Private investigation is a general name for services offered to an individual, organization or governmental entity for the purpose of locating and analyzing information and intelligence about a particular matter. Investigation may be used to solve a crime, locate a person or public record, observe and document activity or many other possible reasons. There are many, many specialized niche legal services available within the private detective industry.
This resource section contains topical dialogs that document many of the interesting focuses within the general detective services sector. We also provide an overview of the diversity of investigation cases profiles that are handled by experts each and every day.
Private Investigation Vocations
A career in professional investigation is a non-traditional vocation which is appealing to many people for a host of individualized reasons. Some people find a career, or second career, as a private detective to be a natural fit, being that they already have a background in criminal justice, military service, police work, federal law enforcement, insurance investigation or law. Other people simply think it would be an interesting job and go about learning the skills they need to become a working investigator.
There are a number of specialized private investigator schools, as well as many online investigation courses which can provide the foundation for a career in the detective industry. A college degree is not generally required for an investigator, but will always be an asset and may create a higher ceiling for advancement within the industry.
Professional Investigation Topics
Death investigation can look into many different reasons for a loss of life, including murder, manslaughter, wrongful death and the possibility of suicide. Meanwhile, military death investigation is a particular facet that is performed by armed forces investigators.
Trial preparation work is a mainstay for civil investigation specialists. Attorneys require considerable support to take a case to trial or defend any litigation and detectives fill this role perfectly. Legal investigation cases can also deal with criminal matters in some cases.
Maritime investigation may occur at sea or pertain to a matter that occurred at sea.
Accounting investigation work is used to delve into matters of finance and financial record keeping.
Nanny investigation cases can examine instances of suspected child abuse or may be used to check the background of a job applicant for a caregiver position.
Sexual harassment investigations help victims who are persecuted in the workplace or in school by peers, supervisors or other parties.
IED investigation deals in preventing, discovering and defusing the improvised explosive devices typically used by terrorist organizations.
Many detectives found their own investigation agency, making them both private eyes and entrepreneurs.
In 2020, the leaders of the world are calling for an objective coronavirus investigation to ascertain the extent of criminality committed by China which caused millions to suffer and die.
Are professional investigation services illegal? In some areas, detective work is indeed against the law and in others. it is highly regulated.
Private Investigation Services
Private eyes may offer a full range of investigation services or may only concentrate their focus on a few specific types of assignments. Some of the most common types of professional investigation services include:
Surveillance is used to observe and record activity of a person or organization.
Background checks are used to delve into a person’s past history and may detail former employment and educational backgrounds. Common types of background check include criminal record searches, pre-employment investigations and premarital investigations.
Asset checks can provide proof of assets and are valuable in business partnerships and when trying to enforce a judgment.
Infidelity investigations are some of the most common types of cases in the private sector of the detective business.
Public record searches are an integral part of the investigation industry.
Finding people, lost loves or missing children are services offered by most private investigators. Some detectives specialize in finding birth parents or adoptees.
Process service is a great way for investigators to supplement their income.
Skip tracing and bounty hunting are related skills involved in the bail bonds enforcement industry.
Private security, bodyguard work and executive protection require advanced skills and world-class training.
Fire investigation can involve civil claims or criminal activities, such as arson, vandalism and murder.
Corporate investigations help businesses to solve mysteries within their organizations, check out potential partnerships and monitor employee conduct. Store detectives and mystery shoppers are 2 common forms of retail business investigation services.
Computer forensic investigation services can work on solving identity theft, tracing emails or other uses.
Repossession services are the specialty of repo men.
Intellectual property investigations cover patent infringement, copyright violations and trademark infringement.
Cult rescue is an extremely niche sector of investigation.
Insurance investigations are the bread and butter of the detective profession. These typically revolve around personal injury investigations, including car accidents, slip and fall accidents, work accidents, construction accidents and industrial accidents.
Witness statements and interviews provide documented accounts of incidents and preserve a signed statement, as evidence, to prevent tampering or bribery.
Professional Investigation Guidance
If you are interested in learning how a detective can help you to solve a case, you should make sure to learn all you need to know about hiring a private investigator. Remember that you should interview more than one candidate for the job before making your final choice.
Maybe you are a person who wants to become a private investigator and simply do not know where to start. In this case, our advice is to learn everything you can about the profession and all your career options. Make sure you are a good fit for the demands of the job, before investing any time or money into pursuing training.
Finally, you might be a working investigator already. In this case, it is crucial to learn about private investigation jobs, as well as the latest private investigator equipment and detective training methods.