Mid-valley private investigator logs plenty of miles around the U.S. and the world

By Cathy Ingalls

Albany Democrat-Herald

ALBANY - The sign on Rick Mangrum's small, nondescript office on Old Salem Road says the private investigator handles surveillance, missing persons, child custody and infidelity cases.

But just how much work can there be in Albany for a PI?

Turns out he has plenty to do because Mangrum, 52, a licensed private investigator for nine years, not only works close to home, he travels around the United States and flies to all parts of the world on a variety of assignments. He visited 10 countries last year.

His specialties are infiltration and covert surveillance.

The former rodeo bareback and bull rider from Memphis charges $95 an hour for domestic work and $250 an hour when he is overseas, plus expenses. He does not mind saying he earned $450,000 last year; however, he used much of his earnings to buy surveillance gadgets.

"The cool thing about this job is every time you turn around someone's made a new toy," he said, showing off the James Bond-type spyware that he keeps in glass display cases in the foyer next to his private office.

The gadgets are on view because clients want to see just what gizmos Mangrum can use on the job. Others come in to buy the equipment for themselves.

In the cases are tracking devices Mangrum puts on vehicles and cameras disguised in a variety of household items. There are cameras that look like radios, cameras placed in different styles of clocks, and there is a camera hidden in a plastic plant.

He has camera lenses secreted in what look like clothing buttons, in screw heads and in a fancy gold pen.

In a van with darkened windows there are multiple cameras for use on stakeouts. Mangrum also has installed cameras in a modified piece of construction equipment to catch thieves at jobsites.

To ensure that all of this specialized equipment is not stolen, he has a sophisticated security system with monitors mounted throughout his office.

Mangrum, who admits to being a Type A personality plus and has a Vise-Grip handshake, wears starched white long-sleeved shirts secured at the wrist with cufflinks. Eight of his suits were made by a tailor in Seoul.

His favorite part of the job "is the covert stuff, on-the-edge stuff," he says. "Can you imagine posing as a tourist in a foreign country trying to get information with no backup? I enjoy the risk of getting information for someone when no one else can or wants to try."

Part of Mangrum's job requires that he be ready to fly anyplace in the world at literally a moment's notice. If he needs help with a case, he contracts with people he knows who were in the military, in law enforcement or worked for the government.

He also relies on his two office employees, Amber Caldwell and Ana Herrera. They work odd and long hours so he can communicate with them when he is in a foreign country. They also do undercover work for him.

Because Mangrum takes risks and in some cases angers people, he always carries protection. In his shoulder holster is a 9mm Sig and in a pants pocket is a trim .380 automatic.

He continually looks over his shoulder, and his rearview mirror can be his best friend.

"I'm one of the very few people doing this high caliber of work," he said. "I also have tenacity and a refusal to quit."

Mangrum does not expect to retire.

"I'll probably fall down dead doing this," he said. "It'll either be a heart attack or I'll get shot."