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Contrary to popular opinion and despite what people read
about and see on TV and in movies, private investigators
(PIs), many of whom are former police officers, are not
the flamboyant, swashbuckling heroes portrayed by Tom Selleck
and others. Rather, they are for the most part highly motivated,
trained, and experienced professionals who provide a needed
service to their communities. This includes an active concern
for the confidentiality and privacy of their client, much
the same as the attorney/client privilege. Most states require
licensing and some also require rigid testing of PI wannabes
before granting licenses. PIs are, in addition, insured
and sometimes bonded, depending on the requirements of the
state in which they do business.
PIs perform a vital function in our society today, acting
as a link between citizens and law enforcement and doing
those investigations police departments have neither the
time nor the resources to do. They also are the right hand
of attorneys, helping the client when necessary to prove
your case in the best possible way.
For example, a family was distraught when one of its members
was convicted and sentenced to a long prison term for molesting
his own daughter. So far as the prosecution was concerned
this case was closed. However, the family and others familiar
with the events and persons involved believed in the man’s
innocence and retained a PI to prove that innocence. Through
efforts of the family, a female classmate of the daughter
(and in whom the daughter often confided) was located and
interviewed. Information provided by the classmate contradicted
testimony admitted at trial and may be the basis for an
appeal. The classmate had not previously been interviewed
by defense counsel and had been rejected as a witness by
the prosecution.
In another situation, a young mother was diagnosed with
an incurable disease that could only have been passed on
genetically. Except for possibly the woman’s father,
whose location was unknown, all other family members were
found not to carry the responsible gene. A PI was retained
to locate the father, working from what little information
the family had on him. The father was located in prison
and agreed to meet with his daughter. It is believed the
outcome was beneficial.Also, insurance companies and industry
are plagued yearly with workers compensation fraud, costing
them millions of dollars. Insurance claims adjusters are
overburdened with other cases and a PI is retained to conduct
surveillance and obtain photo evidence that the worker claiming
back injury is still working on “limited duty.”
Over the course of several days, video proof of the man’s
malingering was obtained and submitted to the client. The
case was settled out of court.Retail fraud is another crime
costing retailers and customers millions of dollars annually
with some of the losses caused by employee theft. Small
business owners may not have the staff to conduct adequate
background investigations on employee applicants. A competent
PI will have a variety of sources from which to provide
a thorough background investigation, especially when the
position to be filled is one entailing money and policy
responsibilities.
A PI might be a Certified Protection Professional through
the American Society for Industrial Security and qualified
to conduct security surveys of a business or residence.
If losses are being incurred and an employee is suspected,
a PI might be hired to survey the establishment and install
such security devices as deemed necessary. She or he might
also be asked to conduct surveillance on the suspect employee
to determine any culpability in the firm’s losses.
Asset searches are another area in which PIs can assist.
A contractor defaults on a loan and the lender naturally
wants to recover its money. To do so they bring in a PI
to search for assets of the contractor that could be seized
to recover monies loaned.PIs, like other professionals,
come in a variety of specialties. Fraud examiners, surveillance
specialists, criminologists, computer experts, skip tracers,
genealogists, accident investigators, and process servers
are only a few of the many talents offered by PIs. Some
also have a wide range of international investigator contacts
on whom to draw for expertise and assistance.
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