Weekly Briefing 031620

A video message from our editor for these terribly interesting times.

I’m not gonna say the C-word. I know you’re already well aware — and have probably received about 200 “We are monitoring the situation” messages from every business and public institution that has your email address.

I’m not sure what “monitoring the situation” even means. Kim (the managing editor and my wife & partner-in-crime) and I are not so much monitoring as hunkering down, cooking delicious meals, and going into the studio only when necessary. We’re lucky our work — as online magazine editors and education providers — lets us stay productive from home.

I did, however, go into the studio yesterday to record a brief message for you. (Scroll to the bottom for that.) If you’d prefer not to see my worsening haircut swelling to fill a video screen, the gist is this: We’ve been focusing on criminal defense this month, and every day, the realities of a defense investigator’s work are changing. A short time ago, cases and courts were proceeding as usual. But in these unprecedented times, everything can shift in half a day or less. Now, all over the country, courts are closing down, cases are being delayed, and people are less willing than ever to open the door to process servers (or anyone). Of course, this varies city to city, state to state, and no one is quite sure how to proceed.

I’m not here to tell you what to do. In fact, we at Pursuit would love to hear how you’re handling this situation: Whether you’re a surveillance operative, defense investigator, or open-source researcher, are you able to keep working? Anxious about your bottom line? Worried for your family and city?

What kinds of support do you need? Are local officials keeping you well informed? Do you have questions for us or your colleagues about how different companies and communities are facing this emergency?

Maybe there are ways we can help each other through this. Let’s figure it out together.

On Thursday evening at 5:00pm CDT, you’re invited to a virtual happy hour with the PI community. Let’s get together, share a cocktail (or soft drink), and talk about how we can serve our clients and maintain our businesses, all while staying safe and protecting our communities. We’ll follow up on FB, LinkedIn, and Twitter with details of the tech and links for you to join.

See you later this week!