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Happy New Year - Make 2017 Your Best - AFI-LLC Newsletter January 2017

1/2/2017

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May 2017 be your best year and the foundation for more successful years!
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It seems 2016 went by pretty quick - that happens when life and business are busy - and 2016 was definitely so!

Our family grew by one more grandson, our third grandson and fourth grandchild - Lincoln Kyle was born May 3rd and, like his sister (Jacee Sue) and cousins (Gage Alan and Cash Michael) has brought much joy to us.

Karen completed her first anniversary as the Administrative Manager for the World Association of Detectives. Dean became president of the National Council of Investigation & Security Services in April, and is now in the last quarter of his one-year term.

Our agency has a focus on Legal Investigations and Expert Consultations in Personal Injury, Negligence & Death in Civil, Criminal and Probate litigation - and 2016 was a very busy year. We also provide consultations direct to families, or through their attorneys or private investigators, and we were able to help many families in finding a direction for answers and closure in the tragic losses of their loved ones.

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PPIAC Presents: Digital Evidence 101
Jan 19, or Jan 30, or Feb 10, 2017
Find your session on the calendar and register
 
The Professional Private Investigators Association of Colorado (PPIAC) is sponsoring an educational seminar, entitled “Digital Evidence 101,” of potential interest to both investigators and attorneys.
 
Computers, cellphones, Web sites, social media, electronic gadgets, and the like store a wealth of information about people and their activities. This information is playing an increasingly important role in many cases. However, it’s also drastically underutilized, often because many attorneys and investigators aren’t as comfortable with technology as they’d like to be … or should be in today’s digital world.
 
This 2-hourpresentation is designed for a non-technical audience.
 
Register here - http://ppiac.org/calendar

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IN THIS NEWSLETTER: 
-- Make 2017 Your Best!
-- PPIAC Presents: Digital Evidence 101
-- Agency News and Updates
  - Does Drug Addiction Increase Chance of Suicide?
  - Time is Money - Multi-Tasking is Time Recovered
  - What is the value of hiring a PI for background checks and investigations?
  - False Confession and Accusations
  - Scene Investigations - Conducting vs. Completing the Investigative Process
  - GIMG.tv Facts & Forensics
-- Tidbits from Our Profession
  - Upcoming association conferences
-- Associations and News of our Profession
 - News from PPIAC, NALI, NCISS and WAD, and your association news!
-- From the News

  - How to Hide $400 Million
  - Texas Third Court of Appeals reverses conviction and orders acquittal in Williamson County murder case
-- Closing Thoughts - Prosper in 2017!
-- AND MORE! 

Together We're Better - Together We Make the Difference!

Associates in Forensic Investigations LLC is a Rocky Mountain West Agency owned by Dean A. Beers, CLI, CCDI and Karen S. Beers, BSW, CCDI.

We provide Expert Consultations and Legal Investigations of Personal Injury, Negligence & Death in Civil, Criminal and Probate litigation. We are Subject Matter Experts in Equivocal Death Investigation and Analysis, Medicolegal Investigations of Death and Serious Bodily Injury.

Based in the Rocky Mountain West, we provide expert consultations nationally. Learn details at 
www.DeathCaseReview.com

Here is a video explaining what we do and why - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgsvtbSk8fg 

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Commentary from the blog archives of AFI-LLC - www.deathcasereview.com/afi-llc-blog.html
Keep up with the current events of our agency and profession through our blog.  Dating back to the fall of 2011, there are dozens of articles, tips and resources for professional investigators.
 
Does Drug Addiction Increase Chance of Suicide? (from 7/23/2016)
We are pleased to include this guest commentary...
 
Of all reported suicides, over 50% are associated with dependence upon drugs and alcohol. In teens and young adults, this figure increases to over 70%. The relationship between substance abuse and suicide is complex, but those who suffer are not beyond help.
 
Why Substance Abuse and Suicide Are Correlated
As separate issues, both substance abuse and suicidal ideations are serious and must be properly addressed with medical professionals. However, these two issues are often intertwined, and researchers have tried to parse out their complex relationship. There are a number of reasons for the co-occurrence of substance abuse and suicidal behaviors, which may include:
 
Continued at www.deathcasereview.com/afi-llc-blog/does-drug-addiction-increase-chance-of-suicide
 
Time is Money - Multi-Tasking is Time Recovered (from 12/3/2016)
Time, education, training and experience are the key to the success of every professional - and professional investigators are one of the unique professions for this - together with attorneys, doctors, accountants and others.
 
We strive for more education and training, each passing day is another day of experience.  However, time is a commodity which is a constant - it passes and renews each day.  Time is never shorter or longer - unless we waste it or creatively make time our partner. Our time is either productive or not; billable or not.
 
Over the last 29 years we have seen many time-savers come and go.  Some save time, others seem to take more time.  From templates to texting, for better or for worse, technology is with us and impacts us 24/7. When Dean started the agency, in 1987, he had an answering machine which notified a beeper and then he used payphones or courtesy phones to return calls from the field. Later would come a fax and text paging - then email, followed by cell phones and mobile computing. By 1995 a complete mobile office as needed and Dean had mobile technology before law enforcement. From late 2012 through early 2015, while traveling in our RV, we learned how to be more mobile, more paperless, and more creative with our time.
 
Continued at www.deathcasereview.com/afi-llc-blog/time-is-money-multi-tasking-is-time-recovered

What is the value of hiring a PI for background checks and investigations? (12/9/2011)
Over the years it has been increasingly easy for the private citizen to check the backgrounds of other individuals at little to no cost.  In many states various public records have been made more available directly, or by data services reselling data.  At the same time there have been more restrictions on records that can be accessed, often requiring a PI license, or redacted considerably or completed banned from access.  One record that is easy and free, in most jurisdictions and via online sources are the sex offender registrations - from local to national.
 
Continued at www.deathcasereview.com/afi-llc-blog/what-is-the-value-of-hiring-a-pi-for-background-checks-and-investigations
 
False Confession and Accusations (2/24/2012)
Karen's third published article and second for www.PursuitMag.com
To most of us, false confessions and accusations seem completely unfathomable. The first couple of questions that come to mind are, “Why would anyone admit to a crime that he/she did not commit?” and “Why would anyone knowingly accuse a person of a crime he/she did not commit?”
 
Continued at www.deathcasereview.com/afi-llc-blog/false-confession-and-accusations
 
Scene Investigations - Conducting vs. Completing the Investigative Process (2/29/2012)
As investigators we get the opportunity to investigate all aspects of a case.  Sometimes
 
a case may require some scene work.  Even if at first it appears that the case does not require a visit to the scene, if you have the opportunity, it is always recommended to go back where the event first began.  Whether the case involves a death, a motor vehicle accident, or some type of crime, take the extra time, go that extra mile and visit the scene.  You might be surprised once you visit the scene to find out that something could not have occurred the way the witness, victim or police officer claims.  It is best not to rely on others to do the work you need to do yourself.  You are the investigator, and someone is depending on you to see, hear, and get an overall feel of what the scene was like.
 
Continued at www.deathcasereview.com/afi-llc-blog/scene-investigating

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Global Investigators Media Group (GIMG.tv) with Facts & Forensics
Each month Dean host a podcast featuring topical information in the areas of legal investigations and forensic investigations.  He is joined by his wife and business partner, Karen for 'Conversations with Karen' on special topics of interest.  Dean closes each episode with a 'Special Guest' who is an expert in a forensic specialty.  Tune in this, and every, month!

All shows are posted at http://gimg.tv

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Expert Affiliations
We believe that medicolegal investigation and consultation is a team effort.  Stephen Cina MD, Harold Schueler PhD, and our agency are affiliated as experts in our respective fields offering our clients comprehensive medicolegal services.


Dr. Cina has returned to Colorado and is the former Chief Medical Examiner of a large metropolitan area in the upper mid-west.  Dr. Schueler is the Chief Forensic Toxicologist of a large mid-Atlantic metropolitan area.
 
Contact our office to consult on medicolegal death and injury causation.  The CVs of both Dr. Cina and Dr. Schueler are available by Contacting Us 
 
We are proud of our working relationship with Dr. Cina, since 2002 and Dr. Schueler since 2010.


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TIDBITS FROM OUR PROFESSION
Upcoming conferences and meetings from associations:
NCISS (March - see below) - 2017 41st Annual Meeting / Hit the Hill

NALI
- 2017 Mid-Winter Conference January 26-28, 2017 at Bahia Resort in San Diego, CA

- 2017 50th Anniversary Annual Conference June 8-10, 2017 at Embassy Suites Alexandria Hotel, Alexandria, VA

WAD -
2017 WAD Mid-Term Meeting April 2nd to April 4th in Miami South Beach FL

TALI
- 2017 North Texas Midwinter Seminar will be held at the Hurst Conference Center, February 10th, 2017.  Click here for Details and Registration.
- 2017 Houston Midwinter Seminar will be held at the Embassy Suites Energy Corridor, February 20th, 2017.  Click here for Details and Registration.
- 2017 Annual Conference will be held in San Antonio (August 2017) - Dean is speaking on Death / Murder Investigations

FALI -
2017 Annual Conference from May 4th to May 6th at Cocoa Beach - Dean is giving a full-day pre-conference seminar on Death Investigation (included in the full registration fee). Click here for Details and Registration

NCISS Annuall Conference and Hit the Hill - all members of the investigative & security professions are welcome. Hit the Hill and seminars are open to members and non-members. Board meetings and elections open to members only.
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ASSOCIATIONS AND NEWS
Professional Private investigations Association of Colorado ( www.PPIAC.org) Monthly meetings are the first Wednesday of each month, usually in the Denver metro area.  PPIAC will begin holding training sessions specific to the new licensing program.
 
National Association of Legal Investigators (www.NALI.com)
NALI is the premier association for legal investigators for civil plaintiff and criminal defense, and oversees the prestigious Certified Legal Investigator (CLI) program.  Experience is required to join and all members are subject to a background check.
 
The current issue of NALI's official journal - The Legal Investigator - is now available online at www.nalionline.org/publications.htm 

National Council of Investigation and Security Services (www.NCISS.org)
Each day we find an increasing number of problems confronting the orderly growth of our profession. These problems include, among others: overly restrictive legislation regarding training and standards, proliferation of legislation requiring local licensing, public misunderstanding and misinformation on the role and contribution of private investigators and security services, and an uninformed media. It is the role of NCISS to meet and solve these problems while seeking to uncover and recommend action on any hidden potential problems which may have an effect on our profession.

The current issue of NCISS's official journal - Your Advocate - is available online at www.nciss.org/your-advocate

World Association of Detectives (www.WAD.net) 
W.A.D. is a global alliance of investigators and security professionals with origins dating back to 1921 and formalized in 1925.  W.A.D. is the longest established and largest association of its kind in the world.

Karen is the W.A.D. Administrative Manager, and Dean is the Governor of the Americas (North, Central and South America).  Together we work to further the mission of W.A.D. and provide resources to clients needing assistance in these regions.  The W.A.D. magazine,

The current issue of WAD's official newletter - Beyond Global - is available online at www.wad.net/newsletters-beyond-global
 
Additional memberships include FALI, TALI and CALI state associations, as well as specialty specific national associations (see below). If your association has news, please send it to us for inclusion in our newsletter.

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FROM THE NEWS
  • How to Hide $400 Million
(from the New York Times, shared by Tom Williams, CLI – Michigan)

When a wealthy businessman set out to divorce his wife, their fortune vanished. The quest to find it would reveal the depths of an offshore financial system bigger than the U.S. economy.
- continued at http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/11/30/magazine/how-to-hide-400-million.html

  • Texas Third Court of Appeals reverses conviction and orders acquittal in Williamson County murder case
(Mark Gillespie, TCI – TX)
 
On December 15, 2016, the Third Court of Appeals reversed the conviction of murder and rendered a judgment of acquittal for Rex Allen Nisbett who, in June 2014, was convicted by a Williamson County jury of killing his wife, Vicki Nisbett in December 1991 and sentenced to 42 years in prison. The State is barred from re-trying Mr. Nisbett.
 
Mr. Nisbett’s appellate attorney is Kristen Jernigan of Georgetown. Mr. Nisbett’s trial team consisted of attorneys Keith Lauerman of Round Rock and Robert McCabe of Georgetown. The trial team used the services of private investigator Mark Gillespie of Cedar Park. The case was prosecuted by outgoing Williamson County District Attorney Jana Duty and her former First Assistant District Attorney,
Mark Brunner.
 
Mr. Nisbett’s appellate and trial team are pleased that the Court of Appeals agreed with what they believed all along: that this case should never have been prosecuted. Rex Nisbett is innocent and District Attorney Jana Duty should never have brought these charges against him with the thin circumstantial
evidence she and the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office had in their possession.
 
In reversing Mr. Nisbett’s conviction for a lack of sufficient evidence, the Court reiterated that the character of the accused, his motive or his suspicious behavior are indicative of guilt only when linked to wrongful conduct; in this case, the murder of Vicki Nisbett, which the State wholeheartedly failed to prove. The Court wrote, “we hold that the cumulative force of all of the circumstantial evidence presented in this case and any reasonable inferences from that evidence merely raised suspicions of (Rex Nisbett’s) guilt and are insufficient to support a finding beyond a reasonable doubt that (Rex Nisbett) committed the murder as alleged in the indictment.”
 
The 40-page opinion can be found at www.search.txcourts.gov/Case.aspx?cn=03-14-00402-CR&coa=coa03

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The Quint-Essential Qualities of a Professional Investigator
Skills Appropriate for the Assignment
Law firms and medical offices specialize - Professional Investigators also specialize.  Their casework and continuing education should also be in your specialized areas.

Experience and Knowledge
Professional Investigators strive to maintain and further these. All professions have requirements of continuing education.  The CLI and CCDI programs both require extensive compliance with continuing education.

Responsible and Ethical Conduct
Every component of the investigation has evidentiary considerations. Professional Investigators hold themselves to a higher standard and leaves no question as to the admissibility of their evidence.  Information without ethics is not evidence.

Effective Communication
Professional Investigators maintain communication with the attorney, client, witnesses, and other key persons in the investigation.  Moreover, reports are the product of an organized investigation and should reflect the work product you expect.

Keyword - 'Professional'
Honesty, Integrity & Intelligence.  These define Professional Investigators and gives you the confidence that your case is in competent and skilled hands.

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IN CLOSING...
Prosper in 2017!
We hope 2016 was a good year for you personally and professionally! We look forward to continuing to meet and visit with you - our clients, friends and colleagues. 2016 was a very good year for us and we look forward to a great 2017!

2017 will continue to be a year in which we have a growing passion working with attorneys, PIs, and families.

Not receiving our newsletter and update in your inbox? Click to Subscribe Now!

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Associates in Forensic Investigations, LLC
Specializes in the Expert Consultations and Legal Investigations of Personal Injuries, Negligence and Death in Civil, Criminal and Probate litigation.

We provide investigations and consultations of any death or serious bodily injury case nationwide with the conveniences of modern technology and assistance of our local professional friends and colleagues.

In addition, we continue to provide Individual Locates, Backgrounds and Assets & Liabilities for your Civil, Criminal, Probate and Domestic Relations litigation. Additional information at  www.deathcasereview.com/general-services.html

Call us today, we're glad to help!


Experience the PRIDE of Associates in Forensic Investigations, LLC - Professional Reliable Investigators Defining Excellence in every assignment. 

Sincerely,
Dean A. Beers, CLI, CCDI and Karen S. Beers, BSW, CCDI 

Associates in Forensic Investigations, LLC - Associates@DeathCaseReview.com
 
Colorado (970) 480-7793 - Dean x1 and Karen x2 - Voice / TXT

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