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Specializing in Domestic Relations Investigative Services

What is a Private Investigator?

A Private Investigator is a professional trained in the art of investigations and video surveillance. In most states, a license is mandatory. Like with an attorney or doctor, the State has mandated that certain qualifications, training and experience are required for licensure to protect the public from those who do not have the experience or qualifications to do the job correctly. A private investigator’s training is usually varied and tends to focus on a certain area of practice, again much like a attorney. At Mate Check, our investigators specialize in investigating and documenting marital infidelity, divorce and child custody matters. Often times a private investigator’s experience comes from work in law enforcement, the military, forensic or a research background. The core of a private investigators capability is to take whatever information you, the client, have and to go out and find whatever information or evidence you need. The work that a private investigator does is strictly confidential and stays between you and the investigator, which is usually mandated by law.

Read more about the history of infidelity.

What does a Private Investigator specializing in infidelity and cheating actually do?

The job of a private investigator specializing in infidelity, divorce and child custody is to gather information about the subject’s activities and interactions. We frequently work on these types of cases for attorneys. Most private investigators are trained to perform functions like video surveillance, research and interviewing. At Mate Check we have specialists who focus on spousal surveillance or information gathering. Our surveillance experts spend the majority of their time trailing and watching suspected cheaters or potentially unfit parents. Often, we will then be asked to identify the “other man/woman” for our client. We have access to private investigator based computer databases and searches, that the public does not have access to, which allow them to quickly obtain massive amounts of information. Because of the nature of private investigative work, we often end up testifying in court about our cases. A good private investigator can confidentially get you the answers you need, quickly, accurately and affordably.

 Definition of a Private Investigator

A private investigator, private detective, PI, or private eye, is a person who can be hired by citizens or groups to undertake investigations.

Private investigators, private detectives, p.i’s, private eye, gumshoe, sleuths often work for attorney’s in civil litigation cases for the plaintiff or the defense, gathering much needed evidence that the attorney’s use to prove or defend their case in court. Many work for insurance companies to investigate suspicious auto accident and other injury claims.  If a person claims they sustained injuries in a low impact car accident the claim becomes suspicious. Before states adopted the of no-fault divorce, many private investigators were hired to find out evidence of infidelity, adultery, cheating and other unfaithful matters or illegal conduct within marriage to establish a basis for a divorce. Despite the lack of legal necessity for such evidence in many jurisdictions, according to news reports collecting evidence of adultery or other "bad behavior" by spouses and partners is still one of the most sought after work investigators undertake, as the stakes being fought over now are child custody,  alimony, or marital property division disputes.  Now that on-line dating has become so popular it has become equally popular for people to have a private investigator conduct a criminal background search before coming into physical contact with that person they have met on line chatting, instant messaging, e-mailing, or someone they have met on match.com, great expectations, e-harmony or any of the online dating forums.

Many jurisdictions require PIs to be licensed, and they may or may not carry guns depending on local laws. Some are ex-police officers and detectives, although some are not. They are expected to keep detailed reports and to be prepared to testify in court cases regarding any of their investigations on behalf of their clients. Private investigators have to be careful to remain within the boundaries of the law and within the scope of their  investigation.  Some private investigators have faced with criminal charges for crossing the line. Irregular long hours may also be required when performing video surveillance work.

Private investigators also undertake a large variety of work from their clients that you would not expect. For example, many private investigators are involved in process serving, the personal service of summons of complaints, subpoenas and other legal documents to parties in a legal case. The tracking of absconding debtors can also form a large part of a private investigators case load. Many firms specialize in a particular field of expertise. For example, some private investigative firms / agencies deal only in tracking down individuals. Others may specialize in highly technical surveillance countermeasures, or TSCM counter surveillance, which is the finding and dealing with unwanted forms of electronic surveillance (for example, a bugged bedroom or office for industrial espionage purposes). Other private investigators, also known as Corporate Investigators, specialize in corporate matters, including sexual harassment, anti-fraud work, the protection of intellectual property and protecting trade secrets, anti-piracy, copyright infringement investigations, due diligence investigations and computer forensics work.  Some spouses suspect that evidence of cheating communications such as e-mails, chat rooms, instant messages and porn web sites might be on the spouses computer that have been erased.  A computer forensic private investigator can restore erased files on a computer to determine the true history of what a person has done on their computer and they recover the information and give it to their client.  Sometimes the suspicions are more serious and a spouse suspects that child porn may be on their spouses computer.  A forensic investigator knows how to recover this sensitive information and deal with it in accordance with the law to protect the chain of custody and turn over the evidence to the authorities.

Increasingly, modern PIs prefer to be known as "professional investigators" rather than "private investigators" or "private detectives". This has been an effort to globalize the the area of practice as one of a professional nature.

Worldwide Scope

In some countries throughout the world, private investigations are illegal. In other countries, private investigations are thriving, including: United States, the Netherlands, Mexico, Canada, Turkey, United Kingdom, France, Spain, South Africa, Australia, and Japan. In South Africa, private investigators are in very high demand due to not enough police to work and keep up with the high crime rates. Other countries throughout the world have private investigators, but many of their duties are restricted to a narrow scope. In South Korea, for example, video surveillance is allowed only in insurance fraud situations , which include all types of claims such as medical malpractice, professional liability, general liability, basically in any case where an insurance company must defend a defendant from any kind of claim that can be made against the policy holder they may even be obligated to investigate and litigate frivolous law suits as well.  Insurance companies employ the services of private investigators in attempt to verify or defeat these claims.  The private investigators evidence is usually the only evidence an insurance company can rely on to honor or refuse to pay a claim. Some countries in the world require licensing of private detectives, but most do not.

Working Environment

Private detectives and investigators often work strange hours because of the need to conduct video surveillance and interview people who are not available during normal working hours. Undercover decoy investigations also take investigators into the late night.  They may have to make friends with a subject at a bar he patrons on Saturday Nights.  The investigator must keep the same hours as his subject. Early morning, evening, weekend and holiday work is usual.^[

Many detectives and investigators spend time away from their offices conducting interviews, decoys, undercover operations and conducting video surveillance, but some work in their office most of the day conducting computer forensics, computer searches and making investigative telephone calls. The private investigators who have their own firms / agencies and employ other private investigators might work soley in an office and have normal business hours.

When a private investigator is working on a case away from the office, the environment might range from plush offices to seedy bars. Department Store and Chain hotel detectives work in the businesses that they protect. Investigators generally work alone, but they sometimes work with other detectives during video surveillance or when following a subject in order to avoid getting caught they would also use two vehicles, but these days if your client has legal authority to put a gps tracking devise on a vehicle it makes surveillance a much smoother operation taking away the main element of your subject detecting your presence, since you will not need to follow him at a close distance. The gps tracker will always tell you were your subject is so you can pop in and catch him/her by surprise.

Some of the work involves up close confrontations, so the job can be mentally stressful and equally dangerous. Some situations call for the investigator to carry a gun, such as certain bodyguard assignments for prominent client’s corporate executives or celebrity clients. Detectives and investigators who carry weapons and guns must be licensed by the appropriate authority. In most cases, however, a weapon is not necessary, because the purpose of the work is gathering information and not law enforcement or criminal apprehension, so the investigator will not encounter a possible harmful situation.

Education Training, and qualifications,

There are no formal education requirements for most private detective or investigator jobs, although many private investigators have college degrees or have taken legal or criminal investigation courses. Private detectives and investigators typically have previous experience in other professions. Some work initially for insurance or collections companies, in the private security industry, or as investigative paralegals. Many investigators enter the field after serving in the law enforcement community and the military branches of government auditing and investigative positions, or federal intelligence jobs CIA.

Former law enforcement officers, military investigators, and government agents, who retire, often become private investigators or detectives in a second career. Others enter wide range of fields as finance, forensic accounting, consumer credit, investigative reporting, insurance fraud, and law. These individuals often can apply their prior work experience in a related investigative specialty. A few private investigators enter the profession directly after graduating from college, generally with associate's or bachelor's degree in criminal justice, police science or with a private investigation diploma.

The majority of states in the United States and the District of Columbia require private detectives and private investigators to be licensed by the state that they wish to conduct business in. Some states allow their licensed private invest Licensing requirements vary, however. Seven states Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Mississippi, Missouri, and South Dakota have no statewide licensing requirements, some states have very few requirements, and many other states have stringent regulations. A growing number of states are enacting mandatory training programs for private detectives and investigators. For example, the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services of the California Department of Consumer Affairs requires private investigators to be at least18 years of age,  have a combination of education in police science, criminal law, or justice and experience equaling 3 years (6,000 hours) of investigative experience, pass a criminal history background check by the California Department of Justice and the FBI (in most states, convicted felons cannot be issued a license), and receive a qualifying score on a two-hour written examination covering laws statutes and regulations. There are additional requirements for carrying firearms were a permit is required.

For private detective and investigative jobs, most employers look for individuals with tenacity, persistence, attention to detail and assertiveness. A candidate must not be unaffected by conflict and confrontation, should possess good communicative skills, and should be able to think on his/her feet. Good interviewing and interrogation skills also are important and usually are learned in earlier careers in law enforcement or other fields.  A true chameleon makes a perfect private investigator because they can be anyone at any time. Since the courts are often the ultimate judge of a properly conducted investigation, the investigator must be able to present the facts in a manner that a jury will understand.

Training in subjects such as criminal justice and police science can be helpful for people learning to be private detectives and investigators. Most corporate investigators must have a bachelor's degree, preferably in a business-related field. Some corporate investigators have a master's degree in business administration or a law degree, while others are CPAs. Corporate investigators hired by large companies may receive formal training from their employers on business practices, management structure, and various finance-related topics. The screening process for potential employees typically includes a background check for a criminal history.

Some private investigators receive certification from a professional organization to demonstrate competency in a field. For example, the National Association of Legal Investigators (NALI) confers the Certified Legal Investigator designation to licensed investigators who devote a majority of their practice to negligence or criminal defense investigations. To receive the designation, applicants must satisfy experience, educational, and continuing-training requirements and must pass written and oral exams administered by the NALI.

Most private-detective agencies are small, with little room for advancement. Usually, there are no defined ranks or steps, so advancement takes the form of increases in salary and assignment status. Many private detectives and private investigators work for private investigative agencies at the beginning of their careers and, after a few years, start their own firms. Corporate and legal investigators may rise to supervisor or manager of the security or investigations department.

The median salary for a private investigator in the U.S. is $32,000 USD, according to 2004 data, but some investigators who own their own firms make in excess of $300,000

History of the private investigator

In 1833 Eugène François Vidocq, a French military soldier, criminal and privateer, founded the first known private detective agency, "Le bureau des reassignments" (Office of Intelligence) and hired ex-convicts. Official law enforcement tried many times to shut it down. In 1842 police arrested him in suspicion of unlawful imprisonment and taking money on false pretences after he had solved a big embezzling case. Vidocq later suspected that he had been set-up. He was sentenced for five years with a 3,000-franc fine but the Court of Appeals released him. Vidocq is credited with having introduced record-keeping, criminology and ballistics to criminal investigation. He made the first plaster casts of shoe impressions. He created indelible ink and unalterable bond paper with his printing company. His form of anthropometrics is still partially used by French police. He is also credited for philanthropic pursuits – he claimed he never informed on anyone who had stolen for real need such as food or clothing.

After Vidocq, the industry was born. Much of what private investigators did in the early days was to act as the police in matters that their clients felt the police were not equipped for or willing to do. A larger role for this new private investigative industry to was to assist companies in labor disputes. Some early private investigators provided armed guards to act as a private military.

In the U.S., the Pinkerton National Detective Agency was a private detective agency established in 1850 by a man named Allan Pinkerton.  Pinkerton had become famous when he foiled a plot to assassinate then President-Elect Abraham Lincoln. Pinkerton's investigators performed services which ranged from undercover investigations and detection of crimes to plant protection and armed guard security. It is sometimes claimed, probably with exaggeration, that at the height of its existence the Pinkerton National Detective Agency employed more agents than the United States Army.

During the labor disputes of the late 19th century, companies sometimes hired operatives and armed guards from the Pinkertons and similar agencies to keep strikers and suspected unionists out of their factories. The most famous example of this was the Homestead Strike of 1892, when industrialist Henry Clay Frick hired a large contingent of Pinkerton men to regain possession of Andrew Carnegie's steel mill during a lock-out at Homestead, Pennsylvania. Gunfire erupted between the strikers and the Pinkertons, resulting in multiple casualties and deaths on both sides. Several days later a radical anarchist, Alexander Berkman, attempted to assassinate Frick. In the aftermath of the Homestead Riot, several states passed so-called "anti-Pinkerton" laws restricting the importation of private security guards during labor strikes. The federal Anti-Pinkerton Act of 1893 continues to prohibit an "individual employed by the Pinkerton Detective Agency, or similar organization" from being employed by "the Government of the United States or the government of the District of Columbia."

Pinkerton agents were also hired to track western outlaws like Jesse James, the Reno brothers, and the Wild Bunch, including Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The Pinkerton agency's logo, an eye embellished with the words "We Never Sleep," inspired the term "private eye."

It was not until the prosperity of the 1920s that the private investigator became a person accessible to the average American. With the wealth of the 1920s and the expanding of the middle class came the need of middle America for private investigation agencies

Since then the private detective industry has grown with the changing needs of the public. Social issues like infidelity and divorce matters have impacted the industry and created new types of work, as has the need for insurance and, with it, insurance fraud, criminal defense investigations and the invention of low-cost listening devices. In a number of countries, a licensing process has been introduced that has put criteria in place that investigators have to meet: in most cases, a clean criminal record. This has combined with modern business practices that have ensured that most investigators are now professional in outlook, rather than seeing the private investigative world as a second career opportunity for retired ex-law enforcement.

 

 

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