Being a private detective might seem like a rather glamorous career path. Mystery. Intrigue. Beautiful places; beautiful people. These stereotypes gleaned from decades worth of TV shows are enough to make someone like Paul Huebl nauseated.

Why? Because Huebl is a real-life, licensed private eye. He knows exactly how un-glamorous the job can get. “If you want real glamour, excitement and some serious money, take acting lessons, go to Hollywood and portray a private investigator,” he has said.

At Crimefile News, Huebl blogs about law, criminal cases and his own experiences and political views. He took a moment away from his latest case to talk about his writing, California living and, of course, tactical pants.

You’ve been blogging since 2005. How has your blog evolved through the years? Do you still blog for the same reasons?

My blog has changed as technology has improved. I bring more video and public documents seamlessly into my stories. I hope my writing has improved along the way, too. I blog because I can!

What kind of pants do you wear on the job?

I wear civilian style clothes unless there is potential street combat, then I wear tactical gear complete with body armor. Thankfully my combat suit has not been getting used at all. I do, however, drill with the gear every 90 days to make sure nothing shrank in my closet and that everything is in working order.

I never know what special problem a client of mine may have or the possible civil disorder I may be dispatched to deal with. The police have their responsibility and I have mine. Cooperation has always been excellent.

For tactical matters, I wear light weight cargo pants but have them sewn to prevent the lower pockets from sagging. I never put more than a note pad and pens in them anyway. I’d like all pants made for police and military to have elastic bands designed to hold two or three pistol magazines flat in each back pocket ready for possible action.

You are a licensed private detective in Southern California. What’s the oddest case you’ve worked on?

A Santa Monica death investigation from the 1930′s involving an actress and her physician husband who was arrested and acquitted during a sensational trial.

Any on-the-job celebrity run-ins that you can discuss?

Celebrities come with the territory in L.A. Those folks suffer arrests for criminal allegations, get divorced and then there are people who take advantage of them just like everyday folks. I really can’t bring up a recent specific case without violating confidentiality laws and agreements.

Is it difficult being a conservative in the land of the liberals? Do people misrepresent California as a completely liberal state — or are those views pretty accurate?

I live in a dream world where I like to think we all really want the same things like peace, prosperity and to see our nation productive and happy. We all have diverse ideas on just how to achieve those goals.

Being that you were a LEO in Chicago, do you ever miss being a cop?

I do miss the old days and working with great people. Had I the option to live my life over again, I’d have gutted out biochemistry and gone to medical school. I would never choose to be a cop in today’s society.

You seem to have a lot of beef with the TSA. If you could be a TSA agent for a day, would you? What would you do differently?

The TSA is as un-American as you can get. There is no amount of money I’d ever take to treat my fellow law-abiding Americans like prison convicts. I’d be glad to take over responsibility to deal with air-pirates and airline terrorism. I could do that a lot cheaper and more effective than the TSA any day. Flying would be enjoyable once more.

Watch Huebl’s personal infomercial below.