Lesson #1- Investigate before you confront.  As a boy I would easily crack when mother confronted me directly with an issue, but soon I learned to have excuses ready in hand.   Those excuses fell apart when she had evidence.   By waiting to confront, you can discover crucial facts and details that you would be unable to obtain in any other way.  In this case, Sawmill B not only proved the allegation was correct, but they also learned there were others involved unknown to the anonymous caller.  Sawmill B ended up with a better picture of what actually was happening.  Furthermore, they were comfortable with their allegations and were better able to take actions that were fair to both ABC Logging and themselves.   As shown here, when you confront first, the chances of learning the unbiased truth is reduced.  The perpetrators have an alibi already prepared.   ABC Logging was put on notice and their improper activities ceased, for the time being anyway.  Gathering any future untainted information against ABC Logging was unlikely and they will probably take their scam to another company.

Lesson #2 - Trust but Verify.  My mother loved and trusted me, but she recognized that I needed to be "checked on" occasionally.  Sometimes people you trust can lie, steal and cheat.  In this case, both mills were surprised by the allegations.  They had worked with ABC Logging for years and were confident the company played by the rules.  As a result, neither mill took precautions to ensure the relationship stayed honest.  One of my favorite law enforcement/security phrases was coined by President Ronald Reagan when he was negotiating with the Russians over nuclear disarmament.  He said, "Trust but verify."   During my 30+ years of forest industry law enforcement and security work, I have worked several cases where a good, honest person was caught doing something dishonest.  I've been involved in the indictment or arrest of school board members, government officials and ministers for criminal misdeeds.  All were trusted members of their communities who became tempted by the lure of money when they perceived there was a minimal risk of capture. 

Lesson #3 - Develop some visible elements of risk for potential violators to think about.  I knew my mother had advanced investigative tactics.  I'd experienced them.  It caused some apprehension while fishing that day, but more importantly kept me from straying more often.  If the zone jumping fraud had been going on for some time as the caller suggested, ABC Logging apparently felt comfortable with their scheme and thought there was minimal risk of being caught.   Success makes people brave.  To deter future crime, keep elements of risk visible for potential violators to see and think about.  In this particular scenario, conducting random wood flow audits would have been a good first step.  Notifying the Logging vendors that you will be conducting some random audits by following trucks or using woodland surveillance cameras elevates the risk ante.  Then follow through.  You don't necessarily have to apprehend anyone to make your point.  You can subtly mention that you observed one of their trucks leaving a logging site while conducting a wood flow audit or show a still photo taken from a woodlands camera while noting an equipment or safety concern.  Show that you take fraud seriously.      

Lesson #4 --Taking punitive actions against violators sends a strong message to others.  Without the encouragement of my friends, I might not have gone on the fishing adventure.  My mother's diligence and involvement included my friends and catching me impacted them as well.  It created a fear in the entire group.  It sounds pretty basic, but once you prove a fraud or other improper behavior you have to take action.  Taking punitive actions (civil, criminal and/or administrative) sends a strong message to the violator, others involved and even on-lookers that there is a high penalty for improper behavior.  Anything less is not much of a deterrent at all.  It changes the whole environment.  In the example above, Sawmill A probably continued their business relationship with ABC Logging because they didn't have enough evidence to terminate the contract.   It is very likely ABC Logging will stop for a while but pick up again later with new methods and/or will continue their fraud schemes with another company in the area.  On the other hand, the actions taken by Sawmill B eliminated further problems with ABC Logging for themselves and could also deter any future fraud attempts with other companies and will send a strong deterrent message that will resonate throughout the forest industry in that area.  All the kids in the neighborhood are impacted.

Conclusion

In the end, I have to simply say, "Thanks, Mom."  Thanks for keeping me on the straight and narrow and out of any real trouble while growing up.  And thanks for the timber security lessons that I still use today.