A day in the life of a Private Investigator in Los Angeles

A Friend’s Perspective – Written by “Hugo”

What does a Private investigator on a typical workday?

What is a typical day for a Private investigator in the Los Angeles area?

What does a day in the life of a Private Investigator in Los Angeles look like?

What does a Private Investigator do?

What do private Investigator do?

Barbara is not just a Private Investigator in Los Angeles, she is a personal friend of mine. I always worry about her safety. I would ask her “where are you?” or “what are you doing?” I almost always did not like the answer.

Her answers were usually something like: “I’m walking in this neighborhood looking for an address…. or looking for a car…or I’m about to serve someone” …. OK, call me back! (She never does and I sit and worry).

I specifically remember one time when her answer was “I’m up in some neighborhood behind Dodger Stadium, Soto Ave? I am looking for a runaway girl last seen here”. (Oh my god, that is a terrible neighborhood!)

“OK then, this is where I was last seen if you never hear from me again”.

Well, she found that the lost girl and her family flew out from Indiana to be re-united and bring her home.

It got to the point where I stopped asking her and then I would beg her…. “can I come along?” The answer was usually “NO”! But once in a while, she would let me and I can tell you those are some of the funnest days I have had in a long time.

I remember one task was serving a Restraining order on a Mexican adult male in a secure complex in East LA. It was winter, an illegal food truck/cart was selling street tacos. Barbara could not figure out how to get in. The buzzer was not working and there was no foot traffic to tag along with. She explains that’s how she usually gets into places. OK-can’t get in, let’s go get some tacos. Barbara, instead, is pacing the block, looking for some loop-hole in the 8-foot wrought iron fence. (There is none). She finally gives up and we get some carnitas street tacos. She is now focused on if these tacos are safe: “are we gonna get sick?”

After a few tacos each, she is re-energized. Instead of giving up, she seems to have a 2^nd wind! She shows me this gated area near where the cars come and go. There is a slight decline and Barbara thinks she can scale the fence. She can’t. She’s like “help me, push me over this area”. Well, ok I can see how this might work. So I lift as she jumps and Barbara gets stuck on top of this gated fence. The tier of the spikes of the top of the bars catches her jean jacket. It actually pierced through her jacket and sweatshirt beneath immobilizing her to scale or come back down. Barbara is dangling on top of this fence. She can’t get down and I cannot seem to free her either. We are both laughing so hard we turn into useless jello.

Along comes a man who appears to be a resident. He opens the gate to exit and looks at the two of us like we are idiots (we pretty much are). Anyway, that open gate was enough to allow the incline in the walkway to give us the momentum to swing the gate and get Barbara freed. We got in!! She was able to get to the apartment and serve the man who was not very happy. I could not stop laughing the entire time.

She had a ripped jean jacket and a ripped sweatshirt and the beginning of a bruise on her ribs. But she got the guy! I think my ego was a bit bruised after that. She had so much bravado. I actually felt so guilty, I bought her a new jean jacket!

Another time she allowed me to tag along was looking for a missing person in Ocean Beach, CA down by San Diego. We looked and looked, walked around, talked to many people. After a full day, we came home defeated and exhausted. According to Barbara’s Fitbit, we had walked over 11 miles and I believed it. She went a 2^nd time and dragged another friend. I came again on the 3^rd day. She recruited the help of a local PI and he joined in on the search.

Just as we arrive in the immediate beach area, Barbara yells “Wait! Stop! I think I just saw him”. Not believing her, I turn the car around anyway. Holy shit that’s him! Eagle Eyes spotted him. We circle the block, turn around and Barbara takes a few pics out of the side of the SUV. We text mom the pictures. That’s him!! Both mom and dad call immediately. How does he look, don’t spook him, and tell us what to expect from his personality? He has been on the streets for over 3 years.

The parents at this point decide they want us to watch him and see where he goes. We call in the local PI that Barbara knows and bring him up to date. He knows this area and this neighborhood. He used to be a police officer in the next town over. We had a full day of following him around. We waited until dusk to drive back to Los Angeles and leave the pursuit in the capable hands of our local colleague. By the time we arrived back in LA, we knew where he spent his evenings. So now we know where to find him at a later date. The parents very happy and they were going to fly out and try and intervene. All in an exhausting day’s work!

Again, each and every time I am allowed to hang out with a day in the life of a private investigator, it is pure fun. I know what Private Investigators do on a daily basis is sometimes dangerous, sometimes silly, and usually spontaneous and unpredictable.

Barbara always tells me she has the funnest job in the world. And I believe her. But I do know that overall, it can be a very rewarding job. –Hugo

If you want someone as competent, efficient and result oriented as Barbara and Barbara’s team of Private Investigators in Los Angeles to serve you, wait no more!