Patrick Chase does background checks during the day, but at night he lurks in the dark. As a private investigator for Girardin Associates in Naples, Chase handles more than 400 cases a year, from investigating corporate fraud to following adulterous spouses.
Your start? I was a Minnesota state trooper for 24 years, but I wanted to move away from the snow and ice. Now I don't have to worry about wearing a bulletproof vest or having drunks throw up on me.
Your specialty? Mostly accident-type cases, but I do both covert and noncovert cases. I investigate adultery, fraud or corporate theft. A family might want a death looked into further than the police did, or a company might suspect an employee of stealing and want them watched.
Workday? During the day I'm behind a computer, but at night I'm in the car doing surveillance. I only have to interact with about 30 percent of my cases. I'm not stuck in the office; I'm out and about. I don't worry about being shot.
Why Naples? There is more work down here because the income level is higher. People have the assets to hire someone like us. But it's just people being people. They aren't always on the up and up. People come to you because they are hurting.
-Rebecca Loveridge
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