Meet Keith: The Brains (?) of the Operation

If you’re going to hire an investigator to help you with your case, it seems fair to understand a little about who that person is.

I’m not really a “write about myself in third-person” kind of guy, so hopefully this doesn’t land as too self-aggrandizing. And I promise I don’t use language like that in case reports.

I was born in Los Angeles, and my early formative years were spent making sure the windows were locked so Richard “The Nightstalker” Ramirez couldn’t get me. I have no idea how I came to work in crime prevention.

We later moved to San Jose, and I finished high school there. In 1992 I joined the Army a few weeks after high school.

Originally I worked as a mechanic, but when I reenlisted I changed my job to journalist, which I swear is a real job in the military. It is, in fact, the best job in the military, and if you found yourself here after googling about military journalism, yes, you should do it.

As an Army journalist I spent a lot of my day talking to people, getting them to tell me their story, and sharing that information in a written format. All in all, a pretty good preparation for my current work.

After leaving the Army in 2000 I worked as a police officer in the City of Millbrae, California. It’s worth noting the City of Millbrae doesn’t have a police department anymore. They’ll say it was to save money by contracting with the county sheriff. But the real reason is, obviously, I solved all the crime there. Forever. 

I went to college relatively late in life, and left the police department to finish my degree. While my degree is from Eastern Washington University, I’ve also never been to Cheney, and attended class at the extension program here in Bellevue. Go Eagles, though.

While in school I had a few different jobs that also contributed to my current skill set. I worked as a 911 operator for the University of Washington police department. Having been on both sides of emergency calls, I can honestly say that 911 operator is a much harder gig than being a cop. Cops get to know how things end, with a hand in ending them. Your call taker gets to talk to panicky people, before moving on to the next panicky person, without any resolution. Actual, under-appreciated real heroes…the people who make a career of answering 911.

I also worked for the City of Bellevue in a couple of civil enforcement roles. I worked as a code compliance officer, being the guy who yells at you about building without a permit, and as a tax analyst, being the guy who yells at you about not having a business license or not paying your business taxes.

\While neither made me a lot of new friends, it did give me a lot of experience in dealing with civil enforcement, including the hearing examiner process, and of course further developing my investigative skills.

Now I run a private investigation agency here in Bellevue. You can read more about the type of work we do, but the short version is we primarily do fraud investigations and litigation support for attorneys. We also take other cases we think would be rewarding, interesting, or of value to the community. When our pro bono dance card isn’t too full we try and help domestic violence victims find safety and peace.

I’m an IFSA Certified Firearms Specialist, if your case needs an expert witness to help explain firearms issues. I promise I won't come off as “weird gun nerd” while explaining gun nerd stuff to normal folks. And for our attorney clients, we’re always available for chats about how firearms or ammunition evidence is presented in your litigation.

When I’m not at work I read a lot of books and ride an adventure motorcycle. If you want to commiserate about the maintenance needs of your KTM, you’ve come to the right place.

If you need an experienced investigator to help solve your problems, please reach out with any questions you have. If you’re ready to get started you can schedule a free consultation now.