Looks like good things are on the way for Illinois

Looks like good things are on the way for Illinois. What could your State do to further the industry of Process serving? I think there on the right track.

E-mail inquiries and press releases to news@wgil.com

New Group Wants Tougher Laws for Assaults to Professional Process Servers

(IRN)-The Illinois Association of Professional Process Servers, newly established, has three goals for the organization: Push for tougher penalties for attacking a process server; encourage mandatory training and certification for process servers; and, ask for uniform laws on the status of process servers. IAPPS vice president Bill Clutter, who is a private investigator in Springfield, says anyone who is a process server knows that, at times, "It can be a risky occupation." He says one of his agents was nearly choked to death by a man who refused to accept service, and Clutter cites a case in Southern Illinois in which a man poked a server and shot into the air in order to scare her off his property. Clutter says state lawmakers should make it a felony to attack a process server, offering more of a deterrent than the current misdemeanor. As for training and certification, Clutter says he's concerned about stories from other states that indicate that process servers are forging signatures, improperly serving summons, and losing documents. He says while private investigators are trained in the process, other servers are assigned by the courts and not thoroughly trained. He'd like lawmakers to require training and certification, which would be handled by Clutter's group. Finally, Clutter wants every county to have the same rules on who can serve papers without a judge's approval. He says Cook County requires extra paper work that a judge must approve before a private investigator can serve papers. He says that will save time and effort. IAPPS was officially launched last week. President Dan Schroeder said, "We want our agents to be courteous, professional, and above all, honest." (Illinois Radio Network)

Foreclosure defense: Process servers allegedly filing false affidavits

 Checkout this article I think this process servers filling false affidavits seem to be getting worse. What do you think we can do to bring integrity and professionalism back to process serving?


Foreclosure defense: Process servers allegedly filing false affidavits: 

The history of Pepper Spray that I never Knew

I figure for the next couple of blogs I will write about the Basics of  O.C (oleo resin capsicum) Pepper Spray. We will talk about it's history, nomenclature, usages, myths and Laws regarding pepper spray. Today we will discuss it's history. Keep in mind I am not an attorney I am only sharing my experiences and knowledge of Pepper Spray. And trying to offer some good advice. It is each users responsibility to know there State Law's and receive proper training in the usage and carrying of pepper spray.
First I will give you some background about my experiences with pepper spray. First I would like to say it suck's to get sprayed by it. Plain and Simple. I have carried pepper spray as a defensive tool for about ten years now. First in Military Law Enforcement and now as a Process Server and Federal Security Contractor.  I get re-certificated as a user every year. The certification process does include getting sprayed by 10% O. C pepper spray. 

OK, let's get down to business. I will say for the record that after ten years of carrying and training on the subject of pepper spray I never knew it's history. So I had to do a little research. During my research this is what I found out about the history of pepper spray.

• The use of chemical weapons date back to the Spartans around the time of 428 BC. Apparently they would heavily soak wood in pitch and sulfur then burn it to create deadly fumes.
• The Chinese would also fill different kinds of bags and pouches with all sorts of Peppers and Spices to throw on their enemies.
• One of the more interesting facts I found out was that the Germans in 1864 discovered CN Gas (chioroacetophenone).
• In 2000 BC Chinese Warriors rolled Black Pepper into rice paper and blew it into their enemies eyes.
• In 1978 O.C Pepper Spray is marketed as CAP-STUN(Which work really well but is flammable) .

• In 1989 the FBI conducted a study that reveled that the are no long or short term health effects caused by O.C Pepper Spray.

I think that about wraps it up for the history of pepper spray. In the next post we will talk about the Major Types of Chemical Agents and their uses. 

References Used:  
http://www.pepperspray.org/History.htm






.

3 Things that will help keep procerss servers safe.

As we know in this day and age it is important for Process Servers to be-able to do there job safely. Here are 3 things that I have found that will help you stay safe while serving process. Having a well developed plan on how you are going to execute your serve successfully even before you leave your office is one of the most important things you can do to stay safe. Here are 3 things that I think should be apart of your plan.

1. Map out the location of your serve and be familiar with were you are going. Use Google earth to look at the address were your planning your serve . This will help you see were the entrances and exits to the property are located. Based on this information you can plan on how you’re going to enter and exit in a hurry if things go south
2.  Gather as many facts as possible about the party you are serving. Ask as many questions about the party to be served as possible. Some example questions would include: Is the party to be served known to be violent? Do they have a criminal record?  Has another server already tried to serve the party in question? If so, what happened when they tried? You will have to plan you serve according to the information you find out about the party in question. If they are know to be violent or have a criminal history consider taking another server with you. The second server will be able to back you up and call the police if it should become necessary for them to do so.  The second server can also take video evidence of the serve. Some people will have a tendency to be on their best behavior if they know they will be held accountable in court for their actions. If you believe you are putting yourself in danger by trying to serve the party in question you may even consider letting Law Enforcement serve the party in question.
3. Things to keep in mind once you are approaching your location. Do a drive by of your location if possible before you park. This will  help you confirm the entrances and exits of the property. It will also help you answerer the following questions: Is there a dangerous dog in the yard?  Are there people in front of the location in question? Is the garage door cracked or open? Other things you can do include keeping a clear and focused mind while you are walking up to your location. Know that if there is a physical confrontation how you are going to defend yourself and get out of the area and notify Law Enforcement as soon as possible.

This list is not at all an exhaustive list just some things I think you can consider implementing into the planing part of your serves. Remember a well developed plan will help keep you safe.