That has led to a newly created group of collaborative experts who together can help clients uncover and protect important corporate and personal electronic evidence. These experts comprise Michigan-based Forensic3, which works with clients to handle all aspects of accounting and computer forensics.

Forensic3 combines the expertise and knowledge of forensic accountants, computer forensic experts and investigative professionals from a collaboration of three leading professional service firms. Comprised of industry experts who also are partners with such respected firms as Doeren Mayhew in Troy, and Rochester-based Techmotives Consulting Group and Risk Security & Investigations, Forensic3 provides clients with a cohesive team of resources that work together to create a whole that is greater than the sum of the parts.

Most importantly, Forensic3 gives clients a unique value – the power of knowing.

The State of Michigan recently modified the Professional Investigator (PI) Licensure Act to include language specifically referencing computer forensics.  It now clearly states that a PI license is required to conduct investigations involving electronic evidence. Forensic3 meets the requirements of this act.

“What sets us apart is that we can uncover all types of information to help support clients needs, which often can be part of a litigation matter or other forensic investigation,” said Forensic3 Director Bruce Knapp. He runs the forensic accounting and business valuation division and is a director with Doeren Mayhew.

“Our holistic approach allows us to obtain relevant data and information from various sources and determine whether that information is reliable, putting you in the strongest position possible,” Knapp said.

With decades of combined experience in their fields, Forensic3 professionals are experts in handling evidence and reporting findings. They work closely with lawyers and their clients to uncover information that can be used to support specific goals. And they handle information derived from each case with the highest level of confidentiality.

“In order for electronic evidence to stand up to a challenge in court, it must be collected, preserved, and analyzed properly,” said Director Jim Carter, who runs the computer forensics division of Forensic3 and is the president of Techmotives Consulting Group.

“We work with clients to develop and execute a sound strategy for getting the most value out of electronic evidence,” he added.

The professionals who comprise Forensic3 delve far beyond the financial data by also providing insight that helps to make sense of available digital information. This level of insight gives clients added information, which in turn leads to more effective management of corporate strategy.

Indeed it is this “power of knowing” that sets Forensic3 apart said Director Mark Ford, who manages the investigative services division of Forensic3. Ford also serves as president of Risk Security & Investigations.

“Each of our three divisions provides clients with a high level of strategic consultation, industry knowledge and technical know-how,” Ford said. “We keep up with what is relevant in the industry and all of our techniques and methodologies are considered best-of-breed.

“What is of specific note for lawyers is that evidence collected by a computer forensics agency or professional that is not licensed may be subject to a legal exclusion should it be tested in court,” Ford said.

Forensic3 professionals collectively have numerous certifications in such specialties as forensic and public accounting, business valuation, computer forensics and professional investigations.

Today’s evidence is generated from financial data, digital information and personal surveillance. Forensic3 covers each of these areas thoroughly, providing clients with a stronger legal and business position that is backed up by solid evidence.

Visit www.forensic3.com for more information.

What is even more disturbing is that so many Americans have “taken the Cool Aid” and signed up to support what appears to be an out of control freight train headed into socialism or worse. Even with the fall of General Motors, Chrysler, and the multitude of their suppliers, my friends on the left insist that everything will be okay in the long run. I agree with that statement from a biblical position. Yes everything will eventually be okay.

On April 15, I joined thousands of patriots in one of the many Tax Day demonstrations across this nation. There were about 1,000 of us that gathered in Troy, Michigan for what turned out to be a peaceful demonstration. Most everyone who showed up for the event seemed to be of the opinion that our nation is headed in the wrong direction. How can the greatest most powerful country in the world change its course?

Where in our constitution does it say that the leader of the free world (Obama) has the right to fire the President of General Motors, or for that mater, any private or public corporation? Where in our constitution does it say that it is a right to have health insurance? Where in our constitution does it give our government the right to take control of our banking system? It doesn’t!

I hope that Americans wake up and smell the Russian Vodka. Its time for the SECOND AMERICAN REVOLUTION!

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I watched Fox News most of the day on Monday expecting to see Rick with his new spy pen capturing images of a corrupt politician, wait a minute, their all corrupt! Or perhaps he would be sitting in a bar spying on the cheating spouse of a corrupt politician. At the very least, he would be telling the world how cool his new toy was. Unfortunately, none of those scenarios became reality. In fact, I learned a few weeks later that Rick couldn’t figure out how to operate the darn thing! What’s worse is that I broke my own, set-in-stone no return policy, and let Rick return the spy pen camera for a full refund.

The story that Fox News was covering in Detroit was related to one of a dozen or so crimes allegedly involving our now former and incarcerated Mayor Kilpatrick. Frankly its not worth writing about. Lets just say that the the Mayor wont be practicing law in the near future.

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I think it was three years ago when my wife and I visited Napa Valley for a mini-vacation. We love the wine country and it’s products. Which brings me to the biggest drawback of owning your own business. Somebody has to “watch the store”. Over the years, I have been criticized for not letting anyone help me run my business. It’s easier than said than done. Thus, we seldom get to take vacations.

I’m ready! Some very recent health issues have me rethinking the whole control thing. What could possibly go wrong? My immediate short-term goal is to recruit a trustworthy part time person to perform a few of the things that are preventing me from getting away.

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A number of years ago I met Chip  & Lisa St. Clair. Chip was the newly elected Regional Director for the Michigan chapter of Justice For Children, a child advocacy non-profit organization. As it turns out, Chip was networking local business owners in an attempt to get connected and develop a base to draw from and build a Board of Directors for the JFC chapter.

Rather than give you the cliff notes of Chip’s amazing story, I highly recommend that everyone pick up his best seller, The Butterfly Garden, Heath Communications, Inc. His memoir will change your life! Okay, I’ll give you just one small teaser to motivate you to visit amazon.com to buy the book.

A child is murdered, a prison break, a child born without an identity, more disgusting abuse, running to avoid the strong arm of the law for 26 years, betrayal, love, passion, and justice. I can’t wait for the movie.

As the President of the Board of Directors for the Michigan Chapter of Justice For Children, I have grown to love Chip like my own son. He never enjoyed a father’s love, for that matter, he never enjoyed a mother’s love. Oh yeah, Chip convinced me to join the board and ultimately take the helm as the President. It is my honor to serve with Chip, Lisa and the other fine members of our board.

Justice For Children works with the Judicial and Legislative branches of Government. While we don’t have direct contact with the abused children, Chip has been instrumental in getting some major legislation passed in our State House and Senate. He has met with John Walsh of America’s Most Wanted, Montel Williams and several other child safety advocates.

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On the brighter side, my wife and I had dinner with Chip and Lisa St. Clair Thursday night. We finalized plans to open the Butterfly Foundation offices. For the time being, we will use the rear portion of our building in Rochester. Half way through our meal at 220 Restaurant in fashionable Birmingham, Michigan, Sigourney Weaver and a male companion came into the restaurant and sat two tables away from us. She is in Michigan filming a new movie. That was cool!

On Fridays I visit a select group of customers, yesterday was no different. I mounted up and rode my 2004 Harley Davidson Road King to a nasty section of the Motor City. For those of you not familiar with Detroit, it was at one time the Jewel of the Midwest. My Father and Grandfather grew up there, I was born there as well. My dad had very fond memories of Detroit and often told me stories of taking the public transportation alone and safely, hanging out with his pals and roaming the streets in what is now considered to be one of the most violent cities in the United States. What happened? To quote my late dad, his theory was simple. He would always say that, “The city of Detroit or any other city is only as good as the people who live there”. He applied the same logic to business. “Our company is only as good as the people who work there”, he would say. Makes sense to me.

That being said, as the owner of a business, it is imperative that I hire the best of the best. The above reference to terminating three employees this week is a direct reflection of me and my company. Our employees should be our ambassadors. When they aren’t, they risk everything, and that is unacceptable. We are now entering into Damage Control mode. We will survive!

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Do you remember your first cell phone? I think it was 1989 when a buddy of mine who worked for a Dutch electronics company gave me a mobile phone. It was huge! The phone was attached to the battery pack and needed a canvas bag with a shoulder strap. The cost to activate the phone combined with the ridiculous per minute rate was almost as much as having A.O.L. when the Internet was in its infancy. Thank you Al Gore!

In our Private Detective business, we have been using GPS tracking units for many years. Like early cell phones, they were costly, bulky, awkward and difficult to hide on vehicles. Today we sell a variety of do-it-yourself GPS trackers that are compact, lightweight and very inexpensive. If you want to know where your kids are or where your spouse really was last night, consider purchasing a GPS tracker like the one pictured here.

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“The Bag lady” is one of our regular customers. She is an elderly woman who usually wears a large, messy blond wig, too much makeup and always has a bag filled with junk. She is a dear woman who is convinced that “they” are everywhere, in her apartment, her car, and of course, inside her head. She has no money and yet she continues to seek my help with her problem. last year I gave her some door alarms for her apartment so she would know when the doors opened. She never installed them because “they” would take them.

At a slight risk, I offered her a business card of a clinical psychologist who may be able to help her. She seemed confused and never accepted the card. I tried!

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Back to the case I was discussing yesterday. Our client was presented with the video of her husband and his “Administrative Assistant”, I think her title is quite appropriate based on how she assisted her boss in the car. The client remained calm and thanked us for capturing the evidence she needed to confirm her worst fears, and left our office. A week or so later, the client stopped by to share her story of how she confronted her husband. She arranged a quiet evening at home with a candle light dinner, their favorite wine and a racy movie to set a romantic mood. After the meal and wine, they moved to the sofa to watch what turned out to be her husband in an X-rated version of drivers training.

To say that her husband was shocked is beyond an understatement. The first thing that came out of his mouth was “how dare you violate my privacy” at that he was encouraged to look out the backyard where all of his belongings we spread about on the wet grass. As he gathered his underwear and socks he looked up into the face of his wife through the glass door-wall leading into the temporary theatre, she closed the blinds and locked the door. All of the other locks in their small bungalow had already been changed. Another family had been destroyed by the ferocious desires of the flesh.

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My wife and I often find ourselves gathered around a kitchen table sharing stories from our spy archives. OOOH, your a private investigator? you must have some very interesting stories to tell. It isn’t long before trivia questions about Magnum P.I. or The Rockford Files, ( Jim Rockford was my personal favorite ) are exchanged and debated. My standard reply is usually something like, ” working a domestic surveillance is anything but glamorous, sitting in a surveillance vehicle for 12 hours waiting for an opportunity to get three minutes of video can be exhausting. Images of Tom Selleck cruising around the big island of Hawaii in a red Ferrari is Hollywood’s version of our industry. Jim Rockford charging $200.00 a day plus expenses is closer to reality.

One of my favorite cheating spouse cases: Our client was confident that her husband was involved with his secretary. More specifically, she suspected that they were taking time from their busy schedules to exchange more than water-cooler chit chat. Having done her homework, our client provided some remarkable details to help us with the case. We had a time and location where the lovers may meet for their tryst. The scene could have been out of a motion picture.  We set up our surveillance van in the parking lot of an abandoned office building where the lovers may be having their off site meeting.

Right on schedule, a vehicle slowly approached the parking area as if to be looking for a good spot to park. Alas! they parked next to our ugly, run down (surveillance) van, a perfect spot to hide from the world for a brief moment in time. It as a very hot and muggy August day. The video we shot would not be allowed on You Tube, My Space or anywhere for that matter. Its amazing what you can do in the front seat of a Mustang G.T. when you set your mind to it.  Use your wildest imagination and multiply by 10.

I need to get going, I will finish this with the “not so happy ending” tomorrow.

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