M. F. “Fil” Waters II, a retired Houston Police Department Homicide Detective with over three decades of dedicated service, exemplifies a journey grounded in empathy, objectivity, and faith. His career, driven by an unwavering sense of calling and commitment to uncovering the truth, showcases his process in conducting interviews, as well as the underlying philosophy he continues to share with students. Transitioning from public service to private investigations, Waters has continued to impact lives, carrying forward his values and expertise into Kindred Spirits Investigations. His insights offer a profound glimpse into the challenges, nuances, and deeply human side of law enforcement and private investigative work.
What inspired you to pursue a career in law enforcement?
Well, truly, it was a calling for me. I had a real job before I became a cop. But I responded to it, the calling, and it was the single best decision I have made regarding my career path. There was no doubt in my mind that the Lord led me to that calling.
I served 23 years as a Homicide Detective with the Houston Police Department, 33 years total in Law Enforcement.
What do you miss most about working in the field?
There was a certain spontaneity to the work. There were never two nights that were the same. It was always something different. And the sense of adventure that came with knowing that each day was going to bring a new experience – I think that is something that provided great training in many ways. I think I became a better police officer and a better homicide detective through those experiences.
Did you always plan to transition into the private sector, or did that develop over time?
No, that developed over time. I had actually planned on staying at the Houston Police Department for an additional year. Then, a former partner of mine came to me who had previously retired and asked whether I might be interested in opening a private investigation / security company.
I had never really thought about that, but he and I continued talking about it. And then I spoke with my wife about it. And we did a lot of praying about it, because we pray about everything, and the Lord led me to retire a year earlier than I had planned.
I had never run a small business; I had never done anything like that.
There were affirmations that appeared along the way, that this was the right thing to do, and I felt guided through it. I had a friend who had been in private investigations for a long time, who mentored me through the process of getting the right licenses and tax numbers—all of the technical and administrative things you need to have in place in order to operate.
It’s been an amazing journey ever since.
What do you think are the most misunderstood aspects of law enforcement?
I think there is a misconception that law enforcement professionals are without emotion. We are held to a higher standard, as we should be, but we still have emotions, and we still have things that affect us.
Through our training in law enforcement, we are able to help with other people’s problems.
Over the past 10 years or so, the atmosphere among the citizenry has become so anti-law enforcement. They say that your Average Joe has contact with law enforcement 2.5 times in his life, and their general impression of law enforcement is going to be based on their first encounter. Whenever I instruct in classes, my finishing remarks are always: “Take a look to your right. Take a look to your left. What you do in your work is going to affect the two officers on your right and left.”
And what you do as an individual officer can have an impact on 750,000 other police officers, from the local level to the county level, all the way to the state and federal levels. It’s a big responsibility to pin on that badge and go out and serve the community.
In your experience as a retired Houston PD detective, what are the biggest challenges involved in conducting interviews and investigations. How do you feel the process could be improved?
My partner and I were very focused on the interview process. That kind of became our thing, and we developed a strategy. We have been to several interview schools, and then we developed our own philosophy.
Body language is body language. Eye movement is eye movement. Those things are standard at any school you go to for interviewing. They may use different terms, call them different things to make them unique to their training, but it’s essentially the same thing.
What it boils down to is your attitude in the interview room and the philosophy with which you conduct interviews. We based our philosophy on using techniques to establish a relationship.
You’ll often hear people use the term ‘rapport.’ In our definition of rapport and relationship, rapport is more of a temporary situation. A relationship implies a more permanent exchange between two people.
So, the way we spoke in the interview room was focused on establishing a relationship. Once you establish that relationship, the whole point of our work was to get someone, who may have committed a most horrific act, to trust us enough to convey what they did and why they did it. It’s not at all about what is going to happen later, whether we are going to charge them or not. When you’re in that room, it’s about that moment. What they have done and why they did it.
The other important thing we focused on was letting the evidence lead us to where we needed to go, instead of taking it in a direction we wanted it to go. For us, it was always a journey for the truth.
When I look back and consider whether there would be anything I would have done differently—I will tell you this: with the interview process and the experience of interviewing, there is constant reflection and evaluation about what was done in that room. What I did in the room, what I should have done or shouldn’t have done, that might have taken things in a different direction.
I was always very willing to evaluate critically what I did in the interview room. And my perspective evolved over time, because I would see something that I needed to do differently and adjust the next time. It was an ongoing process.
How do you stay mentally prepared, focused and objective when working on intense or prolonged investigations?
I think something I was blessed with was objectivity. There was no homicide investigation that I entered into where I was predisposed to a conclusion. I am open-minded, and, as I mentioned before, I let the evidence lead me. It hasn’t failed me yet.
An objective attitude is critical. Sometimes evidence will lead you in a certain direction. For example, I’ve had two or three cases where I was led to a certain person who, for all intents and purposes, looked like they were the suspect. Then, once I got into the interview process with them and listened to what they had to say, I realized that they were not the suspect; I realized this person did not do it.
In those cases, I took the evidence I had and the new information I received from the interviews, and then I was led in a different direction, one that eventually led to the correct suspect. I see a lot of guys that get tunnel vision, so I have always tried to maintain that objectivity. I think you have to maintain objectivity, because it’s to the benefit of the suspect and the investigation.
I’ve often watched true crime documentaries with real interviews for the purpose of seeing what other detectives are doing in the room—that I might want to incorporate and use. It’s a constant process.
What qualities or skills do you believe are essential for successfully working in investigations?
I think you have to be motivated and curious, and you have to be willing to look at things from the perspective of: what does this piece of evidence tell me? And that only comes with experience.
You can go through all sorts of training, and of course that gives you the base to start. But then, you’ve got to be a self-starter. You have to be somebody that is self-motivated to get out there and do the job, to hit the bricks, not sit at a desk. You’ve got to be quick on your feet, and able to think in critical situations, evaluate situations quickly and decide where you’re going to go.
I think it also comes down to what you’re passionate about. I know guys who were patrol officers for 40 years and loved every minute of it. Find what you’re good at, be passionate and get out there and do it.
What advice would you give to young people who are considering a career in law enforcement?
Well, of course my first response would be to go and find another job. [Laughs.]
But you know, on a serious note, I tell folks at the end of every class I teach: “God bless them that they are signing up for this job.”
If you decide this is what you want to do, don’t do it for a paycheck. Go into law enforcement because you want to serve and protect. I know that may sound corny, and that’s kind of what everybody always says, right? But if you’re not prepared to go into it with an attitude of service, don’t do it.
Are you still teaching?
Since I retired, I have taught at some agencies here in the Houston area, Harris County, and internationally. I have also worked with ICITAP (International Criminal Investigations Training Assistance Program supported by the US Department of Justice and US State Department. Internationally, I have taught detectives and police officers with the National Police of Ukraine, as well as some detectives from Switzerland.
I don’t really market training or teaching, but I will do it upon request.
Can you give us some insight into Kindred Spirits Investigations?
Well, the name Kindred Spirits was something my wife suggested. Because I’m a Cherokee by blood, I’m a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and we have a print hanging in our living room that is of a painting by Donald Vann (a prolific Cherokee artist). It’s a frame of a wolf standing on a precipice howling, and it’s a very bleak scene, covered in snow. There are the remnants of a tribe with their backs to the viewer, walking away from into the valley. The title of the painting is Kindred Spirits.
I guess I wanted to communicate the message that I understand what someone seeking my services might be experiencing. I wanted to convey that the door is open. Call me. If I can do something for you, I will.
I think the difference between having this company and offering those services is that I am unencumbered by policy. I love what I am doing, and people call me all the time wanting to hire me and to tell me what their situation is. It’s been a really good experience for me in terms of being able to continue serving people. Sometimes I get paid for it and sometimes I don’t, but it’s been really rewarding talking to folks and being able to do a good job for someone.
I do a lot of Expert Witness testimony work, and I work with lawyers, special prosecutors, but anytime I get involved in an investigation, I tell them directly that I’m going to give them the good, the bad and the ugly.
What’s your favorite cop show, or one you find particularly entertaining?
I think the best one by far is Blue Bloods. That’s a great police show, in my view. And there have been others over the years, I grew up watching Dragnet and Adam 12, and you know, Police Story and those kinds of shows.
The funniest one was Barney Miller, about a squad of detectives in New York. It was very funny, and also true to life in showing the kind of craziness that goes on in a squad room of detectives.
