suspicion by jurymen--they know that the only way for him to
retain his position is by making a record and getting
convictions, and hence they are always looking for jobs and
frame-ups. If a police detective doesn't make arrests and
send a man to jail every once in a while there is no
conclusive way for his superiors to be sure he isn't loafing.

There are a very large number of persons who go into the
detective business for the same reason that others enter the
ministry--they can't make a living at anything else, Provided
he has squint eyes and a dark complexion, almost anybody feels
that he is qualified to unravel the tangled threads of crime.
The first resource of the superannuated or discharged police
detective is to start an agency. Of course, he may be first
class in spite of these disqualifications, but the presumption
in the first instance is that he is no longer alert or
effective, and in the second that in one way or another he
is not honest. Agencies recruited from deposed and other
ex-policemen usually have all the faults of the police without
any of their virtues. There are many small agencies which do
reliable work, and there are a number of private detectives in
all the big cities who work single-handed and achieve
excellent results. However, if he expects to accomplish
anything by hiring detectives, the layman or lawyer must first
make sure of his agency or his man.

One other feature of the detective business should not be
overlooked. In addition to charging for services not actually
rendered and expenses not actually incurred, there is in many
cases a strong temptation to betray the interests of the