The Future of Private Investigation

We don't know what the next few decades will foster in the private investigative industry but the growth trend is almost certainly going to continue.

More and more focus is being placed on the need to secure and develop quality information and it is quite probable that the growth of the private investigative industry will boom.

The professional private investigator will probably be utilized even more by American businesses, industries, and private citizens in technological ways that have not been considered up until now.

Deeper focus will be placed on the need for experts and specialists who will be called upon to perform narrow specialty investigations.

The general private investigative service is a vanishing breed.

The need to specialize will be made clear as more people place greater value on skills necessarily used by the professional in obtaining information.

Americans are concerned with privacy issues and the debate of these issues is taking place once again. The bottom line is that the profession of private investigation will become more important than any time in history.

When there is a need for services in this area, the point cannot be stressed enough that the person in the private or business sector must be selective in the choosing of an experienced, professional private investigator!

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Developing Informational Skills

The informational skills that the experienced private investigator learns how to develop include physical surveillance, public records searches, interviewing, and inspection. The professional private investigator develops these skills into a fine art. Over time, the skills are fine-tuned so that the smallest detail or possibility is not overlooked. Often, a piece of information doesn't, at first, look newsworthy but when combined with details already collected, it forms a piece of the puzzle leading to a correct conclusion that would not otherwise have been uncovered. (Another reason that it is worthwhile for the layperson to consult an experienced professional.)

Although most share commonalities, every investigation is unique unto itself. It has a "life" of its own. Often, an investigator doesn't know exactly how a puzzle piece will fit until he or she uncovers it.

Professional investigators are skilled at developing the most minute detail that can often be used to crack a case. Once cracked, the case is more likely to resolve into a desired conclusion.

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The Nature of Private Investigation

A professional private investigator is a person who engages in the collection of facts of people, places, and things. He or she is often empowered (by attorneys or the courts) with more powers or "rights" than the average American citizen and has developed a special body of knowledge and skills that permit him or her to collect information in a more efficient and effective manner than an inexperienced, untrained person would be able to do.

When in the process of obtaining information, private investigators usually focus on the universal principle of the five Ws, which are: Who, What, When, Where, and Why.

• In order to develop information the investigator has to know where to look.
• There are certain skills needed that will help collect the information.
• Oftentimes investigators will not be sure exactly what they are looking for until they find it.
• Information that appears unimportant on the surface often becomes a key in the investigation at a later date.
• After information is obtained, it needs to be recorded, analyzed, and compared to what is already known in order for it to be decided what needs to be done next.
• The information needs to be organized and then presented in an organized fashion.

Everyone is an investigator at times. The difference between a professional private investigator and a layperson is that the professional performs the activity that develops information every day and, in doing so, develops a keen perceptive sense of knowing where to look. Over time, the professional investigator develops special sources of information and fine tunes skills that will help in development of the information. After some experience in the field is gained, the experienced investigator is able to develop and process information much faster and obtain better quality information than the layperson. For this reason, it is preferable and desirable to hire a professional investigator rather than try to do the investigation yourself.

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Private Investigators' Top Ten Ways to Tell if a Spouse is Cheating!!

According to those with experience in detection and surveillance, these are the top ten ways to tell if a spouse or significant other is cheating:

1. Exhibition of a changing attitude toward your relationship: they are more argumentative, critical, or distant; they are less affectionate and profess a need for "more space."

2. Unexplained absences: they stay later at work, leave the office for lunch more often, spend more time "with friends" or pursuing a new hobby during evenings and weekends or they are frequently off running lengthy "errands."

3. Increase in personal expenses: they seem to go through pocket money at faster rates and have a jump in credit card expenses.

4. Change in patterns of telephone use: they spend more time on the phone and seem anxious to be the one to answer the phone when it rings; there are mysterious in-coming calls, hang-ups, and wrong numbers, or they suddenly need a new cell phone or pager.

5. They pay greater attention than usual to their physical appearance; they begin a new diet or exercise program; they purchase new clothing and fragrance or change hairstyles and begin getting manicures/pedicures.

6. They show a new interest in mail delivery; they want to be the first to get to the mail; they hide phone bills or credit card statements; they receive mysterious letters (usually not in postcard form).

7. There are articles of unknown origin left in the home or vehicle; these could be slips of paper with names/phone numbers, matchbooks, and/or different brands of cigarettes or gum

8. Strange marks upon body (scratches, bites, skin irritations) or stains on clothing (lipstick, makeup stains).

9. Unexplained odors; they come home smelling of fragrance or tobacco that is not their own.


10. Decreased interest in sex or changes in sex drive; more aggressive and less tender; desire to try new techniques or positions.

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The Role of Surveillance in Private Detection

When a security camera catches critical footage, it often takes a lot of work on the part of investigators to secure usable images. The field of video forensics is constantly expanding, enabling police to monitor video feeds for clues in solving their cases and through the "magic" of computer enhancement, analysts are now able to convert previous fuzzy images into clear pictures of suspects.

The technology of surveillance has been measurably improved since the early 1960s when bank cameras could not even capture the movements of people.

In the 1990s, the advent of digital technologies has improved picture quality and made monitoring much easier. A case in point would be the recently documented episode wherein a surveillance camera in a Kohl's parking lot caught a mother shoving her 4 year old daughter into the backseat of her SUV. The mother eventually surrendered to police and was brought up on child abuse charges.

We will explore this topic in more depth in the weeks ahead. Visit my website for more information.

The Role of Surveillance in Private Detection

"For years, the electronic eyes of surveillance cameras have stared from banks, traffic intersections, stores and countless other perches....."

As technology has increased and expanded in recent years, it is estimated that there are now two million video surveillance systems in the U.S. and private investigators are turning more and more to the footage for allowing them helpful glimpses into crimes as they are occurring.

Investigators are thinking about video more than they did in the past.

Criminals are increasingly being caught "red-handed" by authorities and the p.i. in private practice is starting to use video and surveillance devices (such as the GPS) more and more in his daily practice.

Where it used to take hours of time and highly sophisticated techniques to be able to gain anything helpful from footage, new and advanced technology has enabled investigators to be able to modify their results and tailor and alter them for fast and accurate results.

GPS devices are smaller and more easily placed as are cameras and other surveillance equipment. It is now possible to surveil from afar and take pictures and video from areas where the subject would least expect........to be continued.

Summer is a Time for Background Checks and Possible Survillances

As the weather warms and the summer season approaches, people are out and about making new acquaintances and establishing relationships.

As the Internet expands, there are increasing opportunities to meet new friends and try new things.

We should be very aware that while most people we meet are what they seem, that is not always the case.

If there is a new person in your life, a background search is one way to make sure that the person is who he or she claims to be and that you are safe when with them.

Private investigators are schooled, practiced, and adept at looking into someone's background and coming up with either an "all clear" or a red-flagged area that needs closer scrutiny.

At that point, a brief surveillance might be considered just to make sure everything is as you have been led to believe.

In future weeks, look to this site for case studies wherein some of the problem areas are highlighted and solutions explained.

Better safe and protected than sorry!