Page 18 - NCISS Your Advocate September-Summer 2021

Association News, Member News and News for Members

➢ PI Magazine – Continued Top Writer and Contributor Award
Congratulations to Wes Bearden, CEO and Chairman of Bearden Investigative Agency, for receiving the award for
continued top writer and contributor to PI Magazine!

➢ Remembering Professional Investigators Day – Debunking Myths
th
Since 2014 July 24 has been recognized as Professional Investigators Day in honor of the birthday of Eugene Francois
Vidocq, the very first Private Investigator who founded the first known detective agency in 1833 – and our profession is
a 24/7 adventure.

This year the theme was “Debunking Myths”, but first – some history…
The first Private Investigators Day was recognized in October 1996 by Bob
Mackowiak - then publisher and editor of PI Magazine; the day faded after
2002. Beginning in 2014, in order to make the public more aware of the
important roles that Private Investigators play in society, Arthur Athas -
owner/director of 'Private Investigators Now' (Melbourne, Australia)
approached Dean and Karen Beers to help reinvigorate this effort to
recognize professional Private Investigators worldwide every year
(www.DeathCaseReview.com/national-pi-day). Since that time, and each
year, this day has become more recognized. Thank you Bob Mackowiak for
starting this day, Arthur Ashe for making it international, and all our
friends, colleagues, and clients for growing it every year!

On a side note, PI Magazine has grown to its third owners – Jim Nanos and Nicole Cusanelli, who
took over from Jimmie and Rosemarie Mesis after Bob’s start up. The current issue of PI Magazine
(www.PIMagazine.com) features Bob and ‘PI Magazine – The Beginning’. Take a look! Did you know
Bob was not a “PI”? His profession was in public relations for a medical facility, and seeing there was
no publication for PIs, took it upon himself (and his family) to start the publication which has been a
positive influence for over 30 years! Names you know today were given starts by Bob to write
articles – Kelly Riddle, Brandon Perron, Dean Beers, Jeff Rataiczak, Buddy Bombet (now passed) and
many more… who are all friends with Bob today.

Back to our theme, “Debunking Myths”…
In recent years we have all seen regulations and legislation continued to be enacted based on myths, or bad actors
making truths of those myths and casting a dark shadow on our profession. Professional Investigators play key roles in
our justice system. We thank our friend and colleague in Miami, Marc Hurwitz (Crossroads Investigations –
https://xinvestigations.com) who recently published an excellent article entitled, “Debunked: Common Myths About
Private Investigators”:
“When you hear the terms “private investigator” or “detective,” we're sure a certain image appears in your head.
Whether it's an older man smoking in a dim office, or a beautiful young woman dressed in leather pants at the
scene of a crime, private investigator stereotypes in pop culture persist. The reality is that private investigators
are from all walks of life and investigate a broad range of matters. It’s not always glamorous or even exciting,
either.“

➢ FALI Members Show Positive Side of PIs (Amy O’Rourke – FALI Executive Director)
Business Observer (04/01/2021) - Private investigators overcome pandemic-era obstacles
You’ve seen them in old black-and-white movies — hardscrabble private investigators who do whatever it takes to break
the case. Check out this article from the Business Observer featuring three FALI members - great representation of the
professionalism and integrity of the PI profession Rick Root (FALI President), Mark Aubin, and Walt Zalisko!
-- continued at www.businessobserverfl.com/article/private-investigators-overcome-pandemic-era-obstacles

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