The Michigan Daily-Friday, May 9, 1980-Page 3
Local SCeneae
OF COURSE, TH EY MAYBE WATCIHNG YOU, TOO
Watching the detectives
By NICK KATSARELAS
A light rain fell on the city of Dearborn
that early Saturday evening. Joe Booth,
a private detective, walked to the back
of the beer warehouse and quietly
unlocked the door. The vault in the
warehouse had been blown open
several times by
safecrackers-"yeggs" as Booth calls
them-and the owners of the warehouse
had hired Booth to capture the
burglars.
Booth was completing his third week
hiding in the warehouse, waiting for the
return of the safecrackers.
"There were no lights in there,"
Booth remembers. "But your eyes get
used to it." After waiting a few more
hours, Booth heard some noise, and as
he watched and listened carefully, he
knew his safecrackers had returned.
WITH GREAT PRECISION and
speed, the safecrackers went about'
their business. Booth waited for and
heard the deafening explosion, which
the safecrackers set off with
nitroglycerin. After the safecrackers
collected the money, Booth heard one
burglar say to the other: "Do you think
there's anybody here?"
"If there is," his cohort replied,
"we're gonna blow away his head."
Quietly, Booth crept closer to the
men, drew his gun, and shouted,
"Alright! Get your hands up!"
THE TWO MEN ran, and as they ap-
proached the steel door leading out of
the warehouse, they turned and shot at
Booth, who was protected behind the
twisted steel remains of the safe.
Booth then leaped from behind the
safe, aimed, and shot, hitting one of the
safecrackers.
"He went down," Booth explained,
"and he screamed and screamed. The
other guy had run off." But the injured
man, bleeding badly, managed to pull
himself up, slammed the door behind
him, and disappeared into the
darkness.
FOUR DAYS LATER, the
safecracker was found dead beside
railroad tracks near the warehouse.
"It was kill or be killed," Booth said
matter-of-factly.
Thus ended one of the more in-
teresting adventures of Joe Booth, a 60-
year-old private investigator from New
Hudson, Michigan, who has been in the
detective business for 24 years. Booth is
one of 300 private eyes in the state who
offer their services to suspicious
spouses, serve subpoenas, and find wit-
nesses in civil and criminal matters.
These private detectives are surely an
inimitable breed, for they must be far
more patient than most and willing to
involve themselves in matters many
wouldn't dsre pursue.
ACCORDING TO Emily Conrad, of-
fice manager for Investigative
Associates, Inc. of Ann Arbor, the firm
gets "a lot of custody cases," in which a
parent hires a private eye to determine
whether the other parent-usually the
mother-is fit to care for the child.
Conrad said that the investigator
might watch the individuals as they go
to and from work and follow them into
bars and restaurants. The investigation
terminates either when the spouse runs
out of money or when the investigator
finds something out.
Clare LeFerier, of LeFerier
Security and Detective Agency in Yp-
silanti, said because of no-fault divorce
laws, fewer individuals hire detectives
to gather information which might
prove helpful in divorce proceedings.
BUT RICK MALIS, a detective for
Security Services, Inc. in Farmington,
said that often "girls call up and ask me
to check on their boyfriends."
"People are just more or less
suspicious of everyone these days," he
added.
Other non-criminal matters which a
detective may be employed to in-
vestigate include checking on a person.
who is collecting workmen's compen-
sation, and background and credit
checks.
CONRAD SAID HER agency is often
employed by attorneys whose clients
have been accused of rape and who
claim they are innocent.
"What we try to do," explained
Conrad, "is prove the woman asked for
I
Q
it-that she enticed (the assailant) or is
promiscuous."
Most of the private detectives agree
that surveillance is a fairly dull part of
their job, because it usually entails
many hours-and often days-of sitting
in a car watching, or following the path
of, a person. But then there are those
few investigations which have all the
excitement of a ""Rockford Files"
episode or a detective thriller. And 60-
See PRIVATE, Page 11
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v^
Thousands expected a
By BONNIE JURAN according to Morrow.
As many as 100,000 people are ERA has been ratified by 35 states;
expected to march through the streets three more states must approve it
of Chicago tomorrow and participate in before it becomes a constitutional
a rally to gain support for the Equal amendment.
Rights Amendment, according to THE MAJORITY of the marchers
National Organization for Women will be dressed in white, to
members. commemorate the suffragettes who
The marchers will be trying to worked "for 100 years" to give women
convince Illinois legislators to vote in the right to vote, NOW volunteer Amy
favor of ERA in the upcoming state Finck said.
congressional action on the proposed Participants in the march will be
amendment to the U.S. Constitution. grouped by home state; Michigan will
ACCORDING TO Margot Morrow, most likely be the third state in the
assistant director of the University procession, NOW vice-president Sue
Honors Program and ERA chairwoman Smith said.
for the Michigan NOW chapter, ERA The Equal Rights Amendment states
supporters expect victory in the Illinois "Equality of rights under the law shall
house and senate when each chamber not be denied or abridged by the United
votes on the amendment this month and States or by any other state on account
next, of sex."
Three-fifths of the legislators in both DETAILING THE history of the ERA
chambers must vote in favor of ERA in movem ent, Morrow said a
order for it to pass. The Illinois "statement of legal equality" was first
legislature has already considered formulated by suffragette Alice Paul
passage of the proposed amendment almost 60 years ago. It ws not until the
several times, coming within a few years following World War II, however,
votes of passing it on ach occasion, that Congress began to hold hearings on
t Chicago ERA rally
the proposed amendment, which was ERA would destroy the American
passed by Congress in 1972. By 1975, 34 family, Morrow said.
states had ratified ERA, and Indiana
brought that number to 35 in 1976. These groups began a "campaign of
Following the rapid ratification of distortions," according to Morrow, who
ERA by such a large number of states, said the organizations tried to convince
groups such as the John Birch Society people ERA would lead to co-ed
and Stop-ERA (organized by noted bathrooms, mandatory same-sex
ERA opponent Phyllis Schlafly) argued underwear, and broken homes.
Pro-ERA men's group
to attend Chicago march
By BONNIE JURAN offshoot of a larger, more loosely-
If Nic Tamborriello has his way,a structured group cslled the Men's
significant number of those marching Alliancefor Liberation and Equality
in tomorrow's ERA rally in Chicago (MALE). Although the organization
will be men, Tamborriello, a member ,focuses on men's issues, Tamborriello
of Men Allied Nationally (MAN) for said, it is also "totally supportive of the
S A Nwomen's movement."
ERA. hones to see at least 100 members MANY MEN ARE subjected to
of his organization, and a great many stereotyping in much the same way
more from outside his group, women have been, Tamborriello said.
participating in tomorrow's rally. The "provider trip" foisted upon men
Organized in 1977, MAN for ERA is an See MEN'S, Page 17