This interview originally aired on "In the Moment" on SDPB Radio.
Maurice Miller and LeeAnn Harlan of the Black Hills Paranormal Investigations team having been seeking to understand the unknown for years. The Black Hill's long history of Wild West adventure and lawlessness has led to many unexplained phenomena and curious occurrences. The BHPI team is on the scene.
They join us to delve into the technology of paranormal investigations.
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Lori Walsh
Beyond the normal is a realm that the Black Hills paranormal investigators know quite well. They have been venturing into the unexplained for years. We're making a little transition out there in our Step Black Hills Surgical Hospital studio as two of the team members are joining us, we have Maurice Miller and LeeAnn Harlan and LeeAnn Harlan taking their seats after Kevin Wooster left the studio.
Moe, let's start with you. Tell us broadly, for people who don't know what the Black Hills Paranormal Investigations does, what are you interested in?
Maurice Miller
Okay, we investigate the claims of the paranormal, not Bigfoot or aliens or anything like that. And also, as far as this goes, what we try to do is we're trying to help people understand what's going on, because obviously people, you know, they contact us because something is frightened them. But it's our job to determine whether it's paranormal or not.
Lori Walsh
Tell us, LeeAnn, a little bit about how you do your work, where you know, what tools do you have, what questions do you ask? Outline that for us.
LeeAnn Harlan
Well, first of all, they contact us and we initially contact them back and get some information from them, try to figure out, you know, what exactly they're expecting from us. We do a walkthrough and determine whether it's something we really need to investigate or if it's something we could solve even on the spot that, you know, it really is just your furnace coming on and things are ticking.
So we squirrel nest at square. Oh my gosh. Yes. Animals, whatever. And then once we've determined that it's something we need to go investigate, then we get together as a group and we pick a day and then we head out and take, oh my gosh, we have so much equipment that we can use now. We go in and we use all of our senses.
Let's just say we do have mediums in our group as well. So we get to use that extra sensory equipment that they have as well. I am as sensitive as a rock, so I have to use theirs. But, but they so yeah, we, we bring out everything that we have. We, we use recorders, we have all kinds of equipment that has lights and, and things that make noise.
We have a little bear that talks to us. It's a little bear. And honestly, we just tell him. Yes. But then he's called the he's called the Blue Bear. Okay. And he actually he sits there and just looks really cute. And if we know that there are have been claims of children, we'll definitely bring it out then so that they will come up and and want to play with it.
And, you know, if they touch it or so it has the ability to sense that something is close and then it responds and it lights up and it it's, you know, anything that a little kid would want to play with it, it will do.
Lori Walsh
What do you measuring right? Energy, light noise. Like what is right measure. Yeah. What we usually measure with the various types of equipment we have, we're measuring EMFs.
Maurice Miller
That's electromagnetic fields. Okay? You also have electromagnetic nag blare, electromagnetic fields around appliances, let's say, or wiring plugs and things of that nature. So that's the reason we do walkthroughs. So we can highlight the areas that, you know, where you're having normal EMFs. We also use equipment that measures the tribal electric field. What that measures is static. Okay, So it'll it'll when it zeros out, it has a static field or something with an opposite static charge comes through, it lights up, it points to the direction of the disturbance and you can follow it.
Lori Walsh
What is the equipment that you wish you had that hasn't been invented yet? LeeAnn Like, what do you wish that you could, you know, the tool that you could pull out your toolbox and say, this would take us one step closer to trying to figure out what's going on here?
LeeAnn Harlan
You know, honestly, we always want to know exactly who are we talking to. And it's even with all the equipment we have, it's really hard to get names of people. And I wish there was just something that would just translate whatever's happening into a name. So we would would know exactly who we were dealing with.
Maurice Miller
Yeah, it'd be nice if we had something that where you could grab an entity, if you will, and put it in a chair and interview it like someone from CNN.
Lori Walsh
That would be super cool. Yeah. So that takes me back and we're going to run short on time as we reach the end of our program. But it takes me back to what you said at the beginning is that people are afraid and coming up with a name being able to name it, rage, the power of of simply getting to that step and how important that could be for people who are experiencing fear and unknown.
Maurice Miller
Go ahead. I agree. Real quick, though. I'm sorry, Harland. Moe, go ahead. That's okay with that. Like I said, people, you know something is bothering someone, right? Yeah. And it might be paranormal. It might not. And we have to understand what it is. Also, if it is paranormal, 90% of the time, it's nothing to be alarmed about. It just is what it is. It's not a demon. It's not going to drag you kicking and screaming to your basement and rip your face off or anything like that. Yeah.
Lori Walsh
All right. We'll have more of this conversation later as we explore the things that we know and the things that we don't know in our world. Moe Miller and LeAnn Harlan from Black Hills Paranormal Investigators, we thank you for giving us a bit of your time today.
