Most people are frightened by bumps in the night, footsteps where no one is walking and apparitions. But the Paulding County Paranormal Society, an investigation group, finds these circumstances intrigueing.

The society, which began last year with an investigation of White Oak Cemetery, is working to become an official organization, co-founder Chris Allen said.

“I began this group because I have experienced things all my life I couldn’t explain,” he said. “I began researching it at a young age and the more I learned the more I wanted to share it with the world and go out and find what’s happening.”

The group’s other founder, Eric Pritchard, said he and Allen have been researching the subject for many years.

“There’s all this evidence out there that there is something beyond, so why not go get it,” he said. “People see things all the time they can’t explain, so if we can get evidence of it, it helps them understand what’s going on and know they aren’t crazy.”

Once the group was formed, other members came on board. Mandy Reece said she was a member of other groups before finding the society online.

Laureen Hobdy said she also learned of the group through the internet.

The purpose of the group, Pritchard said, is not necessarily to prove there is paranormal activity.

“Our main goal is to debunk their claim,” he said. “We would look for scientific evidence to explain what they are experiencing first. We go in with the mindset to debunk and if you can’t find a scientific explanation, then we go toward the paranormal explanations.”

In the past year, Allen said the group has conducted 12 investigations with six pending. So far, he added, the group could not find explanations for four cases.

During a routine investigation, the group uses a variety of tools.

“We use voice recorders to pick up Electronic Voice Phenomenon, or EVP, and we can go back and listen to the tapes later to see if anything can be heard,” Allen said. “The best thing about it for me is when you ask a question and something answers back, that kind of confirms to me there is something there.”

“Usually when you get EVPs you are working with other people, so you don’t know where it comes from and you don’t have any way to document it, but it’s not audible when you are there,” Pritchard said.

Infrared thermometers are used to take real time temperature gauges of the rooms, because, Pritchard added, the theory is ghosts draw in energy to manifest and by doing so, take heat away from the room making it colder.

“It also helps you find out if there are any drafts in the room,” Ms. Reece said. “If you point it up and get a base temperature, but still feel a draft and point it at a crack under a door and get a lower reading, then you know that’s where it’s coming from.”

Electro Magnetic Field meters, or EMF meters, are also used during investigations to read the EMF of the room.

“EMF is basically everywhere,” Allen said. “A normal reading is between nine and 30, so we look for readings between two and seven that are not in a fixed spot.”

Digital cameras, film cameras, flash lights and some form of communication are also the tools of the trade, Pritchard said.

“We use both digital cameras and film cameras to document our findings,” he said. “It’s not very hard to pick out a fake photo, so the film cameras actually give us a back up, cause those images cannot be altered. We usually take two photos together so we can compare them too.”

For more information about Paulding Paranormal Society please visit the Web site www.pauldingparanormal.com.