Industrial Detective Work.
Large factories, warehouses and wholesale houses and other industrial
plants employing numbers of workers have a great deal of work for the
industrial detective. In taking up work for a wholesale house, for
instance, the detective must secure employment in the department where
“leaks” are occurring, or where the information is to be obtained;
then, as soon as possible, gain the confidence of the employees. Note
where they keep their coats, overcoats and other wearing apparel, and
if you suspect a certain employee, watch and see whether or not he
carries out any bundles concealed in his coat or about his person. When
they take an article, they usually hide it somewhere, and if wearing an
overcoat, they usually put it in their overcoat pocket, so just before
quitting time, go to where the overcoat or coat is hanging, and see if
they have anything in their coat pockets. If so, examine it so you will
know whether or not they have bought such article. If not, you will
then know that they are stealing. It should then be arranged to have
some one on the outside shadow or place them under surveillance to see
what disposition they are making of the stolen goods, as this employee
may be one of a gang working in the house, and then if a watch is kept
on the place where the goods are being disposed of, it will only be a
short time until the rest of the gang will be found out.
In looking after dishonest employees you should not be too quick to
act, for the reason that as stated above, he may be one of a large
gang operating in the house. The detective who does the inside work
should not be assigned to the outside work of shadowing. His duties
should be to cultivate the acquaintance of the employees, but he should
not, under any circumstances, try to make a thief out of an employee
or encourage any employee to do any stealing. In following this kind
of work in warehouses, freight house or manufacturing establishments
and in looking after thieves, or dishonest employees the same tactics
should be used.
Another class of industrial work is in manufacturing plants where a
large number of men and women are employed, where the employer wants
to know whether or not the employees are loyal or disloyal; whether
there is any agitation among the employees. If so, who the agitators
are? If there are any grievances on the part of the employees, what the
grievances are? If it should be a non-union plant, whether or not there
are any union men employed in the plant? Whether they are trying to
unionize the plant? To do this kind of detective work, it is necessary
for the detective to understand some kind of work around the factory
or business plant so that he could go there and secure a position on
his own resources. Getting into a plant in this way never arouses
the suspicions of the employees, and after he is employed he should
associate with the other employees during the noon hour. Should he find
that there is any large number of them rooming or boarding at the same
house or hotel in the vicinity of the plant to secure room and board
there himself.
If this should not be the case, if he should learn of a place where a
number of them gather, or loaf in the evenings, or when not working,
make it a point to be around there. Get on friendly terms with as many
of them as possible, and in this way you will soon know everything
that is going on in the factory or plant. In doing this line of work,
you should be very careful that you do not over-do it by spending too
much money for drinks or other purposes. If you should do this, finally
they will get suspicious of you and your work would be worthless.
The best way is to simply act natural and live within what you are
really earning at the place you are working. Do not try to fool any
of the experienced mechanics as to your capability in certain lines
of work. If you do they will surely get on to you. In doing any kind
of industrial work, it is very important to not carry any credentials
of any kind on your person that would identify you as a detective.
It is sometimes better to change your entire clothing while working
in the factory or shop, as the first thing a person would do if they
were suspicious of you would be to look through your clothing to see
if they could find any credential or card which would identify you as
a detective. You should also be careful not to leave any credentials
or in fact anything where you are living or boarding, as they are also
likely to be searched during your absence.
This class of work is also called secret service work. Any young man of
ordinary intelligence or education could be successful in this kind of
work. The factory or plant makes a contract with the detective agency
and sometimes the beginner is used in this class of work.
Railroads, street car lines and coal companies have a large amount of
industrial or special work done, such as placing detectives who are
members of the various railroad orders or unions among the employees,
such as conductors, engineers, firemen, brake-men, bridge builders,
machinists, blacksmiths, freight hustlers, clerks in the general
offices, telegraph operators, and even down to section men, to get at
irregularities, disloyalty, etc. The detective taking up this work
should be a member of these various organizations to get the desired
results.