Some of the old tropes about private detective agencies still hold true, such as surveilling wayward spouses or running background checks. But the work also includes protecting the assets of corporate shareholders and even reuniting families.

These sorts of cases and more are part of a day’s work for Pipkin Detective Agency (PDA), continuing a long family tradition that sets PDA apart from all other private investigation firms.

PDA also provides confidential, accurate investigative services, most recently for tracking down the long-lost daughter of actor Robert Hooks, who met his daughter only once in the 1950s.

Hooks, 87, had a distinguished career acting on Broadway and cinema, and three influential Black theatre companies.

PDA Owner Rocky Pipkin and Agent Leah King spoke on KMJ’s Ray Appleton radio show about the investigation that led to her discovery, pushing through when others had given up.

“You know, it’s not something that everyone can do to catch their lost loved one up. It’s been the most extraordinary journey,” said Laurie Marlowe, wife of Hooks, on KMJ.

The case is one of many closed by PDA in its 30-plus-year history in the Central Valley.

The origin story of PDA starts not in the Valley but in the Midwest, by Pipkin’s great-uncle Charley Wilton Pipkin in 1917. After leaving the Omaha Police Department, Charley would start “Pipkin National Detective Agency” and work his way West, taking cases in Denver, Las Vegas and eventually California. 

After Charley’s death, PDA would go dormant in the 1960s. Rocky’s father sought to resurrect the agency before passing from health problems. Rocky took ownership in 1987 with co-founder La Verne Raymond “Pappy” Hughes – a former U.S. Marine Corps Sergeant and California Highway Patrol accident reconstruction expert.

PDA prides itself on assigning the right people to the job. Agent King has worked with PDA since age 16. To find Hooks’ long-lost daughter, King poured through obituaries and other resources to build a family tree.

“The thing you have to start with is good people,” Pipkin said. “Then they have to be trained or obtain on-the-job training, and learn where to look for things and how to find them.”

The agency has grown to also provide a multitude of services including armed ag security, specialized covert video surveillance, and workplace investigations.

Pipkin said cybersecurity investigation is another area of expertise for the agency. One team member has more than 30 years of experience in the field. The forensic computer analyst is a qualified expert in the Superior Court of California.

PDA’s breadth of expertise also sets it apart.

“When you look at all these different types of investigations that we do, and the specialty experience and training that you need, it’s not easy to gather a group of highly qualified individuals like that,” Pipkin said.

Pipkin currently has no plans to expand, but does expect a “changing of the guard” as he grows closer to retirement, which makes the depth of his investigative team even more important.

But there’s still people to help and mysteries to solve for Pipkin.

“That’s probably a few years away,” Pipkin said about retirement. “I still enjoy it. I mean it’s something that I like every day. Every morning I get up,” Pipkin said.

For more information go to gopipkin.com/ or call (877) 730-3532.

License #CAPI23842 / #PP0128407