Before our workshop, we asked ORWA members who their favorite fictional detectives were, and if they write detectives in any of their stories!

Workshop Recap

Contributed by Jennifer Carole Lewis

ORWA’s November workshop on the reality of private investigating and security was hugely informative.  Our special guest, a private investigator with over 20 years of experience, explained how the requirements for a private investigator’s license and the required code of conduct has varied greatly over the years and across Canada.

A great deal of the work involves skip-tracing, i.e. finding individuals for other people.  Sometimes it’s an official request due to a legal matter, sometimes it’s families looking for information on a loved one, sometimes it’s because of outstanding debts.  The reasons can vary greatly but as our speaker elaborated on the techniques used to track people down, it became clear that disappearing is not as easy as television and movies sometimes make it appear.

Another common job for private investigators is intellectual property investigations.  Many large corporations keep private investigators on staff to manage copyright infringements, data breaches, unlicensed usage, etc. 

Our speaker also clarified that most of the actions we see private investigators taking on shows and movies would end up getting a PI’s license revoked in real life.  They are not permitted to do undercover investigations, break into private residences or many other action-adventure mainstays.

The job may not be quite as dramatic as their fictional counterparts (for which I’m sure real-life PIs are grateful) but it does provide an intriguing look at how the wheels of real world justice turn.

Event details:

Learn what life is like for an investigator and private security agent, including the secret life in hotels, presenting cases in court, and inter group tasks. Workshop lead by Andrew, a former private investigator and private security agent (bodyguard and chief of security in a hotel and a bank).

Sunday, November 4, 2018 (2:30 to 4:30pm)

Location: Nepean Centrepointe Library: 101 Centrepointe Dr, Ottawa, ON K2G 5K7 (Room 1A)

Free for members | $20 for guests (to help pay for the venue rental)