We need
legislators to know about the problems at the LSBPIE.
Coming soon, you will be able to click here and get a
punch list as to what we need you to do!
WHY WAS THIS SITE MADE?
When
Representative Mert Smiley first suggested in his
legislative hearing last April that he might want to
combine the services of the LSBPIE under another board
as a cost savings measure, many of us opposed that
concept. We recognized that there were problems
but incoming Chairman
John Mowell promised change and an
open forum like we had never seen before. We fell
for it hook, line and sinker and the changes that were
promised actually created less open communication.
CHANGE MUST
COME and upon reflection, it would appear that the
LSBPIE believes that they can do whatever they want,
whenever they want, regardless of the rules or the law.
COMPLAINTS
WERE FILED, but we believe that the best chance for
change is with the legislative session and will propose
two bills, one to change the make up of this board and
the other to abolish it and place its duties under the
scope and authority of another governmental entity.
KNOWLEDGE
IS THE KEY
.
Because the volume of information that has been
uncovered is so much, this site is an ever changing
project and will be updated often. Our initial
focus was to just get live, but you will find that
documentation will be added soon. Please check
back!
IS THIS SITE A BULLY SITE?
What is
cyber stalking and is what you read on this site
considered stalking?
Cyber stalking
laws do not apply to any peaceable, nonviolent, or non
threatening activity intended to express political views
or to provide lawful information to others.
While this
site may be colorful, and is intended to express
outrage, nothing contained herein threatens harm to
anyone. The authors feel as if we have been taken
advantage of and we want a change in the law!
ITS ABOUT FREE
SPEECH
.
THIS SITE IS A POLITICAL COMMENTARY
SITE
NO THREATS OR HARM TO ANYONE IS BEING MADE
IT IS INTENDED TO EDUCATE LEGISLATORS AS TO THE PROBLEMS
THAT
WE SEE WITH THE WAY THE LSBPIE IS BEING OPERATED!
DO YOU KNOW INFORMATION?
We are looking
for information that will make
this site a complete
reference site on the
LSBPIE
If you have
documents,
Videos, Phone Recordings
or anything that you think
we can use, please send us
an email.
OUR
INTENT IS FOR THIS SITE TO BE BASED
UPON FACTS
EXCEPT
WHERE WE STATE IT IS OUR OPINION. IF YOU FIND SOMETHING
THAT
IS REPORTED HERE TO BE IN ERROR, PLEASE BRING THAT TO OUR
ATTENTION AND WE WILL IMMEDIATELY REVIEW AND MAKE CHANGES AS
NECESSARY.
As we've already told you,
this board has had it's problems in the past. It's
unfortunate that they continue today. Some will
ask why we bring up old news. But in truth, it's
not old news because the problems that have been
identified in the past, continue today. Some are
in just different forms.
The point is that this
board continues to find themselves in the hot seat.
Just read and discover what has happened. And
more- some of it has just happened recently!
Read to the
bottom for the current and present day scandals.
It's important that you know this is not new. They
keep doing this stuff.
THE
FAMOUS AUDIT & $900.00 STEAK DINNERS
The audit is famous. Board members were
spending money like there was no tomorrow.
$900.00 steak dinners for board members, their wives
and the staff all at the expense of the tax payers.
THIS IS OLD NEWS and there are going to be people
that will tell you that this has long been
corrected. But that's not true. And that
is what this site is about. These problems are
still going on as evidenced by the information
presented on this site.
DID THEY LIE TO THE
LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE?
Three members of the LSBPIE appeared before the
committee for Representative Mert Smiley in support
of keeping the board intack and operating the way it
is now. But in their testimony to the
Committee, we think we found some "errors" or maybe
you might want to call them "mis-statements".
LISTEN AND WATCH THE RECORDING OF THE
LSBPIE PORTION OF THE SESSION
We have uploaded only the LSBPIE portion of the full
hearing to You tube so that you don't have to watch
the entire day's hearings. Click the link to
go to the You Tube Channel and watch the video.
Watch closely and you will hear then Chairman
Annette Kovac explain the purpose of the board.
One purpose is to keep up with the current laws and
make sure that everyone is in compliance.
Based upon what we are reporting on this site, we
question if they do that job very well. But
you be the judge.
The short clip below is also on the "BOARD MEMBERS
PAGE" and offers you insight as to how the day went.
Maria Dugas states that out of the 1300 - 1500
licensed Private Investigators, there are about 300
that are
actually agencies and about one half of those
represent the membership of the LPIA.
CORRECTION
On the day that she states this, there were in
excess of 600 agencies - NOT 300 as was
reported to the committee
CORRECTION
Of the then 140 members of the LPIA, about
half are agency owners. This would make
the number of agencies at about 70-80 instead.
THE LPIA DOES NOT REPRESENT THE MAJORITY OF
THE LICENSED INVESTIGATORS.
CORRECTION
The LPIA has never acted as
a Watch Dog to catch things that were going on
with the LSBPIE. In fact, the LPIA has
been a part of choosing the board members.
In truth, PI-TALK and the efforts of a small
number of activists have been the watch dog of
the industry.
READ AN EMAIL FROM A BOARD MEMBER INVESTIGATING THE
COMMITTEE
The legislative
committee was investigating the LSBPIE so one board
member suggested the committee be investigated.
In this email, she suggests that we look into the
Chairman's Background.
SUSPENSION OF CE
REQUIREMENTS ON A WHIM
The sudden suspension of all CE requirements at the
September 20, 2011 board meeting was a violation of
the law. All private investigators are
required to have 8 HOURS of CE training in order to
renew their licenses.
R.S. 37:3524 The
adoption of any rule or regulation, guideline,
substantive procedure, or code of conduct by the board
shall be subject to the provisions of the Administrative
Procedure Act; however, such rules shall be subject to
legislative oversight by the House and Senate Committees
on Commerce.
§518.
Continuing Education
A. Each licensed private investigator
is required to complete a minimum of eight hours
of approved investigative educational instruction
within the one-year period immediately prior to
renewal in order to qualify for a renewal license.
B. Each licensed private investigator
is required to complete and return the LSBPIE
continuing educational compliance form with the
request for license renewal each year. The form
shall be signed under penalty of perjury and shall
include documentation of each hour of approved
investigation educational instruction completed.
C. Any licensee who wishes to apply
for an extension of time to complete educational
instruction requirements must submit a letter of
request setting forth reasons for the extension
request to the Executive Director of the LSBPIE
thirty days prior to license renewal. The training
committee shall rule on each request. If an
extension is granted, the investigator shall be
granted 30 days to complete the required hours.
Hours completed during a 30-day extension shall
only apply to the previous year.
THERE IS
NOTHING IN THE LAW OR THE RULES THAT WOULD ALLOW THE
STATE BOARD THE RIGHT TO JUST CHANGE SOMETHING WITHOUT
FOLLOWING THE PROCEDURE. AND THAT IS WHY WE SAY
THEY VIOLATED THE LAW!
THE
OSTER INDICTMENT
The legislative audit brought out a number of
factors, one of which was the realization that a
board member, Mr. Oster had been paid for expenses
that he should not have been paid for. He was
indicted thereafter for four felonies, but he
remained on the board.
THE
MALPASS INCIDENT
Is it true, that the Board's ethics chairman turned
in expense receipts that were forged? You be
the judge here. There is much more to this
story, and Mr. Malpass eventually surrendered his PI
license in a deal with the Caddo District Attorney.
MAGRI'S LOST FILE - FOUND STASHED BEHIND A FILING CABINET IN
STATE OFFICE
Irv Magri, had two licensed private investigators
come into his office and ask to do work for his
agency. Mr. Magri who has faithfully served as
the Chairman of the Louisiana Pardon Board, Member
of the Louisiana Parole Board, Chairman of the
Governor's anti-narcotics speakers bureau, Member of
the violent crime and homicide task force, State
President of the Louisiana Police State Central
Committee representing 22 police unions representing
3000 commissioned police officers and a radio show
host for over 40 years immediately advised these
license investigators that he had to submit an
"agency change" to the LSBPIE. According to
all sources, Irv Magri sent in FOUR (4) separate
envelopes, each containing checks to change their
licenses from Equifax to Magri Investigations.
Each time Magri would call the board office he was
advised that they had not receive his requests and
monies to just simply change the agency that these
two investigators worked for.
The board then incorrectly
and with reported vengeance fined Irv Magri an
administrative fine of $3000.00 for simply having
two "unlicensed investigators". Nothing could
have been further from the truth.
This website will
produce a letter of confession dated 6-16-1997 by
the Chairman, Gary Hyatt on his own investigative
company stationary. The then vice chairman of
the Board confronted Mr. Hyatt about incorrectly
"fining and innocent person", namely Irv Magri.
Hyatt, the Chairman of the LSBPIE, admitted that he
had found 4 envelopes containing the checks to
anyone.
Magri has filed suit
against the LSBPIE which is still pending in the
19th JDC before Judge Morvant. Irv Magri also
stated to the court in his petition that he is in
possession of a very clear and precise tape
recording where LSBPIE Chairman acknowledges that
Magri should never have been fined in the first
place in the first place, since the missing
documents were "found" behind the file cabinet.
It should be interesting to note that Irv Magri,
that Leroy Falgoust and other other private
investigators strongly opposed the creation of the
LSBPIE from 1986 - 1991. Irv Magri has
contended in radio and television interviews that he
was a victim of shear retaliation of the LSBPIE.
Magri, who has his own radio show called "Crime
Wave" since 1967 and the author of the book "Major
Problems of the Capital American Police" (1971) has
stated that he will show the letter of confession to
any interested party and will let any interested
party listen to the tape.
UNBELIEVABLE -
SEE THE GARY HYATT CONFESSION HERE
If we can free men on death row because of DNA and
proof that they didn't do the crime, why is it
that the LSBPIE continues to ignore the truth?
Asked for a statement, Mr. Magri replied that "If
they can do this to me, they could do this to you
too! No one is safe!"
SOON- We will
have the Tape Recording!
EDDIE MAURI SUIT
Eddie Mauri was a successful instructor, teaching
the forty hour course with great success until he
angered Joe Oster, a powerful board member.
Joe Oster decided on a whim that he would make a
motion to have Mr. Mauri's certificate suspended. He
did. The board voted and Mr. Mauri requested a
hearing. They never provided him one. He
sued. The Citizens of Louisiana paid the bill.
Eddie Mauri got $50,000.00
CHARLENE MORA'S $50,000
TRAINING MANUAL
Who can forget the board meeting where then training
and education chairman presented a plan by which she
wanted to rewrite the training manual in cooperation
with Louisiana State University and she had a plan
for that to happen within a time table, PROVIDED
that the board would vote to approve that plan
"today" at the rate of approximately $10,000.00
complete. Sadly there were copy right issues
and Ms. Mora ended up writing a great portion of the
manual at a reported expense of nearly $50,000.00
(How in the world it went from 10 to 50 is still the
subject of an argument that has long been debated)
It's old news, but it's worth showing the history.
While we are on the
subject of the former Training and Education
Chairman, we learned that she charged the State to
attend the LPIA convention in New Orleans at a cost
of $307.00 to attend an association to which she was
a member of. READ THE INFORMATION WE RECEIVED
Search Mora
and/or training manual in the Document Database on
the History Page!
OUT OF
STATE COLLUSION
At the January 2011 Board meeting, the board
considered and adopted a plan for an out of state
entity to provide the mandated "ethics" class to
investigators at a charge of $8.00 per person to be
paid for by the LSBPIE. No other vendor was
provided the opportunity to submit a proposal and
none were accepted. Thereafter, an ethics
opinion determined that the board would not be able
to enter into a contract with one person to provide
the ethics course and must make that available to
all providers. ($8.00 per investigator
times 1300 investigators made this a $10,400
contract with no other discussion)
BOARD MEMBERS GET IT
FOR FREE
The Board Members decided for themselves that they
should be exempt from having to have 8 hours of CE
each year. After all, "We Make the Rules"!
Truth is, they decided that their service on the
board should count for something and the time that
they put in for board meetings is worth it.
But the Ethics Board saw it differently.
SEE THE MINUTES January 25, 2011 under VII Training Ms. Dugas
had this wonderful idea.
NOW READ THE RESPONSE:
NO!
Adopted an advisory opinion in Docket No. 11-459
concluding that Section 1112A of the Code of
Governmental Ethics prohibits a member of the
Louisiana State Board of Private Investigator
Examiners (LSBPIE), who is also a licensed private
investigator, from participating in a motion to
exempt him or herself from the annual continuing
education requirement, since a board member, who
is a licensed private investigator, would be
exempt from the costs associated with continuing
education, and such costs do not arise solely out
of his service on the LSBPIE, there by a board
member is deemed to have a substantial economic
interest in such a motion of the LSBPIE.
IS IT RIGHT THAT YOU HAVE TO HAVE CE AND THEY
DON'T?
HE'S MY FRIEND AND
BUSINESS ASSOCIATE AND I HIRED HIM TO WORK FOR THE
BOARD
The Board has always engaged the services of an
attorney to provide legal services and act as the
prosecutor when a hearing is to be conducted.
John Mowell sought to save the Board some money by
recommending that the board engage the services of
his friend and business associate to be the Board's
new attorney. But the Ethics Board didn't see
that as the right thing to do.
OPEN MEETING VIOLATION
- BEING INVESTIGATED NOW
When you arrive at the Board office for a board
meeting, you will notice that the door to the
meeting room is closed and the office staff will
advise you that you have to take a seat in the lobby
because they are not ready to start the meeting.
But, if you pay attention you will notice that board
members are already inside the room in what we
believe is a "pre-meeting" and given the open
meetings law, when a majority of members are
present, that constitutes a meeting. When I
asked if I could go ahead and take a seat inside the
meeting room, I was denied that right, but I saw all
board members go inside and close the door.
WHY ARE THE JOURNEYMAN
LICENSE HOLDERS NOT LISTED ON THE BOARDS SITE?
Years ago, in response to law enforcement for a way
that they could identify the validity that an
individual was licensed as a private investigator,
the board contracted with a database provider to
place a search form on their website. It
includes Agency, Individuals and Apprentice license
holders. It DOES NOT INCLUDE any journeyman
license holder and the claim that Englade has made
in his response (search database for emails) is that
it would confuse the public who might not understand
that Journeymen can not work directly for the
public. Interesting and invalid point because
Individual license holders and apprentice license
holders ARE listed.
In truth, the database
would be fairly expensive to modify and cheaper to
re-design entirely and make it web based, but the
Office Manager does not want a web based database.
More to the point, they hired a "friend" that has a
full time job and moonlights as a computer
consultant to write an entirely separate database
that they have yet to "figure out" how to place on
the website in a searchable form.
Creative Cyber
Innovations and many others offered proposals to do
the whole thing from start to finish, but the friend
got the job and what you pay for you get. The
public gets a search database that is not complete
and the Journeyman get shafted because no one can
find them to engage their services.
DETAILS AND DOCUMENTS COMING SOON!
SOMETHING ELSE IS
COMING
The is something else on the radar that we can't
report just yet, but I promise you that it will be
posted as soon as possible!
MUCH MORE COMING SOON!
CHANGE BEGINS WITH ME
THIS
SITE IS AN OPINION SITE AND IS NOT CONNECTED WITH THE LOUISIANA
STATE BOARD OF PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR EXAMINERS IN ANY WAY.
FIRST AMENDMENT PROTECTIONS APPLY!
