PRESS COVERAGE


The Seattle Times, July 13th, 1997

Look out, Columbo: It's Woman, P.I.
Feminine intuition builds a strong case for local investigator

By Steven Spenser
Special to Seattle Times

Leigh Hearon was hooked from her very first case as a private investigator.

"I was given extensive background on (an Alabama homicide) and asked to make recommendations on how to pursue the investigation," Hearon said. "I was fascinated by everything I read. I was intrigued by the complexities of the case. I knew then that no job would excite me more than this one."

Six years and hundreds of cases later, "it's a lot more fun that I thought it would be," said Hearon, owner of Leigh Hearon Investigative Services in Seattle.

Hearon estimates that about half of U.S. investigative agencies employ female investigators and that up to 20 percent are owned and run by women. Seattle has plenty of female-owned and operated investigative agencies, she said.

I just happened to be the first who marketed myself that way," Hearon said. "It's proved to be a great marketing tool."

Hearon worked for another Seattle investigator for three years before starting her own agency. Most of her potential clients come to her because she is a woman and because they think she can do a better job than a man.

"Occasionally, I'll encounter someone who doesn't take me seriously at first, but my professional demeanor usually changes his or her attitude," she said. "Presenting yourself as a professional is key to winning the respect of the people you do business with."

Half her investigations are for lawyers preparing for civil or criminal trials. The rest are for private clients who employ her to do anything from finding a deadbeat dad, doing a background check on a potential spouse or solving a family member's murder.

Hearon specializes in unsolved homicides and works closely with the police, from patrol officers to technicians at the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab. Sometimes she interviews the police when working for a defense attorney. Others times she'll share information about an unsolved crime with police.

Hearon has a 9mm Smith & Wesson, which she carries only on rare occasions.

"Fortunately, I haven't had to, nor has anyone pulled a gun on me," she said. "But I get to the firing range on a regular basis to keep up on my skills."

Hearon isn't trained in self-defense, "although there have been times when I've been followed and thought, 'Gee, how could I have forgotten to take karate 10 years ago?"

Most of Hearon's interviews are in controlled situations such as a prosecutor's office or at a police precinct. Sometimes, though, her private cases require her to follow up on hunches or anonymous phone tips and meet people in dubious settings.

Hearon says her degree in communications and her year of law school have been invaluable in her work.

"One of the hardest things to do is to approach a potential witness whom you know is hostile toward you and hope they'll grant you an interview," Hearon said. "You have to learn to react to everyone you meet in a way that will make them open up."

A certain mindset is critical to begin as an investigator, Hearon said. You have to be creative, determined, confident, knowledgeable, diplomatic, hard-working, flexible and have above-average oral and written communication skills.

Investigators must be licensed by the state and must either pass a test or be grandfathered in through years of experience. Private investigators who want to carry guns also must go through a yearly training program and pass written and firing-range tests. All investigators must be bonded or have liability insurance.

Entry level investigators generally are paid from $10 to $20 an hour, usually without benefits. Veterans such as Hearon charge $75 an hour, but some can earn more than $100 an hour.

The Northwest market is "glutted with wannabe P.I.s," Hearon said. Many agencies have started giving one-day seminars that enable candidates to pass the state test and hit the job market.

"The investigative field has become very popular in recent years, and I regularly get phone calls and resumes from people who want to get into the profession," Hearon said. "Most think they'd intuitively be a great investigator. They rarely have a clue as to what it takes to actually be one."

Hearon recommends that would-be private investigators volunteer with other investigators to find out "what really goes on in this business."

"Don't assume you'd make a great investigator without knowing what it's all about," she said. "When I hear someone say they'd just know they'd make a terrific P.I., I automatically cross them off my list. In this business, I don't assume anything without checking it out first."