Investigating with Half a Deck

The lead investigator for Mass. State Police that looked into the death of Seth Bishop announced yesterday that he never received the reports he asked for from the Braintree PD and without their information he had no choice but to rule the death accidental. The only witness to the shooting by Amy Bishop of her brother was their mother, the director of personnel for the city of Braintree. Perhaps the Braintree PD felt that if they did their jobs they'd be out of a job.

But, what is really clear is that commencing an investigation with limited information and resources is really just playing with half a deck. The information you need to uncover, may not actually be in the deck, no matter how many times you try to find it. Without being able to access that information, your investigation is more form than function.

Information that can turn a case or impact an election is often out there waiting to be found. But, too often the investigator may only have a half a deck to work with either because of budgetary reasons, or a client's fear of being seen negatively for unleashing an investigator. They may only want the investigator to stop after reviewing court filings, for fear that talking to people who have information will get back to the other side. (In truth, I don't see a down side to the other side learning that you are working full bore-- let them know that you play for keeps).

Yes, budgets matter. But the best way to ensure that your investigation is fruitful, is to put the budget into the efforts most likely to yield usable information. To do this, create an investigation wish list, then weigh out the pros and cons of each component of the wish list. Cover the basics first, then determine the most fruitful areas to pursue with the remaining resources. You can't be cost effective without being effective!