The Private Investigator: Then and Now
The story of the Private Investigator is a tale of two cities: Glasgow and Chicago. The Godfather of all P.I.’s was born in Glasgow on August 25th, 1819. His name was Alan Pinkerton.
Pinkerton was the son of a police officer and grew up in an area called the Gorbals.
In the Nineteenth century the Gorbals was the roughest part of the roughest city in Europe. As a young man he was an active member of the Chartist movement.
The Chartists were radical social reformers who often found themselves on the wrong side of the law. Numerous sources claim that an arrest warrant had been issued for Pinkerton which prompted him to emigrate to America in 1842, on the day after his marriage.
In any case, after a brief stint with the Chicago police force, he founded, in 1850, The Pinkerton National Detective Agency. It was the first private detective agency in America. Their slogan was, ” We Never Sleep. ” and their logo was the unblinking eye, which is where the term ” Private Eye ” was formed.
Pinkerton virtually wrote the bible for all other P.I.’s to follow. Many techniques and strategies we take for granted today were invented by Pinkerton; including what he called Shadowing (Surveillance) and Role Playing (Undercover Work). He also created the forerunner of the U.S. Secret Service and a national criminal database that became the foundation of the FBI.
The Pinkerton Agency, after 160 years, is still extremely active today with offices all over the world. It is now part of the Swedish giant Securitas, one of the world’s largest provider of security services.
Today’s Private Investigators have inherited a rich legacy from “Pinkerton’s Men” although instead of tracking down train robbers and outlaw gangs they are much more likely to be tracing missing people or missing millions. From background checks, due diligence and asset tracing to surveillance on a high profile divorce case, the role of a PI differs from day to day.
There are many misconceptions surrounding modern P.I.’s. This isn’t helped by the fact that what a P.I. is allowed to do, legally, varies enormously from country to country. In some countries they can be armed, in others not. The regulations governing the licensing of P.I.’s is in some cases non-existent and there are parts of the world where anyone can become a registered P.I. with no training or experience.
At Priavo Security all of our investigative operatives come from a background of military intelligence, police force or other government agencies. They bring with them decades of rigourous training and invaluable on-the-job experience.
We judge each assignment on a case-by-case basis to provide appropriate and lasting solutions. It has been said that computers have replaced shoe leather in the world of P.I.’s. We like to think there is still room for both.