The History of the
Louisiana Private Investigator's
Association

On April 5, 1987, Gary Hyatt, Randy Hyatt, Martin Powell and Cecil Paris held the first meeting of the Louisiana Private Investigators Association in Moss Bluff, Louisiana. Officers for the association were elected as follows: Gary A. Hyatt, President; Cecil Paris, Vice-President; Martin Powell, Secretary; and Randy Hyatt, Treasurer. Having held that first mandatory meeting, the Articles of Incorporation were filed and recorded in the Secretary of State's office on April 8, 1987 as a non-profit corporation. The LPIA was then authorized to transact business in the State of Louisiana as a corporation.

The Louisiana Private Investigators Association was formed for two very specific reasons. First, the state of Louisiana had no professional organizations for the private investigative industry. The benefits of networking and educational seminars that private investigators in other states had were lost here without such an organization. Secondly, and most importantly, a bill had been filed in the 1987 Legislature, backed by the security industry of this state, proposing to incorporate the private investigators under their state board. Fees under the bill were outrageous and insurance requirements were so high that most investigators would have been put out of business.

LPIA, with only 17 members, defeated the bill and decided to fight fire with fire. In the fall of 1988, Gary Hyatt, Julius "Buddy" Bombet and John Becton met in Lafayette, Louisiana and wrote a proposed bill creating the Louisiana State Board of Private Investigator Examiners.

In the 1988 Legislature, the bill was filed by Representative Chris John of Crowley, Louisiana. It was later killed by heavy lobbying from the security industry.

In 1989, LPIA continued to build contacts in both the House and Senate. The bill was introduced again and made it out of committee, but was later killed on the floor by the security industry. Ex-Governor Edwin Edwards, who was running for this fourth term, was contacted and his support was obtained in assisting LPIA in 1990. The bill moved along well, but fell short because of continued heavy lobbying by the security industry. However in 1992 with hard work from over 100 LPIA members, the bill passed and became law. Governor Edwin Edwards appointed the following LPIA members to the first Board: Julius "Buddy" Bombet as Chairman, Calvin "Pete" Trahan as Vice-Chairman, Gary A. Hyatt, Joseph A. Oster, Robert Eubanks and Penny Mire.

Since its inception, LPIA has promoted honesty, professionalism, and ethics in the private investigative industry in the State of Louisiana. For the past ten years, we have made education and networking a way of life for the Louisiana investigator. Our seminars are now on a national level with hundreds of out of state investigators attending. Our speakers have been of national caliber and quality. Our 1996 annual convention attracted over 300 investigators from throughout the United States.

LPIA started the first certification program in Louisiana called the Louisiana Certified Investigator (LCI) and has owned the trademark for the past two years. A comprehensive written and oral examination along with a white paper must be successfully completed in order to become an LCI.

We are now more than 240 members strong and welcome both Louisiana and out of state investigators in our ranks. We continue to monitor legislation effecting the investigative industry and propose our own legislation as well. We provide educational programs of the highest caliber and networking tools for investigators worldwide.

If you are not a member of this organization, then you are missing a tremendous opportunity to meet friends and associates that bring out the best in our membership. We are looking forward to celebrating our ten year anniversary at our annual convention in September, 1997 and extend an invitation to anyone who would like to attend.

This page, and all contents, are Copyright (C) 1996
by The Louisiana Private Investigator Association