The first ghost hunting experience as an investigator, for me, was a bit intimidating since I really had no idea what to expect.  My past paranormal encounters were very limited.  A bar/restaurant in Oakley, Ohio was an interesting place to start.  It had a fascinating history which I was only partly privy to before going on the investigation. 

On entering the building there was no obvious signs of any ghostly activity for me. The practiced mediums in the group would later tell me the opposite.  Other than a decor rich with the history of the building, I had no clue as to what I would encounter later in the exploration of the building.  Our group, IKOPS, only sends teams of at least two people to probe an area.  My team, armed with cameras and EMF meters, focused on the basement.  I only felt slight feelings of uneasiness in the area.  As we emerged from the basement someone suggested we check out the kitchen area.

After crossing the threshold of the kitchen, there was an immediate tension running from my head to my feet. The EMF meter was spiking and I could tell that something wasn’t right!!  For me, dizziness and tension grew stronger in certain areas of the room. A more experienced investigator entered the kitchen and showed me the cause.  It was a man-made high electromagnetic field called a “fear cage” that I and others had reacted to.  A “fear cage” can cause tension, headaches, nausea and hallucinations.  It would not be until after the official investigation that I would have my encounter with an actual entity. 

The investigators gathered in the bar area to talk and wait for those still working in the basement and kitchen area.   I thought that I was done for the day so I decided to take the chance to explore the main eating area, bar and office. I walked about by myself with no real intent to investigate.  As I neared the office doorway I had a feeling that stopped me in my tracks.  There was a sense that something had happened in that room that caused definite discomfort for me.  I backed away without entering.  Walking slowly down the short hall, I stopped by a window that looked out over the alley.   It was at this time that a type of communication with a spirit began.  The inner dialogue was with a deceased police officer.  Not likely a conversation heard by the human ear or recorded.   It went like this … ‘I want to cross over ‘ he told me but he felt great remorse  for what he had done.  He believed his family was angry and ashamed of him.   I told him that they weren’t angry. .  They knew that what he did was with good intentions for his family and friends.  His mistake was that his actions were illegal.  As I stood looking out the window to the area below he told me again that he wanted to cross over but felt that some things were left undone.   I reassured him that it was ‘ok to go’ and that his family loved him and wanted him to be happy.  They forgave him for what he had done.  I said again ‘It’s ok to go’.  My last bit of conversation was said aloud.  I felt kind of silly standing there talking to what would seem like myself to an observer.  I later learned that it is perfectly normal to have conversations like this with a spirit especially for a “medium”.  I wasn’t sure that what I had just experienced was real or in my head.  I went back to the group and listened to our two “mediums” describe a similar conversation with the spirit of a police officer who wanted to ‘cross over’. Wow, what I just had felt was as real as a talk between you and me.

I would find out later that a police officer was shot and killed in the alley behind the building… the result of some illegal transactions gone wrong.   It was then I realized that my role in IKOPS might be more than just as an investigator.