PI Blotter: Private Investigator Calls 911 on Councilman

• August 29, 2012
• by PInow Staff
• In the News

Each week PInow combs the web for the latest and most interesting industry news stories to bring you the Weekly Private Investigator Blotter.

Big Businesses Use Covert Private Investigators

ENGLAND – Employers in London and other major cities are facing a cash crunch as the number of insurance and banking jobs has been dropping for eighteen months now. As a result, many businesses are using private investigators to conduct surveillance in order to get rid of unwanted, unethical, or unproductive workers. Companies are hiring private investigators to go undercover and gather intel so that workers can be fired without the case causing a costly court battle. For example, last year investigator Andrew Cross of Answers Investigation conducted surveillance as a sandwich vendor to catch a City recruitment manager who had illegally downloaded company information. Cross says that he has been getting more calls from businesses and employers eager to identify unethical and fraudulent employees.

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Railway Union Hired Private Investigators

ISRAEL – In the past year and a half, the Israel Railways union gathered NIS 2.5 million from members and now that the current leadership is leaving, questions are being raised about where that money went. According to a report by a labor federation, some of that money went towards private investigators in order to check up on employees. The investigators allegedly were hired to do surveillance work on two workers because the two employees were suspected of eavesdropping and working with management. Another NIS 65,000 was spend on private investigators after allegations were made that a train executive sexually harassed a worker. If this is true, the union could be in trouble, since the union has no authority to launch investigations of its employees.

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National Labor Relations Board Decision Could Affect Employee Investigations

HORSHAM, PA – A recent National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) decision serves to get rid of wide-ranging confidentiality policies that affect internal investigations in cases where workers are accused of misconduct. According to experts, the NLRB decision will require HR professionals and employers to document their reasons for demanding employee confidentiality in investigations. The decision was made after a case at Banner Health System, where an employee complained that the employer’s blanket confidentiality policy prevented the employee from discussing a current investigation into alleged misconduct. The NLRB sided with the employee, stating that in such cases blanket confidentiality violated Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act.

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Private Investigator Calls 911 on Councilman

COSTA MESA, CA – Chris Lanzillo, a California private investigator, contacted the police to report his suspicions that Councilman Jim Righeimer was driving under the influence. That police call led some to allege that Lanzillo was hired to investigate Righeimer, an allegation that the private investigator denies. According to Lanzillo, he was on an assignment – not related to the Councilman – when he saw Righeimer getting into his vehicle and according to Lanzillo, he appeared drunk. Righeimer has stated that he believes he was targeted by the private investigator. 

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Congressional Candidate Spent Tens of Thousands of Dollars on Private Investigators

PROVIDENCE, RI – Anthony Gemma, a Congress candidate, reportedly spent $40,000 on Rhode Island private investigators to find out information about U.S. Rep. David Cicilline, an opponent in the race. Gemma has admitted the spending and has stated that the money made sense since he was investigating any possible link between Cicilline and voter fraud. 

Forecasts for CCTV Market Suggest Surveillance in Asia is Booming

ASIA – Research and Markets recently released a report finding that the video surveillance industry is expanding rapidly across the globe, especially in Asia, amid concerns about safety and security. In the industry, the fastest growing segment is the mobile video surveillance market. 

To read the full article, click here.

For more private investigator news highlights, click here to check out the in-the-news archives.