It’s always interesting to me when I’m able to evade security that is in my way in an investigation involving surveillance. Luxury property owners build walls, hire guards, and they do so expecting to keep out the undesirable element … me in this case.
This case story is about a super high end Beaver Creek, CO community with vacation homeowners like our past President Gerald Ford. In fact, the home I wanted to surveil was on the same block. We’re talking multi-million dollar homes, heated sidewalks and background-screened gate guards.
I was working on a high end divorce case with two very bitter and wealthy protagonists. The case lasted four months and involved several out of town trips. Our client was the husband. The problem was that the wife didn’t have to work and traveled a lot.
My client had the money to pull out all of the stops to get the job done, and he wanted all of the dirt I could sweep up. It was actually a fun case, but the trip to Beaver Creek and the surveillance there turned out to be the most challenging and memorable.
The Subject was dating a wealthy Mexican national. He was also married, but his wife was back in Mexico. He was a regular traveler to Houston, which is how he met the Subject. During my surveillance of her, I was standing near her in Neiman’s, a high end Houston department store.
I heard her bragging to the employee behind the jewelry counter that she was about to go on a fabulous trip with her rich boyfriend to Beaver Creek, CO. She was very chatty about her private business, mentioning his second home in the mountain community. The one thing she didn’t mention was that they were both married … to others.
One of my investigative contacts was able to locate their itinerary and flight information. Informing my client, I was immediately given permission to book a seat on the same flight. I reserved a mid-size car (important later) at the Eagle County Airport in Colorado.
I followed their rented Lincoln out of the airport to the beautiful Beaver Creek community and the very high end subdivision. They waived at the gate guard and went right through. Of course, I wasn’t so privileged. I was immediately stopped by the gate guard.
Trying to talk my way in, I said that I was there to look at some property. That didn’t fly. The guard told me that I must be accompanied by a real estate agent and have an appointment. This was actually a pretty well-trained guard and he presented a challenge.
I really needed to gain access to do proper surveillance. I knew that my client would want photos, lots and lots of them. That’s something every client wants, but this one could afford a whole album for reminiscing later. The photos would be very important in the divorce, child custody and property distribution negotiations.
What I needed was some entry surveillance. I drove across the street to a strip center where I could watch the comings and goings of residents. In watching who got stopped and who didn’t, I learned enough to hatch a plan. I returned to the car rental agency, returned the mid-size car and took out a luxury Cadillac. I went back to my hotel and changed out of my jeans and sweatshirt into a suit and tie.
In my gate surveillance I had noted that residents used a right lane entry, while all others would be directed to the left lane to identify themselves to the guard. I just got into character, drove slowly through the right lane past the guard and waived like I knew him.
This is a human nature thing. This guy’s job was keeping the riff-raff out, and not hassling the elite residents. He looked puzzled, but there was definite hesitation to detain one of the rich ones. It was a matter of perception, and the guy in the mid-size car and in jeans should be hassled, but not the guy in a suit and a Cadillac.
That successful entry set a precedent, and I was now recognizable every other time I wanted in. I simply waived and drove on through! Each time it was a little easier. The more the guard saw me, the more he thought he knew me … piece of cake.
That week went well. I got dozens of photos of the couple together showing affection. They were spending nights together, which was great for the divorce case. It was also kind of nice kneeling on that heated sidewalk to get some of those photos. I heard later that Gerald Ford’s home there had sold for $7 million.
As the boss, I got to pick and choose my cases, and I’ll usually grab those in resorts like Beaver Creek.