MISSION STATEMENT

Tuscaloosa Paranormal Research Group (TPRG) is a group of ethically minded people searching for the truth of the paranormal existence. Our desire is to prove or disprove the presence of spiritual entities or lost souls. We strive to do this through the scientific approach in all our endeavors. Any shared information submitted or shared by TPRG will be held in utmost confidentiality. Your privacy will be respected! Please feel free to contact any member of the TPRG team.

TPRG will depend upon scientific evidence as its only proof. However, at certain times TPRG may use "sensitive" experiences. These experiences will be used only to assist investigators towards a scientific conclusion. These experiences will never be used to determine proof of the presence of haunting(s) or entity(ies). Sensitive evidence will be offered only in conjunction with positive scientific evidence.

METHODOLOGY

TPRG will use the following technologies as available for cases based on particular type of case and location of case.

Visual: TPRG will use digital cameras, 35 mm cameras, traditional camcorders, digital video cameras, infrared cameras or any other type of visual devises it deems necessary for evaluation.

Audio: TPRG will use digital recorders to capture audio evidence for evaluation.

Electromagnetic: TPRG will use thermal measurement devices and/or meters for electromagnetic evidence for evaluation.

Research: TPRG will do telephone interviews along with in depth research on each case prior to scientific evaluation.  None of the information will be disclosed publicly, unless otherwise authorized.

TPRG is required to follow the following procedures:

Investigation: All investigations must concur chronologically to the following procedures.  Failure to comply with these procedures, in detail will result in the following:

A.) Dismissal of any evidence or report affected by the failure.

B.) Possible/likely dismissal of personnel causing such failure.

Initial Report: A report once received, whether from an internal or eternal source, must be evaluated by a committee of no fewer than two(2) TPRG investigators regarding its validity and/or if the event lends itself to a TPRG investigation.  IF the report passes this consideration, it shall be forwarded for consideration of an investigation to TPRG staff and assigned a case number.

Initial Case Evaluation: Once a case has been submitted to the TPRG staff, several events will occur. First, the case will be investigated where possible, using public sources such as newspaper archives and/or Internet or other reliable resources.  Second, the case will be evaluated for inconsistencies or contradictions.  Finally, the case will be evaluated for its ability to be investigated by TPRG.  Once a case has successfully passed the above tests, it shall be considered for investigation by TPRG.

Case Investigation Consideration: TPRG staff shall consider the case and its relevant parameters for investigation such as personnel availability, equipment availability, site accessibility, location/distance, availability of transportation, and other logistical issues.  Once a case has met the requirements for an investigation, it shall become an active case.

Active Case Scheduling: The first thing to be done once a case has been determined to be active is to attempt to schedule an initial investigation.  This includes contacting the source of other involved parties and scheduling a date that is correlated with the availability of TPRG personnel and equipment.  Once that has been scheduled, all personnel and equipment shall be collected at the appointed place and time.

Initial Investigation: This investigation will vary with the site; however, TPRG personnel shall at time comply with TPRG Code of Conduct.  Additionally, the investigation must start and end at the times specified and agreed to by all involved parties.  Once completed, all evidence reports on environment and written reports of occurrences that may have occurred shall be submitted for evaluation.

Post Investigation evaluation: All original tapes, media and documentation, shall be submitted to TPRG staff for evaluation.  Evaluations of each individual piece of evidence must be evaluated by at least two (2) people.  All media evidence must be accompanied by reports made by same investigator who took the media evidence.  Once evaluated, all evidence considered relevant to the investigation will be turned over for compilation into a final report.

Final Investigation Report: Once all relative evidence has been collected, evaluated and complied a meeting of no fewer than three (3) member of the TPRG staff shall convene to make a final report of the investigation.  They shall evaluate the evidence, background, personal reports and other items related to the case.

Once completed, the final report shall take the following forms:

Initial Report: A synopses of the initial report made to TPRG.

Investigation: A detailed account of the investigation including what was discovered and not discovered, and extenuating circumstances including weather and relevant information, any paranormal occurrences that took place, any explanation for occurrences found during the investigation, etc, and identification of physical evidence related to each occurrence.

Conclusion: A brief statement describing the conclusion reached by TPRG followed by a brief qualifying statement.

Supplements: A listing of time and relation to documented physical evidence of any perceptive evidence that may have occurred as well as brief narratives describing the perceptive evidence.

Reporting: Once the final report has been completed, it shall be disclosed to all related to the incident including condensed, copyrighted, copies of the evidence collected.  If done in person by TPRG personnel, responses to any questions can be made and, if it is deemed necessary, a follow-up investigation is recommended for gathering or considering evidence not obtainable at the first investigation.  However, unless extenuating circumstances exist, there shall be no more than one follow-up investigation considered.