases: A blog by Alice de Sturler to explore why some homicide cases remain unsolved. Through blogging and innovative use of existing technology, she has been able to get those cases renewed media attention.  Excellent resource for articles, interviews, news and cold case investigations.

Diligentia Group: Run by private investigator Brian Willingham, CFE, who specializes in due diligence, background and legal investigations.  He writes informative articles about the art and business of private investigations. 

Handcuffed to the Ocean: One of our favorite real-life private investigators, also a fiction writer, is Steven Kerry Brown who is one of the writers for this blog. To read Steve’s blogs, click on the “Crime” category. Also check out his nonfiction book The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Private Investigating.

PInow.com news: News and articles about private investigations.

PIBuzz.com: Authored by Tamara Thompson, a highly respected California private investigator known for her expertise in Internet data gathering, genealogical and adoption research, witness background development and locating people.

Professional Investigator Magazine: Owned by the P.I. team Jimmie and Rosemarie Mesis, two nationally recognized private investigators, this magazine offers articles, resources and products for professional private investigators. In both print and digital, subscribers can order only one magazine or a full subscription. Also check out their investigative products site PIGEAR and their books on investigations at PIstore.com

Pam Beason: Private investigator and writer. From her website: “My books include strong women characters, quirky sidekicks, animals, a dash of humor and big dose of suspense. I love the wilderness, so many of my stories feature wildlife and outdoor adventures.”

Private Eye digital comic book:  Artist Marcos Martin and writer Brian K. Vaughan call this a “forward-looking mystery” featuring a private detective in a futuristic world where privacy is considered a sacred right and everyone has a secret identity.  The price is pay-what-you-can, and they’re planning on publishing 10 issues total.

Pursuit Magazine: What began as an informal e-zine for professional investigators, bail bondsmen, process servers, attorneys, and other security and legal professionals has morphed this past year into “a clearinghouse of information for truth seekers of all stripes, from detectives to journalists.” Check it out.

The Rap Sheet: A crime-fiction blog with news about conferences, books, events and more.

Rick Johnson & Associates: Based in Denver, Colorado, Rick Johnson is a seasoned private investigator with decades of experience in the field. He’s also the founder and president of The Private Investigators Academy of the Rockies.

Sequence inc: Tracy L Coenen, CPA and CFF, specializes in forensic accounting and writes informative articles in her blog “The Fraud Files.”

Shaun Kaufman Law: Shaun is a former Colorado private investigator and current lawyer, who has nearly 30 years experience in the justice system trying cases from jaywalking to first-degree murder.  He writes about current legal issues on his blog.

Spencer Elrod Services, Inc. Mike Spencer, one of the principals of the Spencer Elrod Services agency based in Walnut Creek, California, is @SpencerPI on Twitter.  How can anyone resist a P.I. named Spencer?  Although Robert Parker would’ve preferred it spelled with an “s”

StillTheySpeak.com: Virginia Braden, a licensed private investigator based in northern Kentucky, investigates violent crimes and works tirelessly to speak on behalf of victims and to bring their families answers.

The Cold Case Squad: NYPD veteran detective Joe Giacalone’s blog with articles about cold cases, investigations and other related topics. Giacalone is the author of The Criminal Investigative Function: A Guide for New Investigators.

Thrilling Detective website: Kevin Burton Smith if the founder and editor of the most comprehensive website dedicated to the private eye genre on the Internet.

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The World of Real-Life Private Investigators: Naming Sources, Credibility in the Courtroom

​Are Private Investigators Required to Name Their Sources?

"Never tell anybody anything unless you're going to get something better in return."
-- V.I. Warshawski in Deadlock by Sara Paretsky

Answering Writers' Questions about Private Investigations

As some of you know, I managed a private investigations agency for a decade, during which time my partner (now a trial attorney) and I also taught courses to writers at regional and national conferences on developing plausible PIs and sleuths in their stories.

As some of you are writers, and others curious about the real-world of PI, I'll occasionally post  writers' questions about the field of private investigations, and our answers.   

Today the questions concern whether or not a private detective is required to divulge his/her sources, and a PI's credibility when giving testimony.

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Unless there's a state statute protecting a PI's sources, a PI can be ordered by the court to reveal her sources.

Writer’s Question: You know how reporters don’t need to name their sources – what about P.I.s? Do they need to name theirs?

Answer: PIs working for attorneys cannot reveal sources to third parties without the attorney's permission.  If a P.I. isn't working for an attorney, and there is no state statute protecting the P.I. (some state statutes create a legal privilege ensuring confidentiality for P.I.s and their sources), then the P.I. can be ordered by the court to reveal her source. Under these circumstances, if a PI is on the witness stand, and she refuses to identify her source for information, she could be held in contempt of court and jailed or fined.

Writer’s Question: Who is more likely to be believed in a courtroom, a policeman or a P.I.?  Here’s my take -- the police are trustworthy, unimpeachable, and are therefore more likely to get the benefit of the doubt over a P.I., who’s …how can I say this…not as respected?

Answer:  Police usually win the credibility battle and the best way for a PI to contradict them is to have objective, physical evidence.  A P.I investigating a case, which may involve re-visiting a crime scene days or weeks later, works to gather compelling, objective evidence that can be used to counter or even refute what the P.I. has read in the police reports, and discredit police testimony.

​Can a PI buoy his credibility in a courtroom?

For instance, if an officer testifies that it was plausible for a witness to "hear" three gunshots from a residence on the corner, the officer might be best contradicted with an audio tape made from the witness's home by the P.I., who probably visited the crime scene long after the police closed it down.  This audio recording would prove that it's impossible to hear any gunshots, much less three, from that distance.  After the jurors hear the tape, it is more likely the police will be completely disregarded on this issue, and possibly disbelieved on other key issues as well.

A P.I.’s contradictory evidence can also be new data the police missed.  For example, we had a case where a rancher had been charged with multiple counts of first-degree attempted murder, based on the “victims’” testimony that the rancher had shot at them, trying to kill them. The rancher insisted he’d fired in self-defense, but had no witnesses as the event took place in the middle of 800 acres of ranch land. Three weeks later, we were hired by the attorney representing the rancher, now in jail awaiting trial. It took us multiple visits to the ranch, each time meticulously checking the ground with metal detectors, before we found the bullets fired by the rancher embedded in the ground.  Their placement proved the rancher had indeed fired them as warning shots, away from the direction of the “victims,” in self-defense, and the D.A. dropped the charges.  This is an example of how P.I.s’ tangible evidence reversed law enforcement’s charges.

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Calling All Armchair Detectives: Sleuth Tips and Techniques at Your Fingertips

 Like trying to sleuth along with TV-private eye Ray Donovan?

Wish you had a reference book to find some nifty technique for that private-eye character your're writing?

Want to locate your great-aunt's son by her first marriage?

This book's for you, pal. 

How to Write a Dick discusses everything from the different types of investigative specializations (yes, there really are pet detectives) to homicide investigations to how new PIs kick-start their businesses to real-life case studies.  And a lot more.

No Kindle?  No Problem

Amazon provides free apps for easy downloading to read on your browser, PC or Mac computers, as well as on a variety of mobile devices. 

Book Reviews

“If you want authenticity in creating a fictional private investigator for your stories, then this is a must-have reference book. Its authors, Colleen and Shaun, are living breathing PIs with years of actual experience in the PI game.”
~ R.T. Lawton, 25 years on the street as a federal special agent and author of 4 series in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine

"This is a book that's going to go on my keeper shelf. Informative, helpful and easy to read. I'm so glad I heard about it!"
~HJF

"I was surprised how much I learned and how much fun this book is. It's a 'what's going on in the field' that's like a pre-write fact checker...It can stand alone as an insider's guide to the world - the real world - of the private detective." 
~David Y.B. Kaufmann

"If [this book] had been around when I was fiction editor for THE THRILLING DETECTIVE WEB SITE, my job would have been much easier."
~Gerald So, editor, writer, book reviewer, moderator DetecToday

Book Excerpts

To read an excerpt, click on its link:

 Did you know many current-day PIs use smartphone flashlight apps instead of  clunky flashlights?  

How to Write a Dick: Loss Prevention and Industrial Security

How to Write a Dick: Intellectual Property Investigations 

How to Write a Dick: Catching the Cheater

How to Write a Dick: Real-Life PIs' Pet Peeves About Fictional PIs

About the Authors

​Shaun Kaufman and Colleen Collins

Besides working as private investigators for nearly a decade...

Shaun Kaufman is also a trial attorney specializing in personal injury, criminal defense and business litigation.  He has also trained private investigators during his nearly 30 years working in the criminal justice system.

Colleen Collins is also a multi-published novelist (several dozen novels -- her most recent novel, The Next Right Thing, features a private eye protagonist).  She has also written several nonfiction books on private investigations (How Do Private Eyes Do That? and Secrets of a Real-Life Female Private Eye).

Starting back around 2005, writers began contacting Shaun and Colleen with questions about sleuths, PIs, cops and legal eagles. Fielding those questions led to their teaching online classes to writers and presenting workshops at regional and national writers’ conferences (Left Coast Crime, Rocky Mountain Mystery Writers of America, Romance Writers of America, others). They have also written articles about private investigations for magazines, newsletters and online sites such as PI Magazine, Pursuit Magazine, PINow.com, Romance Writers Report, NINK (for Novelists, Inc.), Reflections in a Private Eye, and others.

​How to Write a Dick covers PI training, specialized areas of investigations, resources and techniques, technological tools, real-life case studies, a Gumshoe Glossary and more.

Teaching courses and writing articles for writers led to the Guns, Gams, and Gumshoes blog, which in turn led to their writing How to Write a Dick: A Guide for Writing Fictional Sleuths from a Couple of Real-Life Sleuths. 

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"This is an amazing book and I'm very happy that I got it. The authors cover so much ground about a PI's life and work, I'd find it hard to get a more thorough overview. Since this book is geared towards writers, I think the authors provided just the right amount of detail regarding specific PI work."
~Allie R. 

Free Professional Photos, Videos and Audio

Do you write a blog?  Craft a newsletter?  Manage your own website?  Then you probably like to occasionally plug in photos or images to accompany your articles or maybe to add some pizzazz to the page.  Did you know iStockphoto, a site that sells professionally created photos and more, also offers free downloads?

I've purchased iStock photos for my blogs and websites. For example, I purchased the background of Colleen Collins Books (the vintage green typewriter illustration) from iStock.  I also purchased the image for my nonfiction book HOW DO PRIVATE EYES DO THAT?

​How Do Private Eyes Do That? by Colleen Collins

What's cool is that iStock also provides free downloads, too.  Sometimes an image or illustration will fit something I'm writing about on a blog; otherwise, I save the image for later use.

The only requirement is you need to register with iStock to access their freebies.  To go to their website, click here. 

Examples of Free iStock Image Downloads

iStockphoto offers free downloads every week in each of these categories: Photos, Illustrations, Audio and Movies.   Below are two free photos I've recently downloaded - nice, huh?  Below these photos is a banner for my new book Secrets of a Real-Life Female Private Eye -- the photo of the woman's eyes is also from iStock, and although it wasn't free, it was very inexpensive (a couple of dollars).

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