Frequently Asked Questions

     Hiring a Private Investigator is a necessary step when someone is faced with a major criminal offense and is looking at the possibility of serving many years in the penitentiary. First, you should check that the Private Investigator's license is current and in good standing. Contact the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation at www.idfpr.com or head over to our Contact page to verify directly. Check to see if there are any complaints that have been filed with the state.
     I have been working as a Private Investigator since 1996. I am licensed in both Illinois and Wisconsin. I have never had a complaint filed against me in either state.

     The best way is to check my resume and other links on my web site at www.nlisinvestigations.com. You will learn that I began my career as a Chicago Police Officer in 1970. I became a detective and was first assigned as a Sex Crimes Investigator and later to Homicides, Death Investigations and Police Involved Shootings. My investigative task is the same no matter if I am working for the defense attorney or for a family of an unsolved homicide victim. My responsibility is to get to the truth of the matter and return that information to my client. I have an advantage in that I will know: What the police did right. What the police did wrong. And what the police did not do that they should have done.
     I retired from the Chicago Police department in 1994 and began my career as a Private Detective in 1996. I have been retained by many high profile defense attorneys and have worked on many high pressure homicide cases. References are available upon request.

     My background speaks for itself. I have years of experience as a career law enforcement officer with the Chicago Police Department and more then 12 years working as a licensed Private Detective. It takes the same dedicated work to put a good case together to bring to the prosecutor for trial as it does to dissect a criminal case and prepare a defense attorney with the facts that will assist him in defending his client.
     During my police career I received 140 Honorable Mentions, 12 Department Commendations, Veterans of Foreign Wars Award for Bravery, Uptown Chamber of Commerce Award as the Outstanding Police Officer of the Year in 1973, Chicago Junior Chamber of Commerce & Industry Award as the Outstanding Police Officer of the Year in 1973 and 1975, Award from the Chicago Area Council of Savings Associations, and twice awarded as the Outstanding Police Officer of the Year in the 20th District of the Chicago Police Department. I have been the subject of many newspaper, magazine, TV and radio stories about my arrests and the recipient of many Letters of Appreciation from Chicago Citizens.
     As a licensed Private Investigator I have already made my place in the industry. I have experience not only as an investigator but in the courtroom. I have testified in courtrooms for more then 35 years involving thousands of cases. I have interviewed and written reports on tens of thousands of people. I know what is essential to the case that I am investigating and the ability to take what I have learned back to the attorney or my client so that they can make crucial decisions in preparation of their case or need.

     You have my pledge that I will diligently work on your case and render to your attorney an honest report of all that I have learned. I have been involved in many high profile cases where I went head to head with police departments and successfully won those cases for my clients.
     In 2001 I was retained to investigate suspicions of corruption in the Somerset, Wisconsin Police Department. Retained by the President of the village and the village attorney I was asked to begin a covert investigation of the police department. My investigation resulted in identifying various acts of misconduct or criminal conduct against almost the entire police department. As a result of my investigation the Somerset Chief of Police and almost all of its officers were fired by the village board or they resigned. All that I learned was shared with State and Federal prosecutors who brought charges against the Chief of Police and others.
     In 2001, I was retained to assist the defense in the case of State of Wisconsin v Evan Zimmerman. He had been accused of murdering an ex-girlfriend. He was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison. Believing in his innocence, I took the case to the University of Wisconsin Innocence Project and asked them to work with me on an appeal. During the next three years I worked with the Innocence Project and I pursued the case at my own expense. It resulted in winning an appeal from the Wisconsin State Supreme Court. A new trial was ordered and in the 4th day of the prosecution's case, the prosecuting attorney, announced that they were dropping all charges with prejudice. Evan Zimmerman was set free after having served three years in prison. I also had contacted the cable television program, American Justice and informed them of the facts of this case. Working with them, they were allowed to film the new trial and put together a documentary for cable. It was titled, "Facing Life, The Re-Trial of Evan Zimmerman." This documentary is often seen on the American Justice channel.
     In 1992 while working as a detective in Area 5, Chicago Police department I had been assigned to a homicide that was three months old. We had no known witnesses who could identify the shooter in this case. Months later, information was received that there were two young men who could identify the shooter. They were interviewed and they identified a person as the offender. This person was arrested and identified in a line-up. The States Attorney's office responded and advised by me that I did not feel comfortable with their identification. However, charges were approved and the defendant was charged. Uncomfortable with the witness's story and their identification, I went out the next day and re-interviewed the two witnesses. This time they recanted and said that they had been paid by a third party to finger the person who was arrested. These witnesses were taken to court where this new information was presented to the States Attorneys office. This resulted in all charges being dropped that same day and the wrongly accused man was released.
     There are many more cases that I have been involved in that show that I have no problem going up against the police or prosecuting attorneys. It's all about being right and no one is served if the wrong person is convicted and goes to prison.

     He may be right but let me tell you a few things that you probably have not discussed with him. First of all, it is your butt that is on the line. You are only going to get one chance at getting it right. Maybe you won't even testify at your own trial. Your attorney is not going to go out and find the witnesses that you say are out there. And if he did he can't testify in court as to what they told him. I work with some of the best attorneys in the area. Many were States Attorneys before they went into defense work. I knew them when they were putting cases together to win in the courtroom. They know me and trust that what I tell them is the truth and not something that will fall apart when the witness hits the stand to testify. And if the witness does recant or leave out important facts that were shared with me, I can take the stand and testify to what the witness had told me.
     Don't underestimate what having your own investigator can do for you. Taking on someone's defense begins with the crime scene and reviewing the case file. Often new witnesses can be found who never talked to the police or maybe they did talk to the police but were not in the reports. Your case could turn on what I learn.
     In a recent case, State of Illinois v Terrence Ligon, I was retained by the defense in 2006 to investigate a 2001 homicide case. In this case a 4 year old boy had been shot and killed. The state alleged that Terrence Ligon was the only person shooting in that incident. My canvas of the crime scene many years later revealed evidence that others had been shooting at the defendant and it was more likely that they had shot the boy and not the defendant. In 2008 a jury returned a verdict of Not Guilty on all charges.

     When I was a detective with the Chicago Police Department I always worked with the grieving family members of a homicide victim. I've gone to the wakes and taken the late night phone calls from family members who wanted to know if we had made any progress in solving the case. I have sat with the family in the courtroom waiting out long days during the trials. I understand the emotions and despair that come from not getting a resolution to the case.
     What I can offer is an honest review of the case and perhaps a new direction that the police had not investigated. I have maintained a good working relationship with many police departments and I have never had an instance where I was not able to approach the detectives to discuss their investigation. The important thing is not to make them feel that you are interfering in the investigation or in stealing any credit that they may covet. I tell them that I intent to conduct a separate investigation and I assure them that all that I learn will be shared with them.
     I have been able to help solve several homicides or other serious cases since I have been a Private Detective. One of the cases was 27 years old. I also have been able to bring some unsolved cases to the attention of American Justice and 20-20 television. Just the mention to the police that I have done so usually causes them to re-new their investigation. Whatever works. Don't forget that the police really do want to solve this crime.

     Let's look at your situation clearly. You had been arrested and charged with a serious crime. You have a good attorney who has reviewed your case. He told you that perhaps you should consider taking a Plea Bargain if offered by the prosecution.
     He is telling you that if you take this case to trial and roll the dice he expects that you will be found guilty. The consequences of a guilty verdict could mean that you can expect to be sentenced to more years in prison then you would have received if you plead guilty in a pre-trial plea agreement. There are some cases when the prosecution is not going to offer a plea bargain. If they believe that their case against you is strong enough then why should they offer you anything? Don't forget that the prosecution has no desire to find evidence that could be helpful to your defense. That information can only be obtained if you use a Private Investigator. I can do many things that can help you and your attorney walk into that meeting with the prosecution. There may be witnesses that are not named that need to be identified and interviewed. Working with you we can get that information. Also the prosecution is not interested in revealing the background of the witnesses who will testify against you. That information could be crucial in diminishing what these witnesses say at trial. Many other things can be done and need to be discussed.
     In 2006 in the case of State of Wisconsin v Scott Isaacson I was retained to investigate this homicide case. The defendant was accused of being responsible for the overdose death of his wife. He was facing the possibility of serving 78 years in prison. Prior to my involvement there had not been any offer made to the defendant by the prosecution. My investigation weakened the prosecution case so severely that the case was resolved without trial. The defendant received a sentence of only two years with probation.
     Remember that the final decision on whether you go to trial or not is yours. Don't go to trial with your hands tied.

     Twenty-five years as a Chicago Police Detective. The recipient of numerous awards and a long history of trial testimony for both the prosecution and the defense have qualified me in many cases as an Expert Witness. After retiring from the Chicago Police Department I became a certified Police Officer in the State of Wisconsin. I needed only 32 hours of a 400 hour course to become certified. Upon certification I was asked to teach and became a Certified Instructor of Police Officers at the University of Wisconsin. For two years I taught five of the ten required courses that new officers needed for their certification. I taught Criminal Law, Interviews & Interrogations, Report Writing, Basic Patrol Procedures and Homicide and Death Investigations. I also gave special seminars to Wisconsin and Minnesota Police Supervisors in Homicide and Death Investigations.
     As a Private Detective I have worked on many high profile cases. Some of these cases I took to the Innocence Project. These cases involved persons who had already been convicted and sentenced for murders and incarcerated in the penitentiary. Believing in their innocence, I worked with the Innocence Project without compensation. Every case that I brought to them has resulted in winning the freedom of the accused person. At the present time I have two other cases that are being reviewed by the Northwestern University Innocence Project. Some of the cases that I worked on have been the subject of Documentaries that appear on cable television in the United States and in England.
     While the prosecution will always fight a person's Expert Witness status, I have not been denied.

     Approximately 80% of my investigative work involves homicide and sexual assault cases. I also locate witnesses and serve subpoenas in civil cases, gather background information, court records and transcripts and surveillance. I am often called upon to assist defense attorneys in forming courtroom strategy in preparation for trials.