"Wedding Sherlock": Stadtgeflüster Interview on Infidelity with Detective Patrick Kurtz – Part II (Translation)

Dominik Irtenkauf interviews Detective Patrick Kurtz, owner of Kurtz Detective Agency Mannheim. In the second part of the interview, the focus is on the topic of infidelity. Part I, covering marriage fraud, can be found here.

Infidelity, which you also investigate, must be quite widespread. How do you approach a person suspected of cheating?

That generally happens through surveillance. We discuss with the client at what times it is likely that an affair might occur, or when a meeting with someone that might not be purely platonic could take place. Once that is clarified, we talk about the location: Where will the surveillance take place? How many investigators are needed? How many vehicles? What obstacles might the observation scenario present? Is there construction that could hinder our vehicle tracking? How are the traffic lights in the area set? Are there any one-way streets? These things must be clarified in advance. This preliminary planning is called a “surveillance site assessment.”

And then the surveillance begins?

Exactly. The observation is carried out. Who is the suspected unfaithful person meeting? How do the people they meet behave, and how do they interact with our primary target? Are there signs of a romantic relationship, or is it purely platonic? Of course, we cannot go into bedrooms or film what happens there. Usually, however, it is already possible to infer on the street or in public spaces whether the relationship is platonic or more intimate.

How do you then prove it?

If anything relevant occurs, we take photos or video recordings. All surveillance results are summarized in an investigation report. This means our clients can very clearly track what happened during the observation period. If the court considers the report insufficient, the photos can also be requested.

Who contacts you? Already married people, or jealous lovers?

Everyone. All types of relationships are involved: spouses, long-term partners, and sometimes even people who have just started dating. In the latter case, we always check whether there is a legitimate interest. Observing someone is always an intrusion into their personal rights. This measure must be justified. In legal terms, this is called a “weighing of interests.”

You check whether an investigation is even legal?

Exactly. To justify this, it’s not enough if the couple has only been together for three weeks and one person thinks the other is unfaithful. Perhaps the partner has a completely different understanding of the relationship; the situation may not even be clearly defined yet. In such cases, it’s too risky to take action. Especially since in such early-stage relationships, there are rarely shared economic interests.

What does that mean?

For example, students living in separate apartments, maintaining separate households, with no shared expenses or credit obligations: there is no economic interest. That alone is not sufficient for us. It is purely an emotional matter without a legal background.

Is this just another assignment, or do you sometimes feel like a “launderer of dirty laundry”?

"Ultimately, it’s not our fault if someone cheats on their spouse."

We conduct infidelity observations daily. Because of this, we approach it with a certain professional distance and can manage it. Undoubtedly, many of the observed people are angry with us because they blame us for the stress that our investigation brings into their home.

How do you respond?

I believe: We didn’t commit the act; we merely documented it, as a police investigator would. Infidelity is not a legal violation, but a moral one. People who are cheated on have the right to know the truth, because their entire life plan may depend on the relationship. Ultimately, it is not our fault if someone cheats and gets caught. We are merely the ones who catch them, not the ones who commit the offense.

Do the reactions stay manageable?

There are also target persons who react so angrily that they send threats. But these are mostly amusing, as it is usually just empty talk. We’ve even received threats like: “I will stand in front of your house tomorrow with 500 men.” Of course, the “500 men” is total nonsense. Who has a private army at home?

"There are enough targets who threaten us."

How faithful are Germans in marriage? What is your impression from a professional perspective?

That’s a statistical question I cannot answer directly, because in our daily work we only deal with the subset of relationships where there is already a suspicion of infidelity. If you only go by that, you might conclude that around 70–80 percent of Germans cheat, but that is clearly a distorted picture.

Info Box Patrick Kurtz

Owner of Kurtz Detective Agency Mannheim and the Rhein-Neckar region. He responded promptly to our interview request on this specific topic. Patrick Kurtz is regularly consulted by various media for his expertise.

 

Trick fraud and marriage scams are not minor offenses and require coordinated responses. Patrick Kurtz and his team handle cases discreetly and results-oriented.

Note

Emphases (bold) and links are added by Kurtz Detective Agency Mannheim and Rhein-Neckar, not from the original article.

Source: Stadtgeflüster Verlag GmbH, "Original Stadtgeflüster Interview", 5/2018, 13th yr.

 

Kurtz Investigations Mannheim and Rhine-Neckar

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D-68161 Mannheim

Tel.: +49 621 9535 4001

E-Mail: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-mannheim.de

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