Pages
Stay In Touch
More
Address: 5799 South Main Street,
#1723
Clarkston, MI. 48347
A Private Detective or Private Investigator (PI) is a person who conducts investigations, usually for a private citizen, business, or organization. They also can work for attorneys in civil cases or criminal cases on behalf of a defense attorney or a client. Many Private Investigators work for insurance companies to investigate suspicious insurance claims for that company. Some Private Investigators also are hired to search for evidence of adultery or other illegal conduct within a marriage to establish grounds for divorce or child custody. Within the Private Investigation Industry nation wide adultery or other “socially unexcitable behavior” by spouses and partners is one of the most profitable activities investigators undertake.
Private Detectives also conduct process serves, background checks, skip tracing, and locating of missing persons. Many agencies across the country specialize in one particular field of expertise. For example, some PI agencies deal only in skip tracing, others may specialize in surveillance, and still others may specialize in bug detection which is the locating and disposing of unwanted forms of electronic surveillance often found in corporate espionage or personal eves dropping cases. Some of the other many specialties a PI might have is Fraud Investigations, Personal Security or Bodyguard details, and Computer Forensics to name a few.
Private Detectives and Private Investigators often work irregular hours due to of the needs of there case which require them to conduct surveillance and contact people who may or may not be available during normal working hours. Early morning, evening, weekend, and holiday work is common. Most Private Detectives and Private Investigators spend a majority of there time away from their offices conducting interviews or surveillance, but some work in their office most of the day conducting computer searches and making phone calls. Those who have their own agencies and employ other investigators may work primarily in an office and have normal business hours. Sometimes an investigation calls for the investigator to be armed, such as certain bodyguard assignments for corporate or celebrity clients. Detectives and investigators who carry handguns must be licensed by the appropriate authority in most cases to carry a firearm on duty. 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.
Most states require that Private Investigators be licensed. Some Private Detectives are former police officers or former military, although many do not have that kind of professional background. Many states have strict laws that govern and regulate the Private Investigation industry in there state. A Private Investigator often works long hours, keeping detailed notes and video for reports to supply to there clients and often spend most of there time in the field conducting surveillance related work. Many Private Detectives have college degrees or have taken legal or criminal investigation related courses to better prepare themselves for there particular field of investigation. Private Detectives and Private Investigators typically have previous experience in other occupations that prepares them for there career as a Private Investigator. Some previously worked for insurance or collections companies, in the private security industry, or as paralegals. Many investigators enter the field after serving in law enforcement, the military, government auditing and investigative positions, or federal intelligence jobs, which makes them an expert in that field of investigation due to there experience.
Former law enforcement officers, military investigators, and government agents, often become Private Detectives or Private Investigators, others from such fields as finance, accounting, commercial credit, investigative reporting, insurance, law, etc. These individuals often can apply their prior work experience in a related investigative specialty and be considered experts in there field.
A background in subjects such as criminal justice and police science can be helpful to anyone interested in Private Detectives and Private Investigators employment. Most corporate investigators require having 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 still 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.
The majority of States require private detectives and Private Investigators to be licensed in there state. Licensing requirements vary, dramatically however. Seven states (Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Mississippi, Missouri, and South Dakota) have no statewide licensing requirements, other states have very few requirements, and many more states have very 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 18 years of age or older, 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 and regulations. There are additional requirements for a firearms permit.
Most private-detective agencies are small, with little room for advancement due to not more than one to three Private Investigators in the Firm. Usually, there are no defined ranks or steps, so advancement takes the form of increases in salary and assignment status. Many detectives and investigators work for detective agencies at the beginning of their careers and, after a few years, start their own Agency after receiving the necessary experience. Corporate and legal investigators may rise to supervisor or manager of the security or investigations department.
Many private detectives find investigative process service to be a valuable part of their case assignments and a terrific way to supplement their income. Process service is one of the easiest and steadiest ways to make money in the private investigation industry and it also provides investigative professionals the chance to get up close and personal to the subjects of their investigations.
Process service is defined as the delivery of legal papers drafted to exercise jurisdiction over the recipient. There are a wide range of legal papers which may be served by private investigators. There are also a number of accepted methods of service which depend greatly on the exact nature of the case, the papers involved and the vicinity in which they are served.
Process service as a means of supplementing traditional detective income is an easy fit into any existing investigative business. Serving process takes cunning and the ability to locate the target of the delivery without delay. Many Michigan investigators serve all manner of legal papers when work is slow on other types of assignments, while some focus primarily on process service as a main source of income. Some investigation assignments, such as trial preparation and personal injury cases will entail serving a large number of legal papers in order to get the case ready for court. This can be a profitable and interesting way for an investigator to stay active in the case and a smart investigator can always use the opportunity to get close to the opposing side to gather intelligence and data which may become crucial later on in the case.
Legal papers which must be served come in many varieties, including, but not limited to summonses, subpoenas duces tecum, subpoenas ad testificandum, orders, writs, judgments, complaints and affidavits. In a busy legal market, the vast number of cases going on at any one time will keep hundreds or even thousands of dedicated process servers busy full time. Being that investigators are out in the field daily anyway and often visit the same government entities, doctors offices and municipal agencies frequently, serving papers to these recipients is a great way to maximize efficiency and spread billing across several cases, providing better value to each client, while getting the case work finished fast. Private investigators who can also serve process present a win/win scenario for client and detective alike.
In order to serve process legally in some jurisdictions, a server may have to be licensed or bonded. In most cases, the server must be 18 years old and not a party to the legal action involved in the service. It is recommended to always stay informed about the exact requirements of legally serving process in your area and the surrounding communities, so that you can easily comply with any special considerations which must be met.
Process service can be achieved in person, by simply handing the papers to the target recipient. In some cases, substitute service is allowed, in which case the papers may be left with an adult relative or designated representative of the target recipient. Service to a registered agent is common when serving some corporations, especially those that do business in multiple locations, but do not maintain centralized offices in every market. Finally, service by mail is perfectly acceptable in some cases or as a last or only resort.
A good investigator will always take the chance to learn as much as possible when serving an opposing party in a litigation. They will often document the person’s behavior and appearance, speech and mannerisms, so that follow up surveillance will be easy and enlightened. Of course, it is always advisable to have more than one investigator on this type of case, since it would be foolish to use the same operative to both serve and later follow the target, since the risk of being recognized will be high.
