The new crusaders against public corruption and the 'good ole boy' system of yesterday.

Online, September 27, 2009 (Newswire.com) - The investigator crouches in the bushes - hidden by tree branches and blending in with her specially made ghillie suit - 'Sara' is just one example of a team of specialized investigators employed by Zone1 Incorporated that is conducting surveillance today to finish up a 3-month case.

But these private eyes are not so much private - or traditional - in the way they do their job. They aren't hired by spouses to find out if a lover is cheating on them. They aren't hired by insurance companies to uncover insurance fraud. They aren't hired by any individual.

The management staff at Zone1 is very tight-lipped about exactly what cases they're working on, whom they employ, where they live, or what they do for the company - but the small group of modern-day investigative journalists all work for the same client on every case: anyone who's hungry for the information they obtain. They can feed that hunger by reading the 'Zone1 Report', a small newspaper published by the group to expose their cases, or watching video reports and reading the stories on the internet.

Part reporter, part investigator - the team sets out on national, and sometimes international, investigations to uncover corruption, scandal and wrongdoing that people generally don't know about."We operate on a need to know basis: Every person that wants to know - needs to know what they may not know already. And that's why we're here," says one investigator about a current investigation involving high-level government corruption in a large Florida metropolitan area.
Refusing to label themselves as 'reporters' (most see it as a calling to investigate a case, rather than working a story) these operatives work in total secrecy, employing such tools and tactics as hidden cameras, surveillance, use of informants, deep cover roles and other clandestine operations to work their cases. Once a case has been closed, it's then turned over to the very small 2-person editorial staff for production or publication.

"If you have a cop that scares even the scariest of drug dealers - imagine what he does to the people he's supposed to protect? On the other hand, in this age of political correctness, we quite often get story ideas and tips from cops that have been 'burnt at the stake', from greedy politicians just trying to satisfy a group of people. We don't think either scenario is right, and we do what we can to let the people know what's going on."

The team now has about 60 active investigations; including 20 that's in the pre-production phase.

Within their 11 U.S. Districts, Zone1 investigators currently have a caseload of 125:1 - for each investigator, there are approximately 125 cases that are currently assigned, such as the police captain that is also a practicing attorney; "This guy, goes to crime scenes and wreck scenes, and hands out his lawyer business card to victims - drumming up business for his law practice, while in uniform and at work as a police supervisor. We already have a tremendous amount of footage of him in the act; we're just waiting for the right time to close the case, compile our evidence and present it to our readers."

Formed by a group of former police officers, private investigators and journalists that were fed up with the way public service has turned into more of a privatized 'good ole boy system'; Zone1 has since grown from local, to regional, to now a national operation, that receive hundreds of tips daily from every corner of the globe.

"You'd be surprised at some of the tips we receive - how brazen these people in power are in their areas. Police. Judges. Politicians. Corporate heads. It's ridiculous. It's scary. It's time to let everyone know about it and maybe we can put a leash on some of these big dogs and keep 'em on the porch."

After all, sometimes a court of public opinion delivers greater justice than a court of law.

For more information, visit their site at www.zone1news.com