'Called on more,' private investigators look into Austin burglaries

"They'll break a window, come in, grab an arm full of stuff. Not only is that a big distraction for the shop, there's a cost involved," Will Black said.

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Will Black, the general manager of Mellow Johnny's Bike Shop off of Lamar Boulevard, said he has "the greatest job in the world."

Pictured in the photo here, Black said he has worked at bike shops for 43 years.

But lately, a recent crime spurt has taken some of his focus away from what he loves doing at the shop.

"They'll break a window, come in, grab an arm full of stuff. Not only is that a big distraction for the shop, there's a cost involved," Black said.

He filed reports with the Austin Police Department, but the problems persisted.

"You know, there are a lot of other things going on in the city," he said. "While I'm not saying [the burglaries] weren't a priority for [APD], I'm just saying there are other things that they prioritized more... We felt like we wanted to be a little bit more offensive."

In comes Dave Amis, a Texas private investigator with Strider PI.

"We're definitely getting called on more frequently," he said. "As PI's, we can be totally focused on their case. That allows us to be a little more aggressive and to move fast."

Black said he hired Amis and Strider to help investigate the show burglaries. Amis said his team identified four suspects, and police have arrested three individuals related to the case.

"The best thing is for us is to work a case and then hand it over to APD," Amis said. "Generally, they can pick it up and finish it, reconfirm everything we've done, but they're the ones to ultimately make the arrest."

Black feels like the PI help is working, and he's looking forward to getting back to the core of his self-dubbed "best job in the world."

"I just want to go back to taking care of the community," he said.

Is a private investigator's evidence admissible in court?

According to Alan Bennett, a former Travis County prosecutor who currently works as a defense attorney in Austin, evidence gathered by a private investigator in Texas is admissible in court as long as it is obtained legally.

"Essentially, the burden for PI's and law enforcement [in court] is the same," Bennett said. "In the sense that they have to establish the location of the evidence, how it was recovered, and the chain of custody regarding where the evidence has been since."

A private investigator cannot break privacy laws.

Licensed public investigators in Texas follow regulations overseen by the Texas Department of Public Safety.