Curious About Your Criminal Record in California?

Did you know that you can personally request a copy of your own criminal history here in California. The request is called a “Record Review” and it’s performed by the California Department of Justice. CA Penal Code sec. 1120-11127 allows you the opportunity to obtain a copy of your criminal record, if any, contained in the files of the California Bureau of Criminal Information and Analysis and refute any erroneous or inaccurate information contained therein. It can also help you answer questions about your past criminal history.

As a private investigator in Orange County, I’ve been asked a few times each year about how someone can find out what’s on their own record. The biggest concern individuals have is for employment reasons. Some just don’t want to “awake the beast”, worried there may be some unresolved issue buried in their record, thinking it’s best to just leave it alone. Whatever the reason is, if you’re here reading this blog then my guess is you’d like to know or at least have some clarity on where you stand.

Finding out what’s on your own record can give you peace of mind and could give you confidence when applying for employment, especially when applying for a government position. Remember, in California your employer or potential employer can only go back 7 years for criminal history. Note: Pending judgments can be reported, so if you have something that’s currently looming in the courts, it may be likely to appear. Additionally, employers can not ask an applicant to disclose any arrest or police detention that did not result in a conviction CA Labor Code 432.7 (a) and employment background companies can not report a record that didn’t result in a conviction CA Civil Code 1786.18.

Here’s how the process works. Visit the CA DOJ website and follow their instructions.

• Use the Live Scan Form (Form BCIA 8016RR, pdf)
• Check “Record Review” as the “Type of Application”.
• Enter “Record Review” on the “Reason for Application” line.
• Fill out all your personal information.
• Take the completed form to any Live Scan site for fingerprinting services.

Cost for requesting your own record is $25.00 plus a fingerprint fee. Fingerprints can be done at the local police or sheriff’s station. Record processing time is 2-3 days, some requests may take up to 2 weeks.

Ryan Garrahy is a state licensed private investigator specializing in civil, criminal and insurance related investigations. He is the owner and principal investigator for Orange Investigations.

Small Business Professionals: “We Can Get The Job Done”

Small Business Professionals To The Rescue!

As a customer, you want to see results. Moreover, you want to increase your profits and accomplish all your goals in a timely manner. With good quality services within customer’s timeline and budgets, small business professionals are a good alternative and often turn out to be a lot of more cost effective than hiring high-priced professionals from relatively larger businesses.

They say – “Bigger isn’t always better” and here’s the reason why…

Small business owners can achieve a taste of success just like bigger businesses do.

While it is challenging for small and private business professionals to compete against the large and global rivals, the more localized, innovative and customer-centric services by small business professionals gives them an edge over the competition.

The more service-oriented small business professionals ensure that the customer’s requirements are met and the business performance is achieved. No matter what!

But just how can small business professionals assist you better than the big guys?

Localized Services

Often, small businesses are localized and cater to customers in and around their office location. There are certain inherent advantages caused by this localization of business. Familiarity with nearby areas and people makes it easier for the professionals to get new contacts.

From the viewpoint of prospective customers, it is always easier to approach a known face than an unfamiliar entity. In field of private investigation, it is much easier to confide in a known individual than an unknown person from a big company.

Trained Small Business Professionals

The emergence of small businesses is complemented by the establishment of technical and vocational institutes offering job-oriented training programs. Candidates receive proper training and thereafter set up their independent businesses in various fields.

Some of the small businesses that require thorough training include security services, logistics, beauty treatment and allied activities, physiotherapy, automobile repairing, investigative services, and interior decorating. All these and many more services are undertaken by professionals who are adept and have proper infrastructure to offer support to their assignments.

However, you might want to check the qualifications and specific skill set of the small business professional you are working with.

Dennis Crowley co-founder and CEO Foursquare - Courtesy Entrepreneur

Informal yet Professional Approach

Difference in business approach is very distinctive between small business houses and the larger ones. As compared to the smooth and nearly informal approach in small business setups, the process is formal and time consuming in larger organizations. The formalities are limited and completed fast when dealing with small business professionals. Establishments being significantly small, you get the best attention while dealing with small business professionals.

• One important reason for this keen attention is the limited number of clients a small business professional has. Often, small business owners run their businesses on a higher risk level as their area of operation is not too well spread out.

• “A negative impact on the mind of a customer could lead to a bad reputation in the market.” To prevent this and to promote themselves as courteous organizations, small business professionals are usually amiable and helpful towards their customers.

• It is a known fact that a happy customer would bring in more customers, while an unhappy customer could completely destroy a professional’s growing business.

Private Investigator; Good Example of a Small Business Professional

You’ve seen it in the movies, the small business suite with the words “Private Investigator” etched in the window and in smaller fonts “By appointment only”. This is often cliché, but it’s true. Private investigators were meant to be small; meant to be niche.

Look at it from a government point of view. The State of California issues private investigators a personal license. This is not a company or corporation license, it’s specifically issued to that qualified person. The reason the State does this is to maintain the integrity in the service provided. The PI business was meant to be a small business operation, not some worldwide or nationwide conglomerate like some firms today. The intention of licensing one individual to one office location allows the public more specialized attention, keeping the investigator’s focus on local business, which in turn benefits the local private investigator and that community in which they serve.

For more information and statistics on small businesses, make sure to check out the Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy (a federal branch of government that represents small businesses here in America).

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Ryan Garrahy is a state licensed private investigator specializing in surveillance, background checks, locating individuals and workplace investigations. He is the owner & principal investigator for Orange Investigations.

Social Media: Your Private Life Made Public!

Social Media: Connecting People

It’s free, it’s easy and it’s the quickest way to stay CONNECTED online! Social media networking is quick infotainment bundled with excitement about sharing everything with your friends and family – what you’re doing, thinking, eating, drinking, buying and even where you’re going.

Private Investigators are now using social media as an investigative tool.

But, are you sure you are not “over-sharing”?

Many people don’t realize when they crossed the limit and shared more than they should have on a public forum. While many of us readily create and update our personal details, days schedule, likes, dislikes and contact information over social media sites, “Would it be okay for U.S. CIA director Leon Panetta or his wife to post their addresses, vacation photos, children’s’ names and other personal data on Facebook?” Robert Sicilliano, an Internet Security Analyst explains the underlying privacy issues here.

Well, every tweet, image, video, comment, or blog that you post is kind of a micro-chapter of your public profile that anyone can access online. Sure, you created it for your friends, family and colleagues but it is also out there for other people with less virtuous interests. Social media are prone to internet lurkers and are leading to a real world problem like virtual stalking.

Online Socializing isn’t a boon after all.

You receive a friend request or a friend suggestion from a friend or from friends of friends and you add them to your friend list without realizing what you are really getting into. You chat, share personal information, pictures and videos with other people which could later turn into a threat to your own privacy.

Much recently, a bunch of high school teachers were fired for flirting with their students on social media sites. These teachers “friended” some of their female students and took it off to another level by writing creepy comments and posting inappropriate photos on a public forum like Facebook, one of which even culminated into a sexual relationship between the teacher and the student.

Public-Private pendulum swung too far public

Is your boss on your friend list? These days, social media has emerged as a very common threat to employees in the corporate world. According to a new study, by Proofpoint, an Internet security firm, of companies with 1,000 or more employees, 17 percent of the reported issues were with employee’s use of social media. If your job is boring, think twice before making it public or you could be fired. And if you are staying back home on sick leave, you better refrain from appearing online because you never know your boss could deem it abuse of trust.

And Andrew Keen wrote in his book, The Cult of the Amateur, “Out of this anarchy, it suddenly became clear that what was governing the infinite monkeys now inputting away on the Internet was the law of digital Darwinism, the survival of the loudest and most opinionated. Under these rules, the only way to intellectually prevail is by infinite filibustering.”

So How Do I Protect Myself In The Age Of Social Networking?

Since Facebook and Twitter are the most popular and populated of the bunch, lets talk about your privacy on these two major social networking sites. As a Private Investigator in Orange County, I know how easy it is to obtain information while online. Checking social media is a great place to start when a PI wants to find out the goods on someone’s social lifestyle. Here’s a great article on Facebook privacy (with good reference pics & examples) titled “10 Privacy Settings Every Facebook User Should Know” written by Nick O’Neill.

Twitter can be a great outlet for sharing information “as it happens” but too often users post “tweets” they regret and very well could open up the door for a libel case if they spoke about someone in a bad light. It’s common sense, don’t say anything about anyone on Twitter if you wouldn’t say it to their face. Here’s an informative article about Twitter privacy titled “How to Protect Your Privacy on Twitter” written by Angus Kidman.

The OCPI Blog says “Stay Safe Out There, and Protect Your Privacy”!

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Ryan Garrahy is a state licensed private investigator specializing in surveillance, background checks, locating individuals and workplace investigations. He is the owner & principal investigator for Orange Investigations.

Google Tags: A “Golden Ticket” For Local Private Eyes?

The Low-Down On Google ‘Tags’

If you’re a business owner and you have an Internet connection then it’s likely you’ve heard of, or currently have a listing on Google Local (now called Google Places). It’s a great way to get local exposure for your business without incurring any extra advertising expense whatsoever. Now recently I’ve been noticing local private investigators here in Orange County using these little yellow “tags” (think of the Best Buy icon, just really tiny) to stand out from other listings. Last week I got an email from Google asking me to try out their new ‘Tags’ feature which charges you after a free trial.

The PI Business Isn’t Your Local Subway or Radio Shack

Private Investigations isn’t your average, everyday business you see ads for in the local community. Investigators planning on having a full time PI business often market in creative ways to keep a steady flow of cases coming in. Google Tags could be just the ticket for local PIs’ in terms of diversifying their advertising options. Private Investigators usually take to the internet and budget big for Google and other online services. Here’s some reasons why:

#1: Most Private Investigators don’t have big store fronts advertising their services.

#2: PIs are usually not going to have TV commercials or fliers talking about their products and services.

#3: There’s not a nationwide PI franchise business with all the bells and whistles ready to rock-n-roll (well, not that I know of).

Is Google Using Familiar Branding To Help Reel In Clients?

At first glance, the Google Tags logo has a striking similarity to Best Buy’s yellow & blue price tag badge. It’s good branding to cash in on because it’s already well known and research has shown that getting buyers in the mood to purchase will reinforce the sale.

Doing a Google search for both “Private Investigations Orange County” and “Orange County Private Investigator” resulted in 10 private investigation businesses listed within a 12 square mile radius; 3 had those yellow tags, and yes those businesses did stand out a little more than those without the tags. One thing I liked about the click-able Google Tags are the added text next to it that says “Visit Our Website”. that appears when you hover over the icon. It also places a little yellow tag on the map and when you hover over it, the icon displays some extra info. This seems like an added benefit for a pretty reasonable price.

Google Places “Tags” is available to business owners who have set up a Google Local Account (now called Google Places). I know in the past Google has given out coupons for $50 and $100 dollars for Google Ad Words (new accounts only), so I wouldn’t be surprised if they do the same with “Tags”, even after you’ve used up your initial free account. I also found a good unbiased review from SmallBizTrends.com (an award winning small business blog) called “Google Rolls Out Local Tags: Should You Care?” by Lisa Barone.

So the final question would be “Does the new Google Tags make the phone ring for Orange County PIs’? Or is it too early to tell? Weigh in your thoughts on the blog. I’d like to hear from local investigators on how this is working for them as well as local business owners.

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Ryan Garrahy is a state licensed private investigator specializing in surveillance, background checks, locating individuals and workplace investigations. He is the owner & principal investigator for Orange Investigations.

Searching Online Court Records Could Cost You In Riverside

This is a response to the new Riverside County Superior Court online case access website.

Click Here For Riverside County Court Online Case Access

Click Here To Read “Procedural Fee Change Notice” (Eff. July 1, 2010)

Riverside County Superior Courthouse Photo - Quick Fact: This Spanish mission influenced building was completed in 1904 for a total cost of $160,280.

A PI’s Perspective On Searching Records

As an Orange County Private Investigator who specializes in due diligence background investigations, I know first hand how important it is to have California court information readily available. In the past, searching for court records used to be performed manually. That meant the court researcher or private investigator would either call up the courthouse or drive down to hall of records and research what was on the record(s). Today, most record research can be searched, ordered and printed straight from the investigator’s laptop (or iPad if you’re a savvy PI).

Online Case Access; Usually Free But Limited

Just about all of California’s 58 superior courts have “online case access”. Since about 2004, California courts have started scanning their case files, newest to oldest, with increasing availability to the public. Think of online case access as a broad term, with room for interpretation. Some courts have lots of info online, some just have a summary. But good news is, most are free to search.

Virtually all courts allow searching by NAME, BUSINESS NAME, CASE NUMBER OR CITATION NUMBER. Some of the small county courts in northern California have very limited online access and most records must be obtained in person, via fax or requests sent by US Mail. LA County Superior Court is one of the only courts in California to charge an access fee to look up court records (and a user account is required as well).

Quick Tip: This “pocket guide” is great tool for navigating the CA Public Records Act.

Riverside Online Records Website Has Improved Design & Better Navigation

So now that you have a little background on California court record searches, I’d like to speak about my experience with the new Riverside County Court online records website. Recently, I accessed Riverside County’s website to look up a series of names for a client of mine. I immediately noticed that the website had a “face-lift” (large blue fonts, easier to navigate and not always “down for maintenance”).

When accessing the main page, the user is directed to choose either “Civil Records” or “Criminal Records”. Civil records includes Riverside Civil & Small Claims, Countywide Probate and Riverside County Family Law cases. Criminal records searches include arrests, convictions and traffic citations. Quick Note: DUI’s are criminal arrests and will not be shown under traffic citations.

Overall, the experience accessing this county’s online records is MUCH better than before. Riverside County online records seemed to be down for maintenance a lot. Haven’t seen it down once since they rolled out the new design.

Riverside County to charge $1.00 for "name access". Orange County Superior Court still offers free case access.

Court To Charge $1.00 For Each “Name Search”

Lets say you’re interested in checking out your boss or your next door neighbor’s potential criminal past. Before July 1, 2010 you would have been able to check anonymously and without being charged a dime. But now the County of Riverside has decided on charging the public (law enforcement exempt) to access both civil and criminal cases in Riverside’s online case access website. But, if you have a “Case Number” you won’t be charged the dollar access fee per search (I guess they really aren’t that cruel after all). On a separate note, Orange County Superior Court’s website still offers free online access to an array civil, criminal and family law cases along with an award winning website to do it with.

As a private detective, searching online case access is a good place to start. But remember some data can have inaccuracies. Sometimes just hoofing it down to the local courthouse (or having your friendly investigator do that for you) can reveal new information and shine a light on some new evidence. As far as the new fees, I feel the public shouldn’t have to pay the extra dollar per search. Their tax dollars are already invested into our very costly court system, with judges currently making about $160k  per year and sheriff deputy bailiffs’ making about $75k per year with overtime. Click here to view the County of Riverside Board of Supervisors pay chart.

Here’s The Low-Down on Pricing:

Imaged Civil Documents Online – The cost for viewing or printing civil court documents available on the Internet will be lowered to $1 per page for the first five pages, $.40 per page after five pages, with a cap of $40 per document.

$1 for 1 search | $3.50 for 5 searches | $5 for 10 searches | $25 for 75 searches.

Individuals or entities may pay a flat fee of $250 per month for unlimited case access.

Criminal defendants will continue to have access to their criminal case at no charge.

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Ryan Garrahy is a state licensed private investigator in Orange County specializing in surveillance, background checks, locating individuals and workplace investigations. He is the owner & principal investigator for Orange Investigations.