Of Detective Clichés: Patrick Kurtz, Owner of Kurtz Investigations Berlin, in the "Long Interview" – Part 1

For the format "M19 – the Long Interview" of the radio station Mephisto 97.6, Patrick Kurtz, owner of Kurtz Detective Agency Berlin, spoke for an hour with editor-in-chief Paula Drope about the detective profession. In the first part, the discussion focuses primarily on typical clichés that circulate about private detectives.

What Does a Typical Detective Office Look Like?

Paula Drope: "A very good evening! It will be exciting in my studio today. Just imagine a shabby back room in black and white, an old leather armchair and in front of it a large desk. You are welcome to imagine my studio tonight in exactly this atmosphere. I certainly have this image in mind when I picture a detective office. How many of these detective clichés actually hold true is what I would like to discuss over the next hour with Patrick Kurtz. He is the owner of the Kurtz private detective agency in Berlin. I am very pleased that you are here, Mr Kurtz."

 

Patrick Kurtz: "I am pleased as well."

 

Paula Drope: "I have just conjured up the image of a back room in black and white. Is your detective office also black and white?"

 

Patrick Kurtz: "It is not black and white. But I can confirm the armchair part: I have Chesterfield armchairs in my office and a large desk. The armchairs are not quite that old, however."

 

Paula Drope: "But does the cliché roughly apply to you?"

 

Patrick Kurtz: "Well, it is not a back-yard room. It is a room facing the garden where I work. I think quite a few clichés are confirmed for clients who come in there, because of the heavy armchairs, the large desk and also the pictures on the wall. For example, I have a souvenir from the Sherlock Holmes Museum in Baker Street in London: a picture of Sherlock Holmes hangs in the detective office. And various other items that remind one of him."

 

Paula Drope: "You, dear listeners, can of course also take a look at this office. We have photos and articles about this programme and about this office on our homepage mephisto976.de. You can have a look there after this broadcast."

Research or Surveillance? Detective Work Is Not Only Action but Also a Great Deal of Desk Work.

Paula Drope: "In your office you probably spend a lot of time pondering different cases, I imagine. What does the typical day of a private detective look like? What does your typical day look like?"

 

Patrick Kurtz: "My typical day differs somewhat from the typical day of my colleagues. Because I am the managing director and the owner of the business, I have to deal with many organisational matters. That means I usually start the PC in the morning, check emails, plan assignments and review reports. I am now only rarely out on the street conducting surveillance myself. The main income of most detectives actually comes from conducting surveillance in the field. I do that only rarely these days. Accordingly, my routine differs a bit. What I mostly do at home, during visits to authorities or in other locations, is research. For example, researching addresses that need to be found, debtors who are delinquent and have moved away, or family members who are to be located. I deal with such matters more often. That is more desk work."

Basic Equipment of our Detectives from Berlin

Paula Drope: "At the moment, your basic equipment therefore consists more of a computer and a good email programme. You already mentioned that you used to go out on assignments yourself and conduct surveillance. What belongs to the basic equipment of a detective? I would simply guess: magnifying glass, lock pick and camera?"

 

Patrick Kurtz: "A lock pick rather less so. Well, it does not hurt to have something with you for certain situations in which it is legal to open doors. However, such situations arise rarely. We did have this once when cars had been embezzled. We even had a boat once that had been embezzled and that we suspected to be in a particular garage that actually belonged to the person who was also the owner of the boat. The garage had effectively also been embezzled because the former tenant had simply left his lock attached, so the garage could no longer be opened – without a lock pick. We then dealt with that lock a little. Otherwise, however, a car is above all extremely important for many surveillance operations, and the camera is by far the most important tool of a detective."

 

Paula Drope: "You laughed a little just now when you spoke about the lock pick. Is it also somewhat exciting when you can actually use something so associated with clichés?"

 

Patrick Kurtz: "You should not be too excited because you need a steady hand. You need a very fine sense of touch. That technique is called lockpicking, which is what we use. I believe it is a method from America that allows you to open locks. I must say I am not particularly good at it. During my detective training I had colleagues who had far better skill and a much better feel for these tools. But if necessary I can still manage it with some locks."

Of Contacts and Athletic Detectives

Paula Drope: "It has already sounded as though you mainly work at your desk. That is also because you have many staff members – up to 50 freelance staff. You run an internationally operating detective agency. What belongs to such an agency? If I speak in terms of the Three Investigators: you would probably be the first detective Justus Jonas, and who would then be the second detective and who does the research work?"

 

Patrick Kurtz: "The Three Investigators are not really my field. Research is done by many different people. Often these are on-site investigations, which means I need my colleagues on site who carry out those enquiries. Matters involving visits to authorities, research via the internet or through contacts – for example contacts with officials – are handled by a few people who actually have those contacts. I would count myself among them. The second detective in the Three Investigators – what exactly is his role?"

 

Paula Drope: "I have always wondered about that as well. He is simply the second detective and the athletic one of the two. So Peter Shaw is the athletic one."

 

Patrick Kurtz: "I see. I do not think I have that many athletic employees, I must say."

 

Paula Drope: "So car chases do happen then …"

 

Patrick Kurtz: "… in cars, which is precisely the problem. One spends a lot of time sitting around, and accordingly there is not much time left for sport."

Detective Work Today Is Teamwork | Detective Team Berlin

Paula Drope: "And perhaps once more the question: What exactly defines a detective agency, as opposed perhaps to the lone detective working in a back room?"

 

Patrick Kurtz: "Teamwork is crucial, simply because one cannot have contacts everywhere, in every city and with every authority. One also cannot be familiar with every location, and during surveillance you always need support. There are certainly surveillance operations that we carry out with only one observer, especially for private clients. However, whenever matters move into the commercial sphere, we generally say that we need at least two people, because the risk of being recognised is simply too great if you follow someone alone. One has to maintain the balance between keeping visual contact and not being seen oneself. That is difficult if you cannot take turns. That is why detective work today is teamwork."

The Long Interview about Detectives – Part 2

The second part can be found here.

Kurtz Detective Agency Berlin

Rykestraße 26

10405 Berlin

Tel.: +49 30 555 786 41-0

Fax: +49 30 555 786 41-9

E-Mail: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-berlin.de

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