In most felony cases, Criminal Defense Attorneys and their clients benefit substantially from having an experienced defense investigator, such as myself.  I objectively review the discovery in the case, meet with the attorney, and come up with an investigative plan.

My 33 years as a Criminal Investigator enable me to:

-Know what the Detective(s) should do on a case and what they should not do on a case.

-Know how to interview witnesses, assess their credibility, and obtain additional information not contained in police reports.

-Know how to accurately document witness interviews.

-Develop and locate additional witnesses not listed in the police reports.

-Review discovery to assess the strength of the government’s case and find areas of the case that could benefit from further investigation.

-Know when a law enforcement agency investigation is flawed or incomplete.

-Know what should be done forensically with evidence and what forensic processing was not done with evidence.

-Assist with interviewing and obtaining information from a client, as well as pursuing investigative leads provided by the client.

-Assist with interviewing victims in coordination with the Prosecutor’s Office.

I recommend the www.simplisafe.com home security system. It costs $25.00 per month for outstanding 24/7 home monitoring.  The peace of mind the system gives is priceless, especially when you live in a rural area where the law enforcement response time to your 911 call of “Someone is breaking into my home” is going to be 30 minutes or longer and in that time, things can get really ugly.  If the www.simplisafe.com alarm is tripped at any of the sensor points, the Simplisafe monitoring center, the bad guys, and your neighbors will hear it instantly and very clearly.  If you are not home when the attempted intrusion occurs, the SimpliSafe app on your smart phone will alert you anywhere in the world as long as you have network connectivity.

I have had several recent calls about people returning from trips of weeks or months only to find their home has been broken into, thousands of dollars in valuables have been stolen, and the thieves took their time in the home, knowing that people were out of town and the police are far away.  Until and unless your home is broken into, you cannot relate to the feelings that result from such an intrusion into your home.   A Simplisafe alarm system would have prevented these incidents.

Other home security strategies such as dogs, lights, motion sensors and firearms all fit nicely with a Simplisafe home security system.

I am not being paid by www.simplisafe.com to endorse their product, but I really feel strongly about letting people know how it can make their lives better.

Getting a video door bell at www.Ring.com is one of the best uses of $200.00 for your home and your personal security available.  It allows you to easily answer your door from anywhere you are, using your smart phone or tablet.  It allows you to see who is at your door from anywhere you are using your smart phone or tablet.  It allows you to automatically capture on video anyone who is at your door and any activity that occurs in the range of your front door.  It can be installed in about 45 minutes, and there is not a monthly monitoring fee.

When a criminal comes to your door to plan a burglary of your home, or to steal a package from your door step,  you will have them on video.  And if they see that you have a Ring door bell, they are more likely to not try to victimize you. If you do not know who is at your front door, you can talk to them thru your smart phone or tablet using the www.Ring.com door bell and they will not know where you are.

I have had the system at my home for about 4 years and highly recommend that everyone have one at their home. For more information, check out the website where you will see videos of criminals coming to people’s front doors and crimes being stopped by the Ring door bell.

In this blog post, I will show how to detect a scam.

If you receive an e-mail asking for any personal information, such as an account number, Social Security number, or date of birth, do not respond or provide your personal information.  These are examples of criminals trying to commit identity theft  and/or gain access to your financial accounts to steal from you.

If you receive an e-mail from what appears to be a legitimate financial institution like Wells Fargo Bank or Bank America, asking you to confirm your account number or Social Security Number, do not respond, as this is a scam.

If you receive an e-mail from a supposed charity, asking for money, or telling you that if you send them money, they will send you more money  do not respond, as this is a scam.

If you receive a pre-recorded call from someone saying that they are from the IRS and you owe money for back taxes, this is a scam.  The IRS will not call you.  They will write you a letter.

If you receive a pre-recorded call from someone saying that you owe money, do not give them any personal information. This is most likely a scam.

If someone comes to your door, at your home, and tries to get you to give them money for a charity, be very careful to determine that they are legitimately from the charity and not scammers trying to steal your money.

If you receive any unsolicited calls or e-mails asking for personal information from you, do not provide your personal information.  This is most likely a scam.  Your bank or other legitimate financial institutions will not call you or email you asking for your personal information unless you initiated contact with them first.

If presented with any of these situations and are unsure, contact me before you make a move and I can help you.

As the fastest growing crime in America, you could become a victim of identity theft. My advice to you is first of all, remain calm and get your documentation organized. Then take the following steps:

1. Contact the three major credit reporting bureaus which are: Transunion, Equifax and Experian.   Request a “credit freeze” and a “fraud alert” which will last for 7 years. The credit freeze will literally freeze your credit and not allow any credit to be extended in your name or accounts opened in your name without you authorizing it in advance and your identity being verified. The “fraud alert” will allow no credit to be extended in your name without verification of your identity in advance. All this is best done on line.
2. Update all your on-line passwords with complex passwords containing at least 9 characters, numbers, and symbols for your financial accounts. (Do not do this from your phone using public Wi-Fi.)
3. Check with the financial institutions you have accounts with to insure your account has not been compromised.
4. Make a report with the Police and the Postal Inspector for the United States Postal Service.
5. Request a current credit report from all three credit reporting bureaus listed above to see what accounts are open in your name.
6. Don’t expect the Police or the Postal Inspector to aggressively investigate your case, or to do any investigation at all.   You pretty much need to be your own investigator or contact me and I can help you.

Mail theft in Sequim and Port Angeles has become a significant problem. There are a few things you can do to make it much less likely that you will be a victim of Mail theft:

1) Get a locking mail box. Home Depot carries them and with installation, the cost will be around $200.00.

2) “Go paperless” with your financial statements which means you do not receive a paper copy in the mail but instead receive an electronic copy of all your financial statements.

3) Open up a P.O. Box at the Post Office or purchase a commercial mail box at the UPS Store and have your mail sent there if you do not want to go paperless with your financial statements.

4) Do not put outgoing mail in your mail box for pick-up by the letter carrier. The red flag you raise on your mail box is an invitation to a Mail thief to come steal your outgoing Mail.

Sequim, WA is a great place to live.  The climate is mild, the snow-capped mountains and the waters of Puget Sound offer beautiful vistas as far as the eye can see.  Sequim is a wonderful small town with small town values.  The people are nice, friendly, and helpful.  But Sequim is not immune to the problems of bigger cities.  There have been numerous recent examples of financial scams in Sequim perpetrated by those who would separate people from their money.

Just a few weeks ago, there were several young men going to people’s homes in different Sequim, WA neighborhoods asking for money to help the troops fighting in the Middle East.  When asked for identification, they said that their organization did not use identification to keep the identity of the donors confidential. They also asked if neighbors were home and what their schedules were.

It turns out that these guys were trying to steal donations intended for our troops and to burglarize homes when the owners were not there.

Please note that legitimate charities for troop donations, like www.anysoldier.com or www.soldiersangels.org do not solicit donations door to door.

Please note also that anyone soliciting money from you at the front door of your home is violating a City of Sequim ordinance.

I strongly recommend that all North Olympic Peninsula businesses have a pre-employment background investigation conducted before they hire someone, regardless of the business.

I can complete a pre-employment investigation for you which will include a criminal background check, and a check for bankruptcies, liens, judgments, and foreclosures. I can complete the investigation in two business days. What you spend for this is well worth the peace of mind and the grief it can save you down the road if you make a bad hiring decision. The new hire candidate does not have to consent to the investigation.

Please call me at 360-477-4845 or e-mail me at haney.inv.service@gmail.com.

Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in the U.S. Seniors are especially vulnerable.

Here are some things to do to prevent yourself from being a victim:

• Get a locking mail box that meets USPS standards.
• Put a “fraud alert” on your credit by contacting any of the three major credit reporting agencies (Experian, Transunion, Equifax).  This is free to you and lasts 7 years. It will prevent anyone but you from using your credit.
• Install a router or have one installed on your home network.
• Check your credit report every six months for unauthorized activity.
• You can get a free credit report once a year from any of the three major credit reporting agencies.
• Use passwords on your computer with at least 8 characters and mix in symbols and numbers.  Better yet, use a password manager.
• Don’t do on-line banking on your mobile phone.
• Contact me to do a background investigation on people who are coming into your home such as caregivers.