In the private eye world, investigators aim to leave 'no stones unturned.' Meet two New York City pros in the business.

By Maria Castro and Susan Lee

For more than a year, a private investigating company had been looking for John Doe to serve him with legal documents, but nothing they did was successful. Doe, not his real name, passed undetected by the company searching him until John Fitzgerald Jr. of Orion Associates said he could find him. Fitzgerald was not joking. His team took over and they found Doe at a hotel within 14 hours of his arrival in New York City .

The secret was not exactly pure luck. It was rather the team’s persistence and experience in legally invading other people’s privacy. They use technology (cameras, polygraph machines, the Internet), they follow people by car or on foot, in the train or on the bus, and they have lots and lots of contacts everywhere. Orion Associates is a group of private investigators dedicated to find the unfound by, as Fitzgerald said, “leaving no stones unturned.”

But with private investigator Anthony Pellicano scheduled to go on trial on April 18, charged with conspiracy to wiretap in Hollywood for his work investigating celebrities and others, private investigators are reminded that their jobs have some limits and sometimes, some stones just can’t be turned.

Fitzgerald, who after 30 years of working for the New York City Police Department, retired to open his own investigation company, said he prefers his company to be bound by the legality of everything, leaving his team with some limitations.

“I always say that we must standup to scrutiny in whatever we do because what we do tonight can be reviewed tomorrow by the Police Department, the district attorney and any civilian who wants to review our work,” said Fitzgerald. “We cannot promise something we can’t deliver, do something illegal or mislead our clients.”

Therefore, his team doesn’t break into places, they don’t tape conversations if the people involved are not aware of the recording and they don’t physically restrain anyone. “You are just not allowed,” said Fitzgerald.

Fitzgerald said that in order for his team to take a case, they first have to verify that the person hiring them has a legitimate justified reason to look for someone.

“We try to find as much about the story of why someone is being sought. Then we do a computer search about the person being searched, almost all of us have a trail,” said Fitzgerald. “Then we talk to family members, friends, we find out about what they do for a living. Then we basically develop a picture of the person and predict their moves.”

Although 80 percent of his company’s cases are criminal or civil investigations that come to him from attorneys, he also has cases brought to him by private people. But when his company believes that someone is seeking their services for the wrong reasons, they simply don’t do the job.

Orion Associates charges $125 per hour and by their assessment of the case, the company determines the approximate number of hours required to solve a case. “Each case is a little different,” said Fitzgerald.

The practice of private investigation is becoming more and more popular across the nation. Fitzgerald started his company in November 2002, and opened his first office in Garden City, Long Island in May 2003. Within a year, he opened a second office in Manhattan , and he is not alone.

Skipp Porteous, founder of Sherlock Investigations, in New York, began his business only a few years ago, operating initially from his home. He expanded into an office on the Upper West Side, adding to his payroll a group of full-time staff members, who specialize in computer fraud, surveillance and missing person investigations.

In New York State, as of March 8, 2006 , there are 2,929 licensed private investigators, according to a Licensing Clerk at the New York State Division of Licensing Services, and the number keeps rising. The examination to become a private investigator is given every week at 12 locations in the state.

Although private investigation requires licensing in all states except Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Mississippi and South Dakota , the licensing process is not as demanding. Someone who wants to become a private eye must be at least 18 years old (in Florida, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Dakota) or 25 years old in other states such as New York or Connecticut, pass an exam and pay fees ranging from $79 (Arizona) to $282 (California) $550 (New York) or $1,200 (Connecticut). It’s not necessary to have previous law enforcement experience in many states, but no one with a criminal record is eligible anywhere.

Fitzgerald believes that what private investigation offers for many, especially retired cops, is that they can do more privately than what they once did in public.

“It’s sort of like you can have your cake and eat it too,” said Fitzgerald. “You can be retired and still play police in the private field. It’s not only fun. But it is rewarding. People come to you with problems and you solve them.”

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