A husband with a whip in his car. A conman eyeing an elderly woman’s wealth. It’s all in a day’s work for Louisa Erismann, private detective
BY Juliane Schiemenz FROM REPORTAGEN
A BLONDE WOMAN in her mid-sixties walks through an exclusive Zürich neighbourhood. Wellgroomed and slender, she is wearing a dark quilted jacket, black jeans, stylish but inconspicuous sneakers, discreet jewellery and fashionable glasses. She doesn’t particularly stand out. People her age tend to fade into the background.
She smiles as she squints into the sun. Traces of a curious, sassy girl can be seen in her face—a girl who is pleased because no one can find her during a game of hide-and-seek. Her expression seems to say, If they only knew! The woman’s name is Louisa Erismann, and she has been a private investigator for the past six years. I’ll be accompanying her for the next week as she does her investigative work.
“Great that you’re coming along with me!” Erismann whispers as we walk together through the residential area. “Two people together are less noticeable. And who would ever suspect they’re being staked out by two women?”.
We’re doing what’s called reconnaissance. Casing a place. I learned that from reading the books Guide to Surveillance and Profession: Detective, which Erismann gave me to help me prepare for our week together. She advised me on the kind of clothes and shoes to wear; I, too, am in dark colours.
Today’s reconnaissance involves a dispute between a man and his female neighbour. I am not permitted to share all of the details about this or any other assignments mentioned in this article. But this much I can say: Erismann has been hired to watch the neighbour.
ERISMANN COMPLETED A one-year vocational training course in private investigating, which cost her about 8,000 euros, at a school in Zürich. For her assignments she studies the target’s daily routine, then puts him or her under observation. She’ll watch them at 5am, again at noon, then in the afternoon. Sometimes stakeouts take up to 15 hours.
In her unremarkable car Erismann keeps a pair of binoculars, and jackets, toques and scarves with which she can quickly disguise herself; they also help her stay warm during long periods of surveillance. There are shopping bags in the boot, so she can open it and make it appear as if she just came from the supermarket. Her detective kit also includes wigs, a change of shoes, thermal underwear, vitamins and bananas.
In her office she has manuals on surveillance methods and forensics, along with a copy of the Swiss Civil Code. Erismann alway
