Page 11 - The Value of Associations - AFI-LLC Newsletter March 2020

The Value of Associations - AFI-LLC Newsletter March 2020

You are approached by a potential client, a man and his wife in their late forties. They tell you that their daughter has
run away from home just before she was about to start college. At 18, she is legally allowed to leave home, but they are
concerned that she may have fallen in with a bad crowd. Over the last few years they have been worried that she has
been hanging out with friends who they believe to be taking at least soft drugs and possibly worse. They now fear that
she may have moved into a squat with “those sort of people.” Ultimately, the couple want the daughter to come home,
where they can help her recover from drug addiction and get her back onto track for going to college. However, they
accept that you can’t force her to return. They will instead pay you if you can tell them where their daughter is living.

Do you take the case? What considerations would you have? What advice or warnings would you offer the couple?

Our Responsibility to be fair and impartial advocates of the truth
(William Anthony Monroe, CCDI, CFI-FTER, CFSI of W.A. Monroe & Associates in CA)
"How we feel has very little to do with being effective as a defense investigator. How we feel about religion, politics, the
law, none of that matters in defense investigation and our responsibility to be fair and impartial advocates of the truth.
Criminal Defense Investigation is an art, as well as a science. The CCDI's ability to recognize, and anticipate things like
investigator bias, and other things that we may be partial to, or prefer, is one of the first and most important things that
must be mastered in order to be effective as a CCDI."

Everett [WA] defense investigator stripped of license
(contributed by Ryan Johnston of Colorado Private Investigations in CO)
Snohomish County (WA) defense investigator Michael Powers must surrender his license and retire, in exchange for
having felony charges of witness tampering dropped, according to new court records. Powers was accused of crossing a
legal and ethical line when he strongly hinted to a Monroe assault victim that he could be deported, if he showed up to
court to testify. Under an agreement that was reached in October, Powers admitted there’s sufficient evidence to prove
the crime, and he agreed to give up his license permanently.
-- read the full story at www.heraldnet.com/news/everett-defense-investigator-stripped-of-license

(and there is more to Michael Powers – contributed by Associates in Forensic Investigations in CO)
In the initial story Powers questioned the assault victim a second time, in the presence of the defense attorney,
prosecutor and a victim advocate – the only objections were by the prosecutor, not his client – the defense attorney.
www.heraldnet.com/news/everett-defense-investigator-accused-of-witness-tampering

As disturbing (maybe more) was this unethical and illegal activity in 2008...
"At least once before, Prosecutor Mark Roe considered criminal charges against Powers for an incident in 2008, when
Powers sent text messages to a teenage sex abuse victim, pretending to be the ex-principal who was charged with
raping her. Powers was trying to persuade her to meet with the defense team. Court records show no felony charges
were filed against Powers in that case."
www.heraldnet.com/news/judge-dismisses-warrant-for-ex-principal

"If there is no licensing, this ramification for these actions are not there, so how many others would be tempted to act in
the same manner, just to get the results that their client wants." – Ryan Johnston

“This shows without the licensing statute this would have solely fallen on the attorney and criminal side only. This second
story shows, even a decade later, he must not have taken things serious.” – Dean A. Beers, CLI

Professional licensing, including Private Investigators, is for the mutual protection of the public, clients, and
investigators. In this example, states with licensing (all but AK, ID, MS, ND & WY) typically have a standard requirement
for a licensee to disclose any prior disciplinary action in any jurisdiction; and, suspension or revocation may result in the
denial of a new license in a new state.