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John M. Lajoie, CLI, CCDI
jlajoie@privateinvestigator.com
John M. Lajoie, CLI, CCDI, founded LII in 1989. In December of 2019, John learned he had gastro-esophageal cancer. John fought a courageous battle and colleagues, family, and friends enjoyed his ever-present whit, humor, and love of life during this time. In March of 2022, John stepped down from being the President of LII but continued supporting the company and our clients by remaining a Director and valuable Investigative Management Consultant for LII. On August 10th, 2022, Lajoie Investigations, Inc. and the many related association members lost an unwavering champion of the industry; mentor; teacher; and conference coordinator. He will be for ever missed but will live on in those of us whom he unselfishly shared his knowledge with. John was a board-certified legal investigator, a board-certified defense investigator, and a board-certified professional investigator. His case experience has ranged from high-profile homicides to simple auto accidents, and his client base from the rich and famous to the homeless and indigent. He spent countless hours mentoring and teaching his wife (and current president of LII), Susan Lajoie, and his current and past employees on how to conduct investigations with professionalism, integrity, honesty, and ethics. John was very proud of his prior employees who went on to successful careers as private investigators and other related fields. They would tell him that it was because of his mentoring and training they were well prepared to be considered top candidates for employment and successful in their future endeavors and chosen career fields.
John was a member of many national and international professional investigator organizations and was frequently recognized by these groups for his outstanding work and contributions to the investigative profession and the community. John was a member of the prestigious BCPI certification board of the United States Association of Professional Investigators (USAPI) when headquartered in Washington, DC, served two separate terms as the President of the Licensed Private Detectives Association of Massachusetts (LPDAM), had served six terms as the Northeast Regional Director for the National Association of Legal Investigators (NALI), and was elected as the National Director of NALI in July 2019 to take office September 1, 2019. John was the Certified Legal Investigator (CLI) chairperson for NALI’s prestigious CLI program for 4 terms (go to www.nalionline.org for more information) and had remained on the CLI Committee for years. He had served many state and national associations in numerous capacities. In October of 2002, Mr. Lajoie was recognized nationwide as the National Investigator of the Year as conferred by the National Association of Investigative Specialists, based in Austin, TX. That same year, he was a finalist for the Council of International Investigator’s International Investigator of the Year. Lajoie, an award winning author, has produced numerous publications; and in August of 2005, Authorhouse published his critically acclaimed non-fiction book, Trials and Tribulations of a Real Life Private Eye, a writing of open and honest dialogue about the realities of private investigation told through experience, anecdotes, and true stories. Trials and Tribulations has been released in both softback and hardback editions.
Mr. Lajoie’s intuition, investigative acumen, knowledge base, worldwide contacts, dedication to client, and incredible work ethic had earned him the sterling reputation as one of the most successful and effective contemporary private investigators in the United States. Respected and renown criminal defense attorney Peter L. Ettenberg wrote what follows to Lajoie after a high profile homicide investigation and trial in which Lajoie was the lead defense investigator:
“You never gave up. You never got discouraged. If a roadblock appeared, you found a way around it. You took a great load of my mind by not having to think of everything. We’re a pretty good team together and I’m grateful for that. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your thoughtful analysis of issues dealing with the investigation and how it all ties together. You clearly are a great PI!!”
Lajoie was born and raised in Worcester, Massachusetts and lived in central Massachusetts. He was intelligent, street smart, and had a keen & witty sense of humor. There is no question that Mr. Lajoie was dedicated to the profession in a way not many can emulate. Click here to view Mr. Lajoie’s curriculum vitae.