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Private Investigator 1-4A private investigator (PI) assist businesses and individuals by finding and analyzing information. They connect small clues to uncover facts about legal, financial, or personal matters. Private detectives and investigators offer many services, including executive, corporate and celebrity protection, pre-employment verification and individual background profiles. They also provide assistance in criminal and civil liability cases, insurance claims and fraud, child custody and protection cases. Private investigators (PI) and detectives have many methods to choose from when determining the facts in a case. Much of their work is done using a computer, recovering deleted e-mails and documents, for example. Computers allow a security company to quickly obtain huge amounts of information such as a subject’s prior arrests, convictions, and civil legal judgments; telephone numbers; motor vehicle registrations; association and club memberships; and even photographs. Detectives and private investigators also perform various other types of surveillance or searches. Most private investigators are trained to perform physical surveillance, which may be high-tech or low-tech. They may observe a site, such as the home of a subject, from an inconspicuous location or a vehicle. Using photographic and video cameras, binoculars, and cell phones, detectives often use surveillance to gather information on an individual; this can be quite time consuming. |
Private Investigator 2-4The duties of private detectives and private investigators (PI) depend on the needs of their clients. In cases that involve fraudulent workers’ compensation claims, for example, investigators may carry out long-term covert observation of a person suspected of fraud. If an private investigator observes him or her performing an activity that contradicts injuries stated in a worker’s compensation claim, the investigator would take video or still photographs to document the activity and report it to the client. Detectives and private investigators (PI) must be mindful of the law when conducting investigations. The legality of certain methods may be unclear, and investigators and detectives must make judgment calls when deciding how to pursue a case. They must also know how to collect evidence properly so that they do not compromise its admissibility in court. Private detectives and investigators often specialize. Those who focus on intellectual property theft, for example, investigate and document acts of piracy, help clients stop illegal activity, and provide intelligence for prosecution and civil action. Other investigators specialize in developing financial profiles and asset searches. Their reports reflect information gathered through interviews, investigation and surveillance, and research, including review of public documents. |
Private Investigator 3-4Corporate investigators conduct internal and external investigations for corporations. In internal investigations, they may investigate drug use in the workplace, ensure that expense accounts are not abused, or determine whether employees are stealing merchandise or information. External investigations attempt to thwart criminal schemes from outside the corporation, such as fraudulent billing by a supplier. Detectives who work for retail stores or hotels are responsible for controlling losses and protecting assets. Store detectives, also known as loss prevention agents, safeguard the assets of retail stores by apprehending anyone attempting to steal merchandise or destroy store property. They prevent theft by shoplifters, vendor representatives, delivery personnel and even store employees. Store detectives also conduct periodic inspections of stock areas, dressing rooms, and restrooms, and sometimes assist in opening and closing the store. They may prepare loss prevention and security reports for management and testify in court against people they apprehend. |
Private Investigator 4-4Hotel detectives protect guests of the establishment from theft of their belongings and preserve order in hotel restaurants and bars. Many detectives and private investigators (PI) spend time away from their offices conducting interviews or doing surveillance, but some work in their office most of the day conducting computer searches and making phone calls. Investigators generally work alone, but they sometimes work with others during surveillance or when following a subject in order to avoid detection by the subject. Some situations call for the investigator to be armed, such as certain bodyguard assignments for corporate or celebrity clients. A private investigator (PI) often work irregular hours because of the need to conduct surveillance and contact people who are not available during normal working hours. Page links: Security Services | Cheating Spouse | Debt Collectors |