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Thread: 58 Yr Old Female Private Investigator Joins Success Ranks

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    58 Yr Old Female Private Investigator Joins Success Ranks


    What does New Castle private investigator Dorothy Snow-Wesley (who watches subjects under surveillance) have in common with the others in this article?


    Caryn Gloyd (pictured 2nd from Left), a Newport investigator, spends most of her time reconstructing crime scenes and searching for missing people and assets around the world.

    And Amanda Mowle, 24, dreams of making a career as a private investigator for a bank or the government. Mowle, who currently works full time at MBNA, says she is gaining experience in the field by working part time for a Wilmington private investigator.

    Dorothy Snow-Wesley doesn't carry a gun, leap from helicopters or flirt her way to the solution of a crime like one of Charlie's Angels.

    Snow-Wesley, a private investigator from New Castle, does background checks, reads depositions, conducts surveillance and tracks evidence. Most of her clients are insurance companies, corporations and law firms that want her to investigate insurance and workers' compensation fraud.

    Being a female private investigator is fun, but not always glamorous. It is always hard work, often with long hours away from home and family.

    "Surveillance can be long and boring," said Snow-Wesley, a former Chicago parole officer and police investigator. "But I love what I do. ... It's the mystery, solving problems, looking for answers and knowing you are doing good for the society in general."

    Snow-Wesley, 58, is one of eight women who run private investigation companies in Delaware. As owner of Alpha & Omega Investigations Inc., she represents a rapidly growing part of the private investigation industry: women.

    "Women are the fastest growing segment of private investigators in the United States," said Jimmie Mesis, editor in chief of PI Magazine, an industry publication with 30,000 subscribers in 20 countries.

    Thirty years ago, there were only a handful of female investigators in the entire country. Today, women are penetrating the once male dominated world of the private eye. In Delaware, since 1994, the number of female private investigators who head their own companies has doubled from four to eight. The total number of private investigation firms has grown from 62 to 99.

    Mesis estimates there are about 60,000 licensed private investigation companies in the country with about 40,000 employees who are not owners. He estimates 8 percent of investigators are women.

    Former police officers, housewives, writers, paralegals, mystery shoppers employed by retailers and other women are increasingly finding opportunities in the industry. Mesis said women of all ages are joining the field.

    "It's one of the few professions where there is no glass ceiling," said Kitty Hailey, 59, owner of Kitty Hailey Investigations in Philadelphia and author of numerous books on private investigation. "When I started there were a handful of women across the country. Now there are more and more."

    It's a litigious society where workers' compensation and liability insurance claims are rampant. Terrorism has companies concerned about the safety of their workers and financial transactions. As a result, demand for private investigators is on the rise.

    Private investigation is among the most rapidly growing occupations in the country, expected to increase 35 percent by 2012, according to the Department of Labor. And women are taking advantage of these opportunities.

    "Fiction popularizes things - makes them sexy. But what we do changes people's lives," Hailey said. "We find dead-beat dads, find the missing child or do the work that the person on death row needs to be done to be exonerated before being killed by the state."

    'A closed club'

    Many of Delaware's private investigators run one- or two-person shops. About a quarter of them also run security services providing patrols and guards for local companies.

    The average wage for a private investigator is $15.79 an hour or about $32,838 a year, according to the state Department of Labor. But experts say, depending on experience and type of cases handled, the salary of an established private investigator can exceed $100,000 a year.

    Delaware has one of the strictest licensing laws for private investigators in the nation, requiring individuals to be at least 25 years old and have five years of law enforcement or managerial experience at a private investigation company before they can open their own company. An individual who is 21 years old can work for a licensed private investigator. Investigators licensed in other states cannot set up shop here without a Delaware license.

    "It's a closed club," said Michael T. O'Rourke, 46, a private investigator in Wilmington, who handles everything from insurance claims to kidnappings and murders. "It is very tight. Everybody knows everybody."

    Still, O'Rourke said it is not difficult for women to enter the field as long as they meet the state's qualifications.

    For Amanda Mowle, a 24-year-old aspiring investigator from Elkton, Md., who currently works at MBNA Corp., the easiest way to gain experience was to work part time for O'Rourke.

    "My ideal job would be an investigator for the current bank I work for or for the government," Mowle said. She now conducts surveillance, background checks, even profiles of jurors in criminal cases for O'Rourke.

    For Mowle and some of the women who have chosen this career, there

    seems to be unlimited potential for growth and independence once they are licensed.

    "It's a hard area to break into," Mowle said. But she said obtaining a license allows an investigator to open her own business and be her own boss.

    More than a 9-to-5 job

    Caryn Gloyd, an investigator and operations manager for S&H Investigations in Newport, stumbled into the profession in the 1970s when she met, and later married, an investigator. At first, she worked mostly on insurance-related matters, but now spends most of her time overseeing on-going cases ranging from crime scene reconstructions to locating missing people and assets around the world.

    "There are a lot of women, such as me, who do not have a college education," said Gloyd, 44. "We are still accepted in the field."

    Gloyd said being an investigator is challenging for those who have young children. But she said it is an exciting field that has exposed her to people and parts of the world she never would have experienced working a 9-to-5 job.

    For example, about four years ago Gloyd received a call from an Indian neurology student in Philadelphia who wanted to investigate his future bride's ability to pay dowry. The answer would be critical. There are hundreds of documented cases of brides murdered because they did not have the agreed dowry.

    With some help with the World Investigators' Network, which Gloyd helped found, Gloyd was able to prove that the bride's family had assets in India, Belgium, Ireland, even in Zimbabwe. The wedding could take place.

    "When you find the truth you are very pleased," Gloyd said.

    The work is exciting

    Most private investigators' assignments are not life and death cases.

    A typical case handled by Snow-Wesley involves surveillance and conducting telephone pretext calls.

    Often a surveillance begins as early as 5 a.m. and can last more than 10 hours. That is when you catch the individuals on workers' compensation who say they are not working but come back home from their night job. It's also a good time to discover a person's daily routine.

    Snow-Wesley's company has saved insurance companies hundreds of thousands of dollars in fraudulent claims. For example, she and her investigators recently caught a man who claimed he was too ill to work and had received more than $50,000 in workers' compensation claims. All the while, he was working as a construction contractor. New Jersey is currently investigating the case, using some of the evidence collected by Snow-Wesley's investigators.

    Snow-Wesley, who sometimes wears disguises and drives different cars, said she can't imagine doing something more exciting than being an investigator. To her team of seven investigators, she's "Mommy Charlie."

    "I do love my work. I get excited like a child just before Christmas and it has been like that since I started," she said.
    Full story here:
    http://www.delawareonline.com/newsjo...leuthsare.html

    Sources:

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    Thank you Mr. Donovan for sharing that. It was nice to see a postive side in what was known as a Mans World.( other than Nancy Drew, or Murder She Wrote, I cant recall much about females in the investigation field years back)

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    Thanks Robert for sharing, that was interesting. It was also reasuring to know that there is a future for women and continuing success in the investigative fileds.

  4. #4
    B Ann Craig -'s Avatar
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    Robert, great story! Thank you for posting it.

    Have a wonderful week. Take care.

  5. #5
    Female Private Investigators

    Robert,

    It is good to know that women and (older women) have a chance in the investigation field. It is also good to know that you don't have to have a college degree to pursue this line of work. Hats off to all the women that follow their dreams.

    Patti

  6. #6

    Female Private Investigators

    Robert,

    What a wonderful and inspiring story, especially to those of us in the "50ish" age range.

    The best part of it is that a woman can go into private investigating by means of "branching out" from their current professional career. The most amazing thing is that women are becoming involved in the field of private investigation simply by interest, circumstance or opportunity.

    Thank you for sharing this.

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    Robert,
    Thank you. Such a wonderful story. This is really encouraging to hear such a positive story.

  8. #8

    Thank You!

    Thanks, Robert. That is an awesome story. I am re-reminded that I can create possibilites from anything!

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    That was very inspiring! It's nice to read stories like that, it gives me more energy to get out there and make this career happen.

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    Robert,

    Thanks for the infomation. Its given me a shot in the arm to get back on track and put other things on hold to pursue this goal.

    God bless,
    Cassandra

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    I love this article! It's another piece of "evidence" to me that I can do this and be successful! Thank you Robert for the time & effort to share this.

    Lisa

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    I enjoyed reading this article it was very inspirational. I can't hardly wait for my paper work to finish processing so i can go out and experience first hand the energy and excitement of being a P.I. It was an impressive article thank you.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Katrina Burton Todd
    I enjoyed reading this article it was very inspirational. I can't hardly wait for my paper work to finish processing so i can go out and experience first hand the energy and excitement of being a P.I. It was an impressive article thank you.
    I know what you mean katrina.. I'm waiting for mine to process as well....... I look forward to starting!!!

  14. #14

    Unhappy The older the merrier

    Hello Robert,

    I guess the older the merrier, we seem to have more patience, more understanding of the issues at hand, and we don't try to wrap it without first giving up.

    Have a great afternnoon.

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    Yolanda,

    You are so right about being wiser upon being older. And the patience level is right up there to! Robert gives women hope and inspiration in this field.
    Millie Peever

  16. #16

    Cool Not older, just better

    WOW Robert, The topic line attracted me to this thread and I am glad.
    Thanks so much for the great article.
    I am 56 going on 57 and can really appreciate this kind of positive reinforcement.
    Sometimes as you become more "Mature” woman or man, you wonder if maybe you need to be more conservative in your ambitions.
    However; I have always said "age doesn't matter", if you are good at something you will be regardless.
    Because you have the desire, motivation and initative to get it done, no matter, who, what, when, where, why or how.

    I applaud these ladies for doing what they love and being proud of it.
    And I applaud you, Robert for your support and acknowledgement in their efforts.
    "Kudos" to you Robert
    Cheri

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    Robert

    Your posted article was very intriguing and very uplifting. It was definitely a good motivator for all of us here at IPIU. The main focus of the article was to show that women can succeed in this field, however there was another focus I found to be really important. The article really sheds light on the demands of the job. Folks have to be prepared both mentally and physically in order to reap the rewards of the profession. Although there are opportunities to make lots of money in this line of work (a notion I noticed has turned on many people to this field) I feel that personal fullfilment is the ultimate reward for me. I look forward to my future endeavors as an investigator.
    Anthony Zuluaga

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    Thumbs up Follow That Dream

    Robert
    Thank you for posting this story, it is really inspirational, and reinforces that age and gender don't have to hold us back from following our dreams.

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    Greetings!!!
    This is fantastic reading!!! It's great reading about success in this line of work. It's motivating and makes you feel proud being a member of IPIU!!!!

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    Thank you so much Robert, for sharing such an inspirational article! I am so looking forward to becoming one of those successful female Private Investigators myself. The article once again put everything in proper perspective!

    Take Care,
    Kristen Godot Badge #6931

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    I agree Wilson, but there is just so much info on here it takes forever

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    Thanks Robert, for sharing such a motivational article. That makes for encouragement to the members as we try to get on board and get our foot in the door (so to speak).

    Leslie

  23. #23
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    It was meant to be that I came to this particular thread today. What a wonderful and inspiring article to help support women and older women who have chosen this career after being moms and working a full job in Corporate America. I pulled energy and comfort from this article that must have been needed by my spirit and soul today.

    Thanks for posting it.

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    This is an excellent story on women fulfilling their dreams in this profession and I intend to fulfill my dream as well! Thanks Robert!
    Patrice-Maria

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    58 year old

    The story regarding the 58 year old female investigator is very interesting. We all can learn from how she does her job. Arthur Fields

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    Thumbs up Female Investigators

    Reading real life experiences like these is one of the best ways to learn about the PI field. It shows what can be achieved but also shows the hard work that is involved. This gives a realistic, well-rounded view of the job.

  27. #27
    Fantastic story, not only for women to hear, but men as well. This story lets us know that hard work and determination will pay off in the end if you put your heart and soul into what you're doing. Thanks for sharing Robert.

  28. #28
    Great article Robert. It is good to see that women are exceeding within the private investigation realm. This story serves as an inspiration for all women hoping to succeed in this field including myself. Thanks again.
    -Jessica Rose

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    This was a great article. I wonder how many women are involved in PI in Washington State. It would be interesting to know if there is a published list of statistics broke down per state.

    Investigation, and facts don't lie, people do. This is what attracts me to this line of work. Solving situations has always been in my blood. I used to solve complex issues with computers, not I want to do it with people.

    Take Care everybody!

  30. #30
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    Robert,
    ............
    Thank You, for that wonderful and uplifting story. Reading that story was a great way to begin my day.

    I think I'll read it again tomorrow morning.

    Sincerely, Deb

  31. #31

    Post Great Stories!

    WOW! Thank you so much for posting these stories! They are very encouraging (and I needed that today). It's great to know that not only is the field growing, but also the number of women in the field. I am inspired by these women. I so look forward to the next step in realizing my career goal!
    Thanks again!

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    That was a wonderful story and very reassuring for someone well you know in their 40's. Early 40"s of course!

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    "It's one of the few professions where there is no glass ceiling," said Kitty Hailey, 59, owner of Kitty Hailey Investigations in Philadelphia ...

    Yay for that! I find it fascinating that in this field which has been historically dominated by men, there is less apparent bias and good-ol-boyism than in many other fields. Gotta be a good sign.

    Onward & Upward [to us all]!!!

    /jan

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    Talking New recruit

    Thanks for this encouraging article, Robert. I'm still in the credentialing phase but hope to get started soon.

  35. #35

    Thumbs up

    Quote Originally Posted by Debra Goff
    Robert,
    ............
    Thank You, for that wonderful and uplifting story. Reading that story was a great way to begin my day.

    I think I'll read it again tomorrow morning.

    Sincerely, Deb
    I wish everyone would read that story; we'd have less questions about age, height, experience, male vs female, carry a gun or not, etc., etc.
    There is room in the field for anyone who wishes to pursue this career choice, and at every level.

  36. #36

    Cool Inspiring

    Thank you Robert for this story. Those ladies were most definitely inspiring. Chey

  37. #37
    Michael Harris is offline Lifetime Professional Management Member

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    The very first private investigator I ever met was the mother of a young girl who was doing community theater with my daughter.

    The woman made it very clear that PI work was, for the most part, dull and boring. Her work was stakeouts with still and video cameras. She said that it was long nights and little action. But she made a living doing that.

    Her goal was to join the Camden County (NJ) Prosecutor's Office as an Investigator. That work was more stimulating and paid better. By the way, she got the job she wanted.

    I learned a lot from here - mostly about stakeout photography.
    Michael E. Harris

    Badge #6718

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    This is a very good article and it is nice to see that women are getting an equal opportunity for success. Way to go!!!

    Kesha

  39. #39

    Red face

    Quote Originally Posted by Michael Harris
    The very first private investigator I ever met was the mother of a young girl who was doing community theater with my daughter.

    The woman made it very clear that PI work was, for the most part, dull and boring. Her work was stakeouts with still and video cameras. She said that it was long nights and little action. But she made a living doing that.

    Her goal was to join the Camden County (NJ) Prosecutor's Office as an Investigator. That work was more stimulating and paid better. By the way, she got the job she wanted.

    I learned a lot from here - mostly about stakeout photography.
    Michael;
    Thanks for providing insight into the "bulk" of PI work. I still get the impression there are a lot of James Bond wannabees on the forums.

  40. #40

    Fritz

    How sweet and adorable are you with the James Bond comments. I am female and frankly haven't had a great look at my small feet since i was 14 looking straight down. I wonder what gets in the way? No James Bond on my end. Curious if any other women want to be James Bond? How adorable is this guy? AWWWW SWEET If I need James Bond I' ll call you for backup. If thats ok

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