(Mike, Founder of N.P.I. Michigan)
:: Michigan’s Otherside:: What motivated you to start a paranormal team?
::N.P.I. :: A lifetime fascination and interest in the field has led our closely knit group together here at NPI-Michigan (Network of Paranormal Investigators). I believe our real drive came from the want of moving on from being labeled “ghost hunters” to being known as real paranormal investigators and researchers. Our personal drive drove us to expand our services to professionally manage investigations and provide advice for a variety of circumstances.
Where are you based?
NPI is based throughout the Metro-Detroit area, with a group headquarters in Madison Heights, MI.
What does your team do during an investigation? What can a client expect?
All investigations are preceded by an in-depth interview with the client(s), which is then followed up by research on any information provided by the client. On the predetermined day of the investigation, we will arrive and do a run through of the premises in order to establish full awareness of the location as well as establish a plan for setting up our equipment. Upon placing and securing any fixed elements such as cameras and audio recorders, we will establish baseline electromagnetic field readings and note the different levels in each room.
We then clear the building and secure any entrances/exits to the location. For the investigation, we enter the location in small groups. We usually have two “teams” of two individuals. Each team will conduct sweeps consisting of a walkthrough with documentation of observations, as well as timestamps and locations of EVP recordings and irregular EMF data gathered. Upon all teams completed walkthroughs, we will have a brief meeting to discuss and compare each other’s physical documentation. We will then do one final walkthrough as a group based on our collected data to investigate any potential anomalies recorded by the teams in their early walkthroughs. After the final walkthrough, we will then gather all of our materials and equipment making sure everything is the same as the way it was when we arrived.
Analysis of the recordings will usually take 1-3 days, and the client will be contacted by phone to go over the results or to schedule a meeting to review the results.
When did your team form and who is in charge?
Collectively, individuals involved with NPI have been investigating for many years, but NPI was formed as an official paranormal investigation group in early 2007. Michael Pierce is the main coordinator and the founder of NPI-Michigan.
What is your stance on Orbs and Paranormal Photography?
In this field, there are countless theories out there. While the vast majority of “orbs” and paranormal photography is explained straightforwardly, we are always eager to take a look at anything that a client cannot explain.
We provide a series of common "orb/paranormal" photos as examples of the way things such as dust, lens flares, reflections, bugs, moisture and breath can sometimes appear in a photograph. Our website (www.npimi.com) offers numerous examples of false anomalies and their explanations, as well as images that still leave us scratching our heads.
How far will you travel for an investigation?
A trip of several hours is not out of the question and we welcome special requests from anywhere. Sometimes travel arrangements cannot always be viable, in which case we will refer or forward the client and their investigation to another qualified group. Most commonly we work within 0-100 miles of our headquarters in Madison Heights, MI.
How can you be reached? (Email, websites, etc.)
We can be contacted anytime, day or night through numerous methods.
Our website (www.npimi.com) provides a convenient "Contact Us" form, as well as a direct email address (contact@npimi.com) and a 24 hour phone line (248-252-8691).
The website and email content is monitored by our administrator on a daily basis.
Is your membership open? How many people are in your organization?
Membership within NPI-Michigan is not entirely open. While we are eager to network with as many great individuals, groups, and resources as possible to help provide the best analysis to clientele in any situation, our core group of members that will actually be working on cases to gather information and review data, will be between 4 and 6 members.
On occasion, NPI does provide opportunities to individuals to be involved in our investigations by providing additional on and off-site camera recording.
What’s your favorite aspect of the paranormal?
The greatest aspect of the paranormal is that it is such an open field. NPI strives to pave their way into the paranormal community by providing top notch professional, reliable, and controlled results. Along with the sheer intrigue of the subject, our favorite part about being in the paranormal field is that we are making a difference and actually helping others. While we are open and excited with investigations of any form where we have the opportunity to gather fascinating evidence, our main goal is to bring comfort to a client by providing rational explanations and understandings of any phenomenon, whether natural or paranormal.
