Should Process Servers Wear Disguises: A 3 Year Long Discussion
- October 30, 2012
- by Kimberly Faber
- Social Media
Though it's illegal in most jurisdictions, process servers wearing disguises has been a long-standing hot topic in and out of the industry. Process servers repeatedly explain that it is not the norm, but movies and media have perpetuated the process server as a snarky, disguise-swappin' paper pusher. That's really not the case.
We've decided to visit the topic as a discussion in the Process Servers LinkedIn Group that started in early November 2009 has still been getting comments throughout this year. That's a pretty powerful online thread.
The original question was have you worn disguises to server papers? What has worked, what hasn't, and what is your take? Group members commented immediately, and what followed as the months went by was an interesting conversation about misconceptions surrounding the profession, the use of ruses and disguises, and whether or not professionalism should play a larger role in the industry. The thread became a place where process servers shared experiences, debated proper attire, and encouraged each other to give the recipient of the papers the benefit of the doubt.
Conversation snapshot:
The Question:
Have you worn disguises to serve papers? What has worked, what hasn't and what is your take?
Overall, group members agree that disguises have no place in process serving. While some turn to a ruse to get past a difficult doorman or complete a serve on a particularly evasive individual, group members note that the first attempt should always be approached with respect for the individual that is being served. A common theme in the conversation is that professionalism needs to become a central value within the industry. Many process servers dress business casual unless the location where they are serving calls for different attire. Inevitably, a number of comments pointed out that serving process from day to day is not consistent with the image presented in Pineapple Express and reality television. The conclusion: process servers should not wear disguises when they serve.
Key points:
- The only costume a process server needs is to dress for the environment in which they will serve.
- A costume or disguise can put your safety in jeopardy.
- Professionalism is an important pillar in the industry, and that leaves no room for disguises and similar antics.
- First attempts should always be approached with respect.
Notable comments:
From group member Steve Calabrese:
Many years ago when the rules were looser and alternative service was much, much harder, I knew one process server who dressed up in a gorilla costume to serve a paper on Halloween. He said later it was a mistake and that he would never do it again, because, as he said, "I was hot. I was miserable. I could barely see and if the guy had taken a swing at me I wouldn't have been able to run in that thing."
From group member Thomas Smith:
No disguise used, but I successfully used a ruse recently to serve papers. I attempted service on the target only to have him tell me that the person I was looking for was his brother. He said he did not know where he lived, and if he ever saw him again it would be too soon. I reported this information to my client. The client then informed me that she had sent three other process servers to serve this guy at the same address over the last year with the same result. I did a full-blown skip on a guy. Every piece of information I came up with told me that my target lived at that address.
With the blessing of the client, I arranged to have a pizza delivered to the recipient and instructed that it had to be accepted by the guy I was looking for. My pizza was delivered and the man told the lady "This pizza is for Ricardo Mxxxxxx" only, is he here?" The guy appeared who previously denied that he was, in fact, my target, and accepted the pizza. I drove up, jumped out, and before Ricardo could close the door I said, "Hello Ricardo, here are your papers, enjoy your pizza." He said, "thanks," and took them without hesitation.
From group member Tim Santoni:
We serve a lot of process servers on difficult targets and have never found disguises to be useful. Often times being honest, professional, and dressing in a suit is your best bet depending on the area. Most people are more likely to respect you when you are honest. Of course, if that route doesn't work we use alternate methods. Our motto is: give the subject/defendant a chance before we use alternate methods."
Editor's note: For more comments and to view the full thread, click here. For more on the debate of whether or not process servers should wear disguises, read the full article: Should Process Servers Wear Disguises?
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