David Watson Private Investigator
Austin American Statesman Jobs Section

Prior experience makes detective work elementary to private investigator
October 22, 2006
Download Article

If you say the words “private investigator” to most people, the images of any number of stock Hollywood types from Humphrey Bogart as Sam Spade to Tom Selleck in Magnum P.I. are the first to spring to mind.

Yet that stereotyped image of maverick detectives who operate outside the law to solve a mystery is far and away from the reality, says real-life private investigator David Watson, owner of Watson Private Investigation Services, Inc.

When Watson first moved to Austin from Los Angeles, he was a man in search of fulfilling a cherished dream - opening his own private investigation company. Watson had just resigned from his job as a 15-year veteran with the Los Angeles Police Department.

“I left on good terms with the rank of Sergeant II,” says Watson. “I was in the elevator listening to a couple of the older cops talking about retirement and how screwed up everything is, and I looked over and thought, ‘That’s going to be me one day.’ And that did it for me. I made my decision right then and there.”

Watson found that anyone who wants to own his or her own private investigations company in Texas must be able to provide the state with proof of more than three years of investigative experience and take a test. If someone does not have three years of investigative experience, then that person would need to be licensed under a licensed private investigator for three years before being allowed to operate solo.

Watson says he finds that educating the public about the finer legal points of professional private investigation is as much a part of his work as the actual sleuthing itself.

“There’s very little of that filming ‘spouses-fooling-around’ kind of thing,” Watson continues. “I have a surveillance team that works on criminal cases and insurance fraud. We also work with civil matters, such as background checks. I work for insurance companies themselves, or attorneys who work for the insurance companies.”

Another part of Watson’s business comes from Travis County. Watson often investigates cases for public defense attorneys.

“It’s not where you make your money, but it’s a good place to start,” Watson says. “Some people are innocent, and they don’t have any money to hire their own service, It feels good to help get innocent people out of jail.”

That attitude of wanting to help others is what originally compelled Watson to become a police office more than two decades ago.

“Being a police officer taught me not to put myself in situations that could be bad. That is why experience is essential - you need to be thinking, you need to pick the right time to go to a certain neighborhood, you have to be aware of different cultures and people,” Watson says. “You need to have good communication skills, and be able to listen. You need to be able to read people’s body language so you know how to negotiate and interview people without them knowing it. These are all things I learned as a cop, that have really helped me. I believe it’s why I’m successful now.”

By Jackie Benton
Special Sections Writer