What Does A Private Investigator Do?
Leading Private Detective Provides Tips on hiring a Private Investigator
What does a Private Investigator Do?
Private Investigators, also known as Private Detective or P.I., and depending on their state requirements are licensed, bonded, and insured. Private Investigation Agencies may specializing in, surveillance and detailed research methods on all types of Investigations.
Private Investigators are not Police Officers, however many are retired Police Officers and Detectives with many years of experience law enforcement. Many States require proof of experience and approval through a Public Safety Board in order to be licensed as a private investigator.
Private Investigative Agencies work in partnership with Insurance Companies, Law Firms, Court Reporting Agencies, and private businesses and individuals.
Here is just a few areas that private investigators cover:
Criminal Defense. Defending individuals charge with a crime. Whether this is a misdemeanor or a felony. Investigating the crime scene, reviewing police report, case files, witness statements, accident scene report's.
Insurance Fraud. False claims. Many insurance companies local and nationwide hire private investigators to conduct workmen's compensation investigations. This can be from a result of a slip and fall, car accident, injured at work and/or arson investigations.
Investigating an individual. A spouse or partner will contact a private investigator about infidelity issues.
Finding an individual. Called skip tracing looking for a long-lost relative or someone who owes you money and skipped town.
Investigating crime. As in-house thefts for a business or a home invasion of an individual when the client feels police attention is lacking. That's when private citizens contact a private investigator
Background checks. These are done for private citizens, attorneys, insurance companies, Business owners, new employees.
Setting up surveillance. surveillance for insurance fraud's, cheating spouses, Thefts, criminal cases, Child custody cases. Setting up covert hidden cameras.
Covert hidden cameras. A professional investigator well have an arsenal of covert cameras. That can assist in all types of investigations. Do your research make sure this investigator knows what he's doing. You do not want a camera placed haphazardly and violate an individual's rights. Invasion of privacy.
Case research. Case research can be done or private citizens, Insurance companies, attorneys, Fortune 500 companies, and all types of businesses.
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Private investigator cost
For certain services such as background checks, looking up a vehicle registration or identifying a cell phone number, private investigators may charge a flat fee. Most commonly, though, private investigators charge an hourly rate. Depending on your location, complexity of the work and expertise of the private investigator, fees can range from $70 to over $125 per hour with the average somewhere around $70 an hour in the United States.
Remember if a private investigator is charging a very low rate.. Dig Deeper!! Remember you get what you pay for.
I recommend you obtain a written contract upfront that outlines all potential costs. Your private investigator should inform you beforehand if something changes and will require an increase in the cost. All private investigators should explain the costs and the expenses upfront. Some will use a flat fee. Flat fees are normally associated with a misdemeanor case or felony case.
Hiring a private investigator
Locating a trustworthy and qualified private investigator can be an intimidating task so here are some tips to help you know how to hire a private investigator.
1. Get a referral. It is likely that you will be sharing personal information with this person and so it important to find someone reliable. Do as much research on the investigator as possible. Ask trusted friends for recommendations and Contract the Better Business Bu. Locate and search for any local consumer reviews on private investigators.
2. Check their license. The only states that don't require licensing for private detectives are Idaho, Mississippi, South Dakota and Wyoming. A professional private detective will be able to give you their license number immediately and you can check it with your local state to make sure it’s valid.
3. Make sure they have an office. If your private detective only works out of restaurants and over the phone, that is a sign you should get out now. You need to know where to find this person if they don’t follow through on their obligations. Some will put up a good addresses, but have NO office.
4. Ask about their experience and education. To make sure your job gets done right, find a detective who specializes in the task you need. Ask about how much work they have done similar to what you want in the past and how those jobs worked out.
5. Consider whether they have insurance. Most serious private investigators are insured up to a few million dollars. While it’s not necessary for all jobs, if something were to happen during the course of the work, you, as the hirer, would be held liable if there was no insurance coverage.
6. Talk about confidentiality. You are very likely dealing with sensitive information when you are working with a private investigator and you need to be sure your PI will be discreet and respectful of information shared between the two of you.
7. Get a contract. Your initial consultation with a private detective should be free and from there, they should be able to outline anticipated cost. If you choose to follow through with the work, make sure all fees and expectations are clearly outlined in a contract.
9. Be sure you are prepared for what a private investigator may uncover. You are hiring a private investigator to uncover something for you and especially when it involves people close to you, be sure you are ready to for whatever the PI may find. You may hope the private investigator will prove your fears wrong, but be sure you can handle what they may turn up to prove your fears right before you hire their services.
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