YOUR GUIDE TO BECOMING AN AMATEUR SLEUTH by Yvonne Saxon

You’ve decided to be an amateur sleuth? Great! You want to see justice done? Wonderful! You want to find clues, track down the bad guys, and hand them over to the police? Terrific! How do you get started? Do you check out your city’s crime line website, show up at the listed address, and start asking questions? Do you duck under the police tape late at night at a crime scene? Not a good idea, unless your plan was to end up in the back of a squad car. You could be charged with obstruction of justice, or worse yet, put yourself in danger. So how can you become a good amateur sleuth that helps solve crimes?

First, assess your qualifications. Are you likeable? Are you easy to talk to, a good listener, caring? Do people open up to you? Are you intuitive? Do you have a “sixth sense” about things? Maybe you get a sense of what the Oxford New American Dictionary says “feels to be true even without conscious reasoning.” Just like Miss Marple, you’ll need these qualities to be a good sleuth.

Are you clever? Are you known as a puzzle solver, a lost-thing finder, or a “figure-it-outer” among your peers? Your above average intelligence will come in handy searching for clues! Are you nosy without being obnoxious? Your curiosity will take you far!

Second, examine your skill set. Do you know how to ask questions and elicit information in such a way that your suspect or witness doesn’t realize they’re handing you important clues? Have you developed the art of the “quick change”? A few simple disguises can keep you from being recognized when you’re following a person of interest. How are your observational skills? You’ll need to notice everything from slight facial movements to car make and model to the weather on the day of the crime. Also, don’t forget to take note of what might be missing that should be at a crime scene. Remember Jessica Fletcher from “Murder, She Wrote”? She was a master of observation and she caught the criminal every time!

Are you sneaky? Can you blend in, not drawing attention to yourself? Have you practiced taking photos and videos with your phone without looking like you’re filming? Can you eavesdrop in a restaurant and not be noticed? Then you’re on your way to detecting the clues you need!

The next ability every sleuth needs to master is evidence collection. But first, dress appropriately. Tie back or cover your hair securely. According to former FBI special agent Dave Alford, hair evidence is instantly valuable because its general appearance gives identifying information. It can also place the suspect and the victim at a location or in a vehicle, identify the weapon or instrument of crime, and identify a hit and run vehicle!

Make sure you’re wearing gloves. (You don’t want to leave fingerprints, do you?) Clean clothes should be brushed and checked for loose fibers, dust, pollen, and those donut crumbs from eating in the car! There’s nothing worse than being accused of a crime you’re trying to help solve, because you left your own trace evidence!

As an amateur sleuth, how will you collect evidence? Here’s what you need in your clue-finding bag, most of which you’ll already have at home! Throw in several pairs of gloves. Grab a high-powered flashlight and extra batteries. Don’t expect to use your phone—you might need it for another task. Add two brand new pencils with good erasers and some envelopes, a lint roller and transparent tape, and two sheets of acetate film, (the transparency used on overhead projectors) found at office supply stores. You’ll also want a few feet of butcher or parchment paper, a new paint stirrer, and a tube of super glue. In your kitchen, put equal parts of corn starch and cocoa powder in a small container with a secure lid. Shake. Seal in a baggie with a new makeup brush. Now you’re set!

When you enter your location, look up, down, and all around for evidence. Carefully get down at eye level with the floor. Place your flashlight on the floor’s surface to shine across the room. You’ll be amazed at how much material you can see that way! Even though you’re wearing gloves, use the eraser ends of the pencils like tweezers to pick up small items. Use the envelopes for evidence like jewelry, buttons, business cards, and shards of glass. For fibers or particles, use the lint roller or tape to gently lift and then stick the evidence to the transparency sheets.

What if you’ve found clothing with suspicious residue? Roll out a length of butcher paper, hold the item over it, and scrape the loose hair, fiber, dirt, etc., with the paint stirrer. Then fold up your evidence in the paper and get it to the police.

Fingerprints on the knife handle? Dust them using the makeup brush and a little of the powder mix you made. Tape over the print and stick it to the transparency. Cover fingerprints on a glass with the super glue and let it dry. They won’t get rubbed off that way.

As you work on your qualifications, skills, and sneakiness, and gain experience collecting evidence, do you have an amateur investigator from books or TV that you admire? Are you patterning yourself after your hero? Let me know in the comments which fictional sleuth is your favorite!