Detectives Online

Looking for an old friend? Want to know if your spouse is cheating? Need to check out a potential tenant or employee?

A good private investigator (PI) can help you obtain these answers. And as with any expert you hire—a doctor, a lawyer, an insurance broker—it benefits you to take the time to ensure you’re hiring a professional who has experience, quality reputation, and good-business ethics. Below is a checklist that will help you find just such a private investigator:

1. Ask friends, business associates, your lawyer for a referral. Word of mouth gives you the inside scoop, and the opportunity to ask questions specific to your needs.

2. Check your state’s private investigator associations, most of which have web sites that post their membership directory.

3. If you can’t find a private investigation association for your state, there are multiple national PI organizations that refer investigators, such as The National Association of Investigative Specialists (http://www.pimall.com/nais/dir.menu.html). Also, check your state’s legal organizations—for example, affiliates of the American Trial Lawyer’s Association or the state defense bar—which typically have a directory of recommended investigators.

4. Insurance companies use PIs constantly. Especially if your needs fall into surveillance and background checks, an excellent resource is your own homeowners insurance company. Ask to speak to a claims representative. With a few inquiries, you should be able to pinpoint which investigators your insurance company uses, which is a good referral.

5. Check Internet and Yellow Pages for private investigator listings, but remember these are paid-for ads. Ask for references; check if the PI is licensed (most states require a PI to be licensed, a few don’t); if you’re going before a judge and jury, ask if the PI has courtroom experience. NOTE: An untrained investigator may not know the laws and end up doing something illegal during an investigation—which causes you problems.

6. Before you speak to an investigator, decide what’s in your budget.

7. When you speak to an investigator, ask if he/she has done the type of work you’re seeking. More important, ask them the outcome of that type of investigation.

8. Ask to see examples of reports they’ve produced for similar cases.

9. Gauge your comfort level while speaking to the investigator. Good communication will be critical after the investigation begins. Also, be open minded—your investigator may have new ideas that are worthy of exploration.

10. Expect to pay a retainer up front. Just because a PI doesn’t ask for one (or even a reasonable hourly rate), doesn’t mean he/she is better at what they do. You want to hire someone who’s competent, not hard up for work.

Remember, a good private investigator can be your best resource!

Subscribe to Highlands Investigations & Legal Services, Inc. free quarterly e-newsletter, which provides leading-edge legal, forensic, investigative articles, and more. All subscribers are automatically eligible for free gift drawings. To subscribe, go to http://www.highlandsinvestigations.com.

Colleen Collins, Highlands Investigations and Legal Services, Inc.

Highlands Investigations & Legal Services, a product of two logically related sets of background and training—-attorney and information specialist–offers a unique blend of investigative and writing/research skills. To learn more about our services, go to http://www.highlandsinvestigations.com

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A Private Investigator is a professional trained in the art of investigations and surveillance. Otherwise known as Private eyes or, these professionals are for hire 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Many investigators have backgrounds in CIA, FBI, military, special forces, police, and government. I assume you all have heard of the famous Sherlock Holmes, and his trusty side-kick detective Watson. They were a type of private investigator. Today’s private investigators use modern technology along with investigator training to serve the public and attorneys, police investigations, insurance investigations, and so much more.

Here is a list of the different types of investigations that can be done. Almost all of them are undetectable and non-traceable if done by professionals.

1. Surveillance - monitor someones every movement.

2. Locate a person

3. Track cell phone usage and position

4. Infidelity investigations

5. Find someones current employer

6. Find a person by a utility company

7. Database record searches / Background investigation - Dig up information like, employment status, civil history, criminal history, medical history and other specific research

8. Child custody disputes - Acquire proof that a person isn’t fit for custody.

9. Telephone number investigations

-Non-Published Number

-Cell Phone

-Telephone Number

-Disconnected Number

-800/888/877/900 Number

-Pager Trace

10. Internet Surveillance & Monitoring - Find out what sites are being visited by a person, read their emails and forum posts, keylog and more

11. Business Help - Employment screenings, loss prevention, and employee investigations, insurance fraud, tenant screenings.

12. Attorney services

13. Photography and videography - Get pictures and videos of who ever, when ever.

14. Victim assistance - When the police just ain’t cutting it for you.

15. Nanny cams/hidden cameras - Make sure you can trust your kids, or caretakers.

16. Trash recovery - Investigate someones garbage.

17. DNA/Parernity testing

18. Polygraph testing

19. Executive protection (Body guards/ escort services) - Unarmed or armmed. High profile, or low profile.

20. Collect child support payments - Cant find the mother or father? Find them and get money that’s lawfully yours.

21. Electronic countermeasures, or counter eavesdropping - Make sure your employees or outsiders are not monitoring you!

22. Accident scene investigations

23. Special assignments - Anything else you can think of, Professional Private Investigators can usually do.

(except help kill someone)

There are certain rules one must follow when choosing a personal investigator. When finding a private investigator, make sure they have a private investigators license. Also keep in mind that the work that a private investigator does is strictly confidential and stays between you and them. So if the person you’re talking to doesn’t guarantee confidentiality, then don’t bother talking to them again. Another important thing to keep in mind is that all investigators need to be insured. This way, while they are uncovering information that YOU hired them to, and they happen to harm someone, break, or damage anything, then you are not held liable for compensation. A reputable investigator should have no problem presenting a certificate of insurance coverage for you to review and verify. Finally, make sure you get a contract done up, and you read it very carefully. These things will protect you, and help you find a reliable and trust worthy personal investigators.

Looking for a private investigator?

Ryan Bombard operates several online private investigator resources. He is also the owner/author of many other informational online resources. For more information you can contact Ryan at rsbombard@gmail.com with your questions or concerns.

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Discovering an affair in your relationship is indispensable, but that’s just the beginning of what you will face. A family court ruling will be rendered either for or against you and your children. A judge will decide for you based on the EVIDENCE, who is the best custodial parent. If your state considers infidelity grounds for divorce, PROOF is essential! If you are party to a legal action, your observations, discoveries and testimony is already tainted with BIAS. This article will give you a few insights to consider. I’ve identified 5 key reasons you SHOULD hire an investigator and in a few words examine the reasons why.

1. Time is of the essence. Depending on the length of an affair, your spouse may end it without ample opportunity for you to document it. On average affairs last six months to a year and then end without your knowledge. However, in some cases, your spouse will divorce you for the mistress. So waiting to prove your case may be too late. Don’t let the opportunity escape you.

2. Satisfy your “Need to Know.” Over three decades my agencies have worked for countless clients who spanned the US. More than half of these clients had a “need to know.” Finding out the extent of an affair, the identity of the mistress/paramour is indispensable. If you feel a gripping urgency to gratify this need, recognize you share in the feelings with a vast number of others.

3. You should not witness the affair yourself. In one case a client insisted on witnessing her husband activities. I discouraged her. We placed him under surveillance for a “nooner,” a lunchtime rendezvous. It was a successful surveillance with an unexpected twist. The subject united with his mistress as we anticipated. They choose a remote parking area in front of a river bank on a dead end street. This was a favorite hangout for teenagers surrounded by woods and plenty of cover from public view. We shadowed them successfully. The hood of his vehicle served their desires and clandestine behavior. Roughly fifteen minutes passed and a female emerged from the nearby woods. She moved toward us. We were concerned she would blow our cover. To our shock it was our client! She was so compelled to witness the affair for herself that she walked through heavy woods and brush to do so. Auspiciously for us and her spouse, no confrontation ensued. Now if it weren’t so heartbreaking, the episode would be humorous. Her garb was utterly out of place. A full length white dress was the wrong attire for the woods. It seemed she never realized her mistake. Take my advice, please leave investigations to professionals.

4. Professional Testimony frequently prevails! Finding yourself seated in a courtroom with two opposing attorneys, court employees, is the wrong time to realize how unprepared you are for day. You will need testimony from others. Friends can offer some degree of support for your case. They may hold up under cross examination. If your witness list only includes family and friends, be prepared for a frightful revelation. Even though they are trustworthy try convincing a court system. You are fighting a losing battle. Their innate bias and testimony bear little weight in the final assessment. Are you confident your witnesses’ testimony will have credibility? Do they possess the experience you need? After all, you have one chance in most family courtrooms. What if your witness is caught in a lie? You’re finished! A judge will rule against you for bringing in someone who is not forthright. Court testimony is enormously helpful, it often decides legal cases. My testimony has always made a positive difference. If your investigator obtains evidence for your case, use it to your family’s advantage. Your kids may just have to visit as an alternative to dwelling with you.

5. Your emotions could get you thrown in jail. Domestic investigations always bring concern for private investigative agencies. One notable case resulted in vehicular homicide. The client asked her hired PI for the rendezvous site. She arrived in a rage killing her spouse with the SUV. Clearly, when an investigation is warranted hire a professional and keep your distance. If you conduct your own surveillance, be prepared to defend yourself against a stalking charge. Keep your distance and your head!

For additional information on contracting a PI discover how with my new paperback,“The More You Know – Getting the evidence and support you need to investigate a troubled relationship.” I included an entire chapter on the topic.

© Bill Mitchell 2005

A note to all publishers: Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety in your ezine, newsletter or website as long as the article’s content is not modified and all links as well as the author’s resource box are included.

Don’t forget to send this article to a friend. Use simple feature at the top of the page for your convenience.

Top Private Investigator Bill Mitchell recently appeared on the Dr. Phil Show is the author of “The More You Know – Getting the evidence and support you need to investigate a troubled relationship.” For more information about the book, infidelity or cheating husbands, visit http://themoreyouknowpi.com.

To receive a FREE Special Report entitled Emergency Infidelity Survival Plan – Top Fifteen Steps to implement Right Now! If you suspect an affair send an e-mail to mitchellreports@bellsouth.net with Emergency Plan in the subject line.

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Part detective, scientist, engineer, and law enforcer, the fire investigator represents the collusion of multiple careers rolled into one. It is the fire investigator who must explore, determine, and document the origin and cause of the fire, establish what human actions were responsible for it, then bring authoritative testimony to the courtroom to win a conviction in cases of arson.

“This isn’t a job for a lazy man,” says Paul Horgan, accelerant detection canine handler and state trooper assigned to the Office of the Massachusetts State Fire Marshal. “You have to be conscientious and have a mind that likes to figure things out. You really can’t take shortcuts. You must take your own photographs, collect the evidence, do follow up investigations. In instances of incendiary fires, you must find the criminal.”

Although many people use the terms “fire investigator” and “arson investigator” interchangeably, they are not one and the same, says Special Agent Steve Carman, CFI in the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) Sacramento field office. An arson investigator will try to determine who is responsible for setting a fire; a fire investigator will attempt to determine the cause and origin of a fire. Most of the time, fire investigators are also arson investigators, says Agent Carman, who was an ATF arson investigator for four years prior to becoming a fire investigator and serving on ATF’s Western National Response Team for nine years. “Frequently arson investigators might be a police officer of ATF agent who doesn’t have the background to perform a fire investigation - an area that is becoming increasingly grounded in the science and engineering of fire behavior,” says Special Agent Carman. The job of fire investigation is complex, challenging and intriguing - and requires a wide range of skills to perform it effectively. Every fire investigator has a personal perspective on what skills are needed most.

“A background in mechanical, electrical, civil, and even chemical engineering plays a big role,” says Robert Duval, a senior fire investigator with the National Fire Protection Association. “You are looking at something that was destroyed and you have to be able to put it back together again either in your mind or physically to determine the origin and cause. Technical training plays a role in determining a lot of the factors in terms of fire behavior and how it attacked the structure you are looking at, whether it be an appliance, piece of equipment, or building.”

This technical aspect of the job requires knowledge of building construction and materials and the effects of fire upon those materials. Evidence preservation methods, the effects of fire suppression, fire behavior and burn patterns are also important technical aspects. Search techniques must also be learned so that fire cause evidence and ignition sources are preserved during the investigation.

Yet it is important not to become mired in the technical aspects of the investigation at the expense of the human component, suggests fire investigator Paul Zipper, who works in the Office of the State Fire Marshall in Massachusetts. “I have made 300 to 400 arrests of people who have set fires. Typically, there’s a fight, an incident, and it’s the interviewing that will tell you what happened. That’s how you solve cases.”

Consider two separate fires, both originating in a wastebasket under a sink. In the first, someone emptied an ashtray into the can, igniting a fire from burning ash. In the second, someone lit a match and threw it into the trashcan in hopes of collecting an insurance claim from damages. “Both fires originated in a trash can,” says Zipper. “But I challenge anybody to tell me how that fire was started. If you can interview well and learn to read people, and mix that with diagramming, investigation, photography, and report writing, you will be a good fire investigator.”

While not all fire investigators have a law enforcement background, many do. In the state of New York, investigators are fire marshals who are full powered police officers (some “Fire Marshals” are fire service personnel who have received police training and are sworn as “peace officers”). In Connecticut, “local fire marshals” are usually members of local fire departments or work under the municipal government and get some basic training on code enforcement and origin and cause, but who have no law enforcement powers at all! Who is a “fire marshal” may vary too much from one place to the next to make any blanket statement. There are local (FD or PD), state (State Fire Marshals) and federal (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms) fire investigators. Except for the ATF where all certified fire investigators are ATF agents, the rest of the system can vary. In New England and a number of other states, state police officers serve as fire investigators on behalf of the Office of the State Fire Marshal. Because fire investigators must follow due process of law in matters such as collecting evidence, search and seizure, interrogation, and court testimony, police or criminal justice training is extremely helpful.

How To Get There

Fire investigators may work in either the public or private sector. Typically, those in the public sector are employed by municipalities, fire or police departments and state and federal agencies. Those working in the private sector may be employed by insurance companies, attorneys, or private origin and cause firms, or organizations such as the National Fire Protection Association. In some states, the local fire chief has jurisdiction over the fire ground and is ultimately responsible for determining the origin and cause of a fire, says Robert Corry, fire investigation specialist at American Re-Insurance Company. There are 26,354 fire departments in the US. The fire chief may have a fire investigator on staff. However, in some smaller communities, it may be the chief himself. Depending on the severity of the case, the fire chief or investigator may call in more experienced county, state or federal investigators. “A prudent investigator won’t attempt to work alone but will instead use a team approach,” Corry says.

The career path for becoming a fire investigator may be as complex and varied as the job itself. Fire investigators working in the public sector typically come up through the ranks, starting out as employees or volunteers within fire or police departments, gaining experience in various aspects of fire behavior as well as criminal law, and sometimes in their free time, pursuing formal education and training. These fire investigators may work either within a municipality, county, or state office. At the national level, the ATF employs approximately 80 certified fire investigators who are generally called in to assist with local and state investigations of large fire scenes. ATF investigators first serve as ATF special agents, and then are selected to undergo a rigorous two-year training program in fire investigation. Some undergo advanced training in highly specialized aspects of investigation, such as computer modeling, fire sprinkler systems, and fire growth.

Those seeking employment in the private sector may come in from the public sector, or they may undertake an academic curriculum on fire science or engineering, such as those offered by the University of New Haven, University of Maryland, Oklahoma State, or Worcester Polytechnic Institute. If you are in college now, engineering, forensics, and photography courses are all useful. After graduating, you might look for job openings within insurance or investigative firms at the entry level, and then attempt to work your way up. Or you might consider volunteering at your local firehouse to gain a foothold in the public sector.

Virtually every fire investigator will tell you to become active in as many professional organizations as possible. Training is available on the federal level from ATF, the FBI, and the International Association of Arson Investigators (IAAI), and on the state level from the state police and Fire Marshal’s Office, as well as at various local agencies. Trooper Horgan says investigators in his state usually join professional organizations and then start to go to some of the training offered by police departments on basic arson investigation, attend the National Fire Academy’s two-week training program in Maryland, and start trying to build up credentials and a resume. Chris Porreca, group supervisor of the Arson Explosives Group for the Boston field division of ATF agrees that it requires a high degree of self-motivation to pursue a career in fire investigation. “We ask applicants whether they have worked fire scenes, signed up and gone to conferences on the local, state and national level, and taken the initiative to become a state certified fire investigator (CFI) to gain experience and knowledge,” he says. Prior to becoming an ATF fire investigator, Porreca was certified by the State of New York for fire investigation, which he said demonstrated to the ATF his desire to go out and learn required skills on his own. “It requires a lot of long hours and a lot of weekends to do your job, and then to do this as well.” While the career has always been challenging, it has become even more so in recent years. “The arsonist is becoming more sophisticated,” says Trooper Horgan. “More fires are being set up to try to fool the investigators, to look accidental when they are intentional. This makes our job that much harder and makes you have to be an even more proficient investigator to solve the case.”

This article was provided by http://www.interfire.org, a complete resource for fire services, fire insurers, law enforcement and others whose duties involve fire investigation.

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I am a part-time private investigator and have been for several years. A great deal of what I do involves surveillance from my vehicle. The cases I generally work involve insurance claims for injuries and infidelity issues.

Concerning the insurance claims, there is rarely a case where I don’t find dirt on someone. I just worked a case where a young man went out with a back injury after 4 days on the job. On the 2nd day of surveillance, I found him skateboarding.

I would like to share 10 surveillance/investigation techniques that I picked up along the way and from other private investigators.

1) Mini-vans are best for surveillance. Get tinted glass so you can sit in the back, virtually unnoticed, most anywhere. I like the older mini-vans, like the Caravans, as they are more nimble and blend in better (they’re everywhere) than newer ones. Once you’ve worked out of a van you’ll never go back to a car.

2) Stay on the vehicle’s bumper when tailing in the city, and allow a car between you as a buffer in slower areas. There are too many stoplights, stop signs and traffic in the city, making it easy lose the tail.

3) Lack of dew on a vehicle during morning hours could indicate it was moved sometime that night.

4) Verify address by looking at the mailbox for a name or peeking at the mail if it’s sticking out.

5) Determine whether residence is a single or multi-family home by counting # of electric meters.

6) While tailing someone, you notice the person stopping i.e. in front of a house- you (as cover) continue past, turn into an empty driveway as if you belong there. Don’t lose sight of person.

7) Take detailed notes via pen & paper or voice recorder. Write date/times, make & plate of any vehicles there, any vehicle movement, anyone showing up, etc. Good notes are crucial for yourself and for the report you give to the client. You, as a private investigator, may be asked to testify so accuracy is critical.

Accurately estimating the height of an individual can be difficult (that’s why those height charts are on doors of convenience stores). You can get a good idea by comparing the individual’s height to that of any vehicle that they get into or out of. This will become easier with practice.

9) When running video, there will be lots of stop starting of the camera - create definite borders between clips by placing hand over camera at the end of each segment. Make sure a time & date stamp appears on tape (setting on camera). Aways obtain a panoramic video shot of location and vehicle for video verification thatthe person was there.

10) Stake-outs can run several hours and occur in non-optimal situations i.e.no convenience store nearby, so keep a roll of toilet paper in your vehicle at all times.

Surveillance involves hours of nothing followed by minutes or even seconds of intense excitement. Make those small parcels of excitement pay off well by following proper investigative techniques.

Robert writes articles for Schmeg.com
He had help with this article from: Private Investigators | Boston Locksmith Tools Equipment

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How do I become a private investigator?

That’s a complicated question with several parts that largely depend upon in which state you plan on working. You have two options; you either work for a licensed private investigations agency or you go to work for yourself and obtain your own PI company license. Either way, you there are two considerations you must address at some point:

The first consideration is licensing; all but only a handful of states require a state-issued license to be a private investigator. Each state has different background, education and experience requirements that may vary from simply attending a state-approved training course to pre-licensing education, exams, years of work experience and obtaining a sizable professional liability insurance policy with “errors and omissions” coverage. To make matters just a little more confusing, there are some cities that require private investigators to either register or obtain a municipal license in states that do not otherwise require them.

The second consideration is training. Private investigation specific training is the most important investment you can make in yourself! Since most new PIs don’t have the ability or are not ready to start up their own investigations company you will most likely be looking for employment with an established agency. As an owner of an established and well respected detective agency I get resumes all of the time; the first thing I look for before considering a candidate is to ask the question, “How has this person invested in themselves before asking me to invest in them?”

What if I do not have the minimum experience required by the state to obtain my own company license? How will I ever break into the industry?

If your goal is to eventually own your private investigations agency, no problem… every state that requires experience also has a program in place to see that new investigators have access to eventually obtaining their own license. For example, in Texas where we hold an agency license those who are too new simply go to work for an established company until they have the required number of hours to be able apply for their own license. In Florida (where we also have an agency license) they specifically provide internship licenses. Again, every state is a little bit different but thousands of successful private investigators are working today and tens of thousands have come before us; we all had to get started someplace… you can too.

Also, consider your own background and employment related experience carefully some of it may apply. I have known loss prevention agents, security guards (in specific roles), accountants, firemen, bail bondsmen, alarm installers, teachers, and even a librarian use their previous employment experiences to apply for their own agency license.

What type of training should I be looking into?

Any amount of training is great though most PI companies don’t place a whole lot of credibility with the courses from PCDI, Harcourt, and Thompson Direct. You could honestly do much better and at less cost.

Instead, look for academies or training programs that have been created by private investigators. Who knows better about what a new or an aspiring private detective needs to know than an investigator who has been in the field for a considerable amount of time?

Also… look to see that the sponsoring company is active in the industry as well. Are they still providing regular private investigative services to a robust clientele? It’s sad, but many PIs who wash out over a very short period of time in the business look to teaching. In reality, you will learn very little from those who could not make it themselves; success breeds success!

Lastly, I have a little secret I would like to share with you…

Look over the education provider’s entire website and see if you find boastful claims or where the company is bashing other educators. This is a very tight-knit industry and you will find that students who complete training programs from educators that spend time “bad mouthing the competition” have a terrible time getting a break simply because of the animosity created through their educator’s use of negative advertising. I know that seems unfair but it is a reality in this business. This does not mean, however, that you should dismiss the negative press but the first thing an excellent private investigator learns is how to evaluate a claim, identify the source and make a judgment based on additional facts and research. Some statements will have merit while others will not; it’s up to you to make that decision.

What is the difference between a private investigator and a private detective?

Nothing. The terms are used interchangeably but some states choose to use the term “detective” while most use the term “investigator.”

I really just want to help my friends and family to find old friends or people who owe them money. Do I need a PI license?

That’s a great question. Generally speaking, in those states where it is a requirement you will need to obtain a license if you hold yourself out for hire or accept payment from another person or business and participate in or provide the following services:

• Surveillance
• Obtaining or furnish information related to a crime or the identity, habits, business, occupation, knowledge, movement, location, affiliations, associations,transactions, acts, reputation, or character of a person, group or company.
• Securing evidence for use before a court, board, officer, or committee
• Locating or recovering lost or stolen property and unclaimed funds.
• Determining the cause or responsibility for a fire, libel, loss, accident, damage, or injury to a person or to property.
Some states may specifically include such things as service of process, bail enforcement, personal protection and genealogical research under those activities that require a private investigator’s license as well.

Do I have to have a degree in Criminal Justice from a college or university?

No, though some states may accept a degree in Criminal Justice, Administration of Justice or Police Sciences in lieu of the minimum experience requirements. One recent study conducted on behalf of the Virginia Department of Justice concluded that almost 57% of all private investigators do not have a college education.

If I do not have a college education do I have to have a background as a police officer or other law enforcement related profession?

No. Most private investigators do not have a law enforcement background before entering into this industry. It is true that many private investigators may have once had a career in criminal justice but the bottom-line is that private investigation and law enforcement is very different and my experience has been that very few who make the transition from law enforcement are prepared for this type of work, either technically or creatively, on their own. Most of them recognize this and seek industry specific training as well.

What type of person makes a successful private investigator?

This business requires a rare blend of logic and creativity; it’s rare because logical people tend to not be very creative and vice-versa.

I would say that any successful detective must first have the ability to communicate. This means that he or she must have the ability to connect with people of all walks of life, regardless of economic status, ethnicity or education. It also means that the investigator must have the ability to clearly present a simple fact or a complex investigation in writing. The end result of an investigation is the investigative report, which is given to the client upon conclusion of the assignment; this is essentially our work product. If you cannot write reasonably well, your reputation will surely suffer as a result.

Secondly, great investigators have a burning desire to answer any question that is put to them only after a careful and determined effort to identify the facts and circumstances that contribute to a complete and unbiased explanation. We are in the business to provide facts, not opinions; we let our clients draw their own conclusions from our report. Oftentimes in order to get to those facts, we must be relentless in our pursuit of information. This is where logic meets creativity. Dead-ends often only require a different approach!

Lastly, I believe that every investigator should possess a varied set of experiences and knowledge. One characterization of the private detective industry I can make is that by and large we represent a vastness of experience, skills, and trades. One of the most accomplished investigators I have ever met listed “Mom” on her resume. When she decided to become a private investigator she had no appreciable skills that she could put in her resume but through her own experiences she had developed an intuition that was almost never wrong and she could simplify complex problems into there most basic parts. I have personally hired a plumber, building contractor, car salesman, and a host of other seemingly unrelated career types into my own company, CompassPoint Investigations, because they had certain intangibles that made them great in this business!

The bottom line is that anyone can train to become a wildly successful private investigator, just like one can train to become a barber or an attorney, but an aspiring detective has to bring some things to the table that cannot be easily taught: creativity, logic, the ability to communicate and an insatiable curiosity!

I have a criminal conviction in my background from many years ago. Will this affect my ability to become a private eye?

Every state that requires a license to be a PI also requires a background investigation as a part of the licensing process. I believe that a felony conviction will be an automatic disqualification in almost every instance (though I know a felon who has a PI license issued by the city of Columbus, MO.), while misdemeanors may be considered depending upon the crime, its seriousness and the amount of time that has passed since the conviction; again this will vary by state.

Will my military discharge affect my ability to become a private investigator?

In some cases a discharge that is anything but honorable may prevent you from becoming a PI. Just as in the answer to the criminal conviction history above, some states require PI applicants be free from negative military discharge classifications- Bad Conduct Discharge, Less than Honorable or Other Than Honorable service characterizations are grounds for denial of a PI license in several states and jurisdictions.

Perhaps the Florida Division of Licensing put it best: “Private investigators and private investigative agencies serve in positions of trust. Untrained and unlicensed persons or businesses, or persons not of good moral character, are a threat to the public safety and welfare. The private investigative industry is regulated to ensure the interests of the public are adequately served and protected.”

Can I just specialize in a particular type of investigation or will I have to do the surveillances and cheating spouse investigations too?

I absolutely recommend that investigators find their niche and specialize in only a few types of investigations! There are several important reasons for this, which I discuss in my training programs, but it can be summed up this way: when you are the most notable investigator in your region of the country for a specific type of investigation, you will find MANY additional opportunities to make a lot more money than if you advertise yourself as a “jack of all trades.” This has been proven across the country time and time again and is a major topic of discussion in our upcoming private investigation marketing manual.

What types of assignments do private investigators typically take?

Wow, the options are endless and the subject really deserves its own entire section! I have listed the most obvious types of private investigator assignments in an article you can find by going to my Articles Page. I will eventually briefly describe each type of investigation in the next couple of weeks. Continue to check in as we are constantly making additions.

What type of investigation or specialty assignment pays the most?

I don’t know that anyone can answer that question definitively, but I will say that surveillance is typically the most lucrative type of assignment a private investigator can get because it is solid, billable, blocks of time. I am aware that there are particular types of investigations where investigators are making anywhere between $300 and $500 an hour for activities like forensic computer evaluation, security consulting, automobile repossession, and a few others specialties. I personally have made $10,000 in an hour on several occasions in 14 years doing bail fugitive recovery work, those types of paydays are few and far between. Overall I average almost $150 an hour while engaged in bail enforcement, not too bad by most people’s standards, though many investigators just don’t have the stomach for that type of work. It can be extremely dangerous, it is a very competitive field and you get paid only if you can complete the case.

Is private investigation dangerous work?

Obviously, there are some PI jobs that are more dangerous than others like collateral repossession or bounty hunting but, generally speaking, private investigation is not a dangerous job. We all have heard the stories of PIs getting caught while on surveillance by an irate cheating husband or being chased out of a yard at the business end of a shotgun while serving a subpoena. Most episodes of Magnum PI had Tom Selleck dodging bullets, too. Certainly, scary things can and do happen on rare occasions but like all war stories, the ones that seem to get a lot of attention play out more like fiction than reality. Safety is always at the forefront of every trained investigator’s mind.

L. Scott Harrell is the author of several private investigator training courses stemming from 14 years of experience as a private detective and principal of CompassPoint Investigations.

More information regarding CompassPoint Investigations and the private investigation industry can be found via the internet: http://www.BeAPrivateEye.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=L_Scott_Harrell

This article is a continuation of our multi part series about private investigators, picking up where we left off.

If you’re thinking about becoming a private investigator you may want to know what you’re getting yourself into. The working conditions are not always easy or pleasant. The hard truth is, private investigators and detectives can and do work very irregular and long hours because of the need to stake out a person’s residence, if they’re following someone. The same goes if they’re conducting interviews, not everyone they need to speak with works the same hours and are therefore not home at the same time. Many times a detective will need to speak with someone at their place of employment. If they’re working the graveyard shift at a hospital that means the investigator is up some very late hours. Don’t plan on getting a lot of sleep while an investigation is ongoing.

This doesn’t mean that an investigator doesn’t spend some time in the office. Quite often the work he needs to do involves doing computer searches and making phone calls to the person or company that hired him or even to people he needs to interview. Investigators who own their own agencies and have other investigators working for them may spend most of their time in the office and have very normal business hours. Of course owning your own agency is not something most investigators start off by doing. That is something that usually takes many years to work up to unless they just happen to have a lot of money to begin with.

When an investigator is away from the office, the environment he or she works in can range anywhere from a four star hotel suite to the back of an alley or a seedy bar. They may meet with respected businessmen who earn billions of dollars a year or a prostitute working the local street corner. A private detective sees every walk of life and every place imaginable, and some not so imaginable. Sometimes they will have to mix in public and be in plain view and others, they will be totally alone when observing their suspect. Sometimes the work is very safe and at other times they are literally taking their life in their hands.

Some of the work does involve confrontation with a suspect. That is why many private detectives also have a license to carry a gun. All too often they are forced to use violence to subdue a violent suspect. This makes a detective’s job extremely stressful at times, especially when being assigned to be a bodyguard for some famous celebrity who has received death threats. An investigator must be constantly on the watch for any potential threat to his client.

Not all the work a detective does is stressful or dangerous. Sometimes assignments are as simple as just following some lady’s husband to see if he’s meeting with the local town bimbo. Once the suspect is spotted in the meet and photos are taken, which is usually the procedure in cases like this, the investigator simply returns to his client, photos in hand and his job is done.

Yes, being a private investigator is far from boring. Just make sure you’re prepared for anything.

In our next article we’ll go over training required to be a private investigator.

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Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Private Investigators
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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Russell

This article is a continuation of our multi part series about private investigators, picking up where we left off.

Many private investigators decide to specialize in one type of investigation. The reason for this is because some cases involve so much knowledge in a required area that trying to concentrate on more than just that area of expertise becomes very difficult. Just like many doctors concentrate on one type of medicine, such as ear, nose and throat, or gynaecology, many detectives also specialize.

Legal investigators specialize in cases that usually end up going to trial such as murder investigations. They’ll often assist in the preparation of legal defenses, locating witnesses, serving legal documents, interviewing police and possible witnesses, and also assist in gathering and reviewing evidence. Legal investigators also sometimes collect information concerning the parties involved in the litigation and may even testify in court.

Corporate investigators perform the function of conducting internal and external investigations for large corporations. In the case of an internal investigation they may investigate drug use by an employee or even corporate theft by an employee or group of employees. Much of the Enron scandal evidence was acquired by private investigators. When conducting an external investigation for a corporation a detective may be involved in uncovering criminal schemes to try to steal the company’s private information on a new product.

Financial investigators are usually hired to investigate another company that the corporation may be thinking about doing business with for a possible merger. These investigations are intended to uncover any shady dealings that the prospective company may have been involved with. Many of these investigators are also certified public accountants as this skill is needed to be able to perform this job adequately.

Detectives who work for retail stores, hotels and other public places where theft is always possible, are mostly responsible for controlling losses, stopping theft and protecting assets. These store detectives are also known as loss prevention agents. They perform their job by apprehending anyone who is attempting to steal merchandise or destroy store property. They stop theft by shoplifters, vendor representatives, delivery personnel and even store employees. These detectives also perform periodic searches of stock areas, dressing rooms and rest rooms and will sometimes even assist in opening and closing the store itself. Part of their job requires them to fill out loss prevention and security forms and reports for the store owner and managers and also to testify in court against any persons that they themselves have apprehended in the act of a crime. In the case of hotel detectives they protect the hotel guests and their belongings against theft and also police the hotel bars and restaurants to prevent undesirables from causing trouble. Because of some of these duties, many of these investigators may have at one time been trained law enforcement officers, as the job can often get very ugly.

In our next article in this series we’ll continue with the working conditions of private investigators.

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Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Private Investigators
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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Russell

This article is the first in a series of articles focusing on private investigators; the work that they do and how they go about doing it.

Private detectives and investigators use a number of methods to investigate a variety of matters ranging from tracking a cheating husband to finding a missing person. To carry out their investigations, they use a number of surveillance techniques and tools. To verify facts they make phone calls, or visit a particular place of residence or work. When investigating missing persons they will go as far as interviewing everyone who ever knew the person, even friends and relatives who hadn’t seen the person in years. In all these cases private investigators assist attorneys, businesses and even private citizens with legal, financial and personal problems.

These detectives offer a number of services including executive, corporate, and celebrity protection; pre-employment verification; and individual background investigations. They also investigate computer crimes such as identity theft, emails of harassment, and illegal downloading of copyrighted material such as songs and sheet music. They will also investigate matters involving civil liability and personal injury cases, insurance claims and fraud, child custody and protection cases, missing persons cases, and premarital screening. Often they will be hired to prove or disprove infidelity, which are some of the most common cases they handle.

Most detectives are trained to do physical surveillance. They’ll do things like observe a site like a person’s home, usually from a well hidden vehicle or location. They’ll perform this surveillance using still and video cameras, binoculars, and a cell phone, until all the evidence that they need is obtained. This surveillance can sometimes go on for hours or days.

Detectives may also do things like perform computer searches through databases or work with someone who does, if they’re not proficient with computers. Computers allow detectives to get an enormous amount of information in a very short time. When investigating a particular person they can get information on individuals’ prior arrests, convictions, and civil legal judgments; telephone numbers; motor vehicle registrations; association and club memberships; and a number of other things. If it’s a matter of public record a private detective will find it.

The actual duties of a private detective really depend on the needs of their clients. For example, in the case of employee theft a detective may come to work for the company, in the guise of being another employee for the purpose of observing this person. They may even go as far as to strike up a friendship with the suspect. If this sounds like a 1950s grade B movie, it is more real than you can possibly imagine. Things like this go on all the time. Eventually if the detective spots the employee doing something illegal or gets him to confess to his crimes through their friendship, he will report this first to the employer and then eventually testify to this in court.

In our next article in this series we will continue with the duties of a private detective and some of the different types that you will find as there are specialists in this field.

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Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Private Investigators
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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Russell

In this article about private investigators we’re going to discuss the training that’s required as well as other qualifications.

Unlike most other jobs there are no formal requirements for education to get a job as a private investigator. In spite of this, many private investigators do have college degrees. Most private detectives and investigators do have some kind of related experience in another profession such as in law enforcement. Some may have worked for insurance companies, collection agencies, in private security or even as paralegals. Some may have served in some sort of government position such as a federal intelligence job with the FBI or the CIA. Many private investigators may have even served in the military where many skills are taught that come in quite handy when tackling the job of a detective.

What is very common is for people who work in the public sector, who are able to retire after 25 years of service, to become private investigators. These people are usually still relatively young, in their mid 40’s, and find it hard to retire at that age. Those who have been exposed to jobs that would assist them in becoming investigators find it an easy transition to go from the one job to the other. For these people it is like starting life all over and many of them find it quite exciting and fulfilling. Some even go back to college to get additional training in order to be better prepared for an investigator’s job.

In the United States, most states require private investigators to be licensed even though no formal training is required. The requirements for licensing vary from state to state but seven states, Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Mississippi, Missouri, and South Dakota, have no licensing requirements. Some states have very few requirements. Many states however, have very strict requirements and it is very difficult in those states to get a private investigator’s license. A number of states now have mandatory training programs. For example, in California a person must be 18 years old, must be educated in criminal law, police science and justice, and have a minimum of 6,000 hours of investigation experience. Then on top of all of that they have to pass a criminal history background check by the California Department of Justice and the FBI. They then must take a 2 hour exam and pass with a minimum score. Then if they want to get a gun permit there are additional requirements for that as well.

Then to get hired, many firms look for people with certain characteristics such as ingenuity, persistence, and assertiveness. Job applicants can’t be afraid of confrontation, should be able to communicate well and be able to think on their feet. They also need good interrogation and interviewing skills. A good investigator also must be able to present the facts in a detailed, organized manner as many times they will be called on to testify in court.

In our next article we’ll cover where private investigators get their training, how they go about getting employment, what the job outlook is for new investigators and what investigators can expect to earn.

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Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Private Investigators
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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Russell

In this article in our series on private investigators we’re going to cover where private investigators get their training, how they go about getting employment, what the job outlook is for new investigators and what investigators can expect to earn.

Private investigators get their training from a variety of sources depending on what area of investigations they want to go into. For example, a person who wants to get into criminal investigation working for criminal defense or prosecution lawyers may go to a police academy first and get training as a police officer specializing in criminal investigations. Others may go to college and take up criminology or some related discipline. Those who want to become investigators for corporations may go to college and take up finance or accounting. The avenues of education that are open to one wishing to pursue a career as a private investigator are virtually limitless.

Some investigators, however, may get their training from specialized agencies that are set up for the sole purpose of training private investigators. One such organization is the National Association of Legal Investigators (NALI). This organization not only provides training but also administers written and oral exams that a person must pass in order to get certified.

So, how does a private investigator get employment once they have become certified? There are essentially two avenues they can pursue. They can either set up their own agency if they have the funds, though in most cases this is not a first option, or they can apply for a job with an existing agency. Unfortunately, most agencies are small and offer little chance for advancement. Unlike law enforcement, there are no defined ranks or steps. Advancement comes in the form of increased salary and assignments and is usually solely based on job performance. In the case of legal and corporate investigators there is the chance that one may eventually become supervisor or manager of the department.

In the most recent census of private investigators, there were about 43,000 registered in the United States. About 26% of those are self employed. Many of these hold secondary jobs as well because private investigation work can be very erratic. Sometimes there is more work than one can handle in a day and at other times the cases are hard to come by. About 27 percent of the jobs were in investigation and security services. About 15 percent of the jobs were in departments of general merchandise stores. The remainder worked in state and local government jobs.

The job outlook is good even though private investigation is a very competitive field. Many qualified people are interested in this line of work. Fortunately the demand for investigators is expected to grow very fast up until the year 2014.

For those interested in becoming an investigator and wanting to know what kind of money they can expect to make, the average salary in 2004 was about $32,000. The middle 50% earned between $24,000 and $43,000. The lowest 10% earned just slightly under $20,000. The upper 10% earned about $58,000. The amount of money a private detective and investigator earns varies greatly by employer, specialty, and geographic area.

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Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Private Investigators
Home Business Training and Information Guides
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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Russell

There are many sites online that have information on how to find vital records. Most of them take you in circles and you never really find what you are looking for. This article should help with finding birth, marriage and death records.

Let’s start with this page that has most of the links for where to find information about State and County birth, marriage and death records from around the USA - FreePRF.com’s vital records page.

If you are trying to find the birth date of the person you are researching, I suggest trying this site that has a free birth date lookup - BirthDatabase.com. BirthDatabase.com is a pretty good resource of finding the exact year, month and day of a person’s birth. The best part is that it’s FREE. The only fallback with this site is that you can’t narrow your search by state. The search results cover the entire USA for all the persons with the name you area looking up. Some names are omitted from this database.

RootsWeb.com has a very good death index. You can search by first, middle and last name. You can also search by social security number.

For birth information, Ancestry.com is another good resource. It also has a death information database.

Marriage records are tricky, especially if you want information from California. Most recent marriage records in California are confidential. You can obtain some information from www.vitalsearch-ca.com/gen/ca/_vitals/camarrin.htm; however, the records only go up to 1986.

Also try www.vitalsearch-ca.com/gen/tx/tx_/txmarrim-go.htmfor their Texas marriage database. Their Texas marriages database is comprised of over 6 million groom/bride entries from 1967-2002 displayed in straight text form. In addition they have a Kentucky marriage database - www.vitalsearch-ca.com/gen/ky/_vitals/kymarrim-go.htm - from 1973-2002.

Clark County Nevada (Las Vegas) www.co.clark.nv.us/recorder/mar_srch.htm - has a great marriage records database. Marriages are indexed on-line from 1984 through the present. This marriage inquiry system is also FREE to use.

If you cannot find the vital records information online, try The National Center For Health Statistics page on “Where to Write For Vital Records,” www.cdc.gov/nchs/howto/w2w/w2welcom.htm. It lists the mailing addresses, phone numbers of all the states vital records offices and how to obtain such records.

Jay Rosenzweig is the owner of California Investigation Services. He has located thousands of people over the past 25 years. He is also a past president of the California Association of Licensed Investigators.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jay_Rosenzweig

Is the job of private investigator as glamorous as it initially appears or as it’s portrayed in the movies? Surely it’s got to beat sitting on your butt for eight hours a day in an office cubicle, waiting for the weekend to come around again.

However, if you are used to working nine till five and like to have routine in your life then perhaps you should reconsider. A few cold, caffeine-fuelled nights staking out a target on behalf of your client and maybe that office cubicle doesn’t look so bad after all.

Still interested? Then you are going to need specific training at a private investigator school as the profession is no place for amateurs and many US states require investigators to be licensed. Don’t let the word “school” frighten you off – unlike studying at high school a private investigator course will involve studying a narrow field of expertise that is going to be of some interest to you.

Attending private investigator school will enable you to pick up years of hard-won experience in a short time as you learn the techniques of private investigation. Think that all it takes is a camera and a telephoto lens to become a private investigator? Think again.

There are methods of surveillance to learn, techniques on how to follow your subject, how to disguise yourself without causing suspicion, how to use modern bugging technology, online investigation and much more. You will also need to know how to gather evidence and what evidence will stand up in court.

There’s also the fine line between legal and illegal surveillance and on a private investigator course you’ll learn the difference. There’s no point invading your subject’s privacy to gather evidence when your client cannot later use it in court because you obtained it illegally. Your client could lose the court case due to insufficient evidence, it would certainly damage your reputation and could even lead to you being sued so these are vital lessons to learn.

On the other hand, the rewards are good. Private investigators are well paid and the job is different every day. But what private investigators really do is solve their client’s problems – and they can make a difference to peoples lives.

How about re-uniting a divorced mother with her young daughter after the father has run off with the child during his day of access? Locating the birth parent for an adopted client who has always dreamed of finding his real mother? Or running a background check and discovering that the nanny employed by your client to look after their children has a violent history?

Sure, the money’s good, but you can’t buy that kind of job satisfaction.

About the author

Mark Davies is convinced he’s being followed but that could just be his natural paranoia.

Mark invites you to visit his site: http://www.private-investigator-today.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=MW_Davies