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Why should you hire a professional investigator?

Van Arsdale Polygraph Services
"Nothing but the truth"

You want to investigate someone or need to track down a debtor, but you don’t
want the expense of hiring a private investigator. BAD MISTAKE !!!

– here are 7 reasons why:

1. Danger.
Unless you are very familiar with private investigation work, you’ll be putting
yourself in grave danger if you try to do your own private investigation. The reason
for this is that you are unlikely to know the art of surveillance or counter-
surveillance and are therefore more likely to blow your cover early in the
investigation. This exposure could very well lead to greater danger for you when the
subject you are trying to follow realizes your presence, especially if the person has
criminal experience.
It is far more sensible for you to hire the services of a private investigator that has
been specially-trained in the art of undercover and surveillance work. In all
likelihood, he or she is in a position and has sufficient experience and resources to
go undetected throughout the whole investigation process – something that will be
quite impossible for you to achieve.

2. Skill.
Although the role of a private investigator may look very simple on television, in fact
it is an art form that requires dedication and training. Most private investigators
these days have skills beyond simply following a car and taking photographs.
Among other things, today’s private investigators need to know how to use overt
and covert cameras to their best advantage, how to install and download GPS
tracking devices, how to use trace mail systems, how to use the Internet to obtain
information, and how to undertake both threat assessments and risk management
profiles.
What’s more, even the usage of surveillance vehicles and driving is a well-honed art
form that is far more complicated than the average person could imagine. A
professional investigator is not only constantly aware of the subject’s every move,
but he must also be in a position to use his experience to anticipate likely or
possible movements. He must constantly think many steps ahead and be versatile
enough to not only change clothing and appearances during the course of
surveillance, but also vehicles.
A true professional will continually undergo courses that keep his skill sets sharp
and current. The better companies ensure that their personnel attend counter
surveillance courses, evasive driving courses on professional race tracks, training
on how to best install tracking devices and covert cameras on vehicles, etc.

3. Investigation.
Investigation work is not merely about asking a load of questions – although
interviewing is a very important skill. More important is the manner in which the
investigator asks those questions – making use of probing techniques or asking
open-ended questions which will provide leads and answers.
Finally, even verbal investigation skills are honed. For example, private
investigators know the exact questions to ask a person, and the optimal way to
phrase the questions to obtain the necessary information.

4. Technology.
A huge amount of investigation work involves very specialized and considerably
expensive equipment. Unless you are a techno-enthusiast, it is unlikely that you
have either the equipment itself or the knowledge to use the equipment. As a result,
you’ll either not use the technology, or at least not use it to its maximum potential.
A private investigator, on the other hand, likely has first-hand experience on how to
use this technology for maximum benefit.

5. The Charisma of Experience.
When all else fails, private investigators have the charisma of experience on their
side. They’re likely to know when they hear lies, when they are going down the
wrong track, and how to handle themselves if their cover is blown and they are
detected. You, on the other hand, are unlikely to know any of these tactics, which
will result in you not only potentially wasting a lot of time tracking down dead end
leads, but also running the risk of getting hurt in the process. Good investigators
have a lot of tricks up their sleeves to help them get out of difficult, or even
dangerous, situations while delivering results.
Another huge advantage that private investigators have is their professional
credentials. Since considerable time is spent sitting in vehicles watching subjects
and recording videos of their movements, neighbors and concerned citizens
regularly call the police to check out the “suspicious” behavior of the investigator. If
an investigator has the time to call ahead to the police district involved (giving a
description of his vehicle and full particulars about himself and/or his company), the
police will advise the concerned citizen that they are aware of the vehicle and that it
is on “official business”.
Even if time does not permit the investigator to plan ahead and make the call, once a
responding police officer is shown the investigator’s State-issued professional ID
card, most officers will be satisfied that the investigator is engaged in an official
capacity. However, the same professional courtesy will not be afforded to the
makeshift detective who decides to take on the project without any professional
training or credentials.

6. Knowing the Law and Abiding by the Rules.
Unlike you, the do-it-yourself private investigator, a professional investigator is
going to know the law and the proper way to gather evidence for possible court
proceedings. In light of this, the private investigator will never take the risk of losing
evidence or running afoul of the court evidence rules. You, on the other hand, are
unlikely to know these procedures.

Another common misconception, well known to the professional investigator but
seldom known to clients, is the area of taping conversations. Many clients think that
they can hide a recorder or “tap a phone line” and then use the information they
obtain in a court proceeding. If you live in a “two-party” State, both parties involved
in that phone conversation must consent to having it taped. If, on the other hand,
you live in a “one-party” State such as Oklahoma, it is only necessary to have the
consent of one of the parties involved. This means that if an investigator is talking to
an individual and that individual admits to a wrong doing, or boasts about it to an
undercover investigator, that investigator is legally able to record the conversation
on a hidden recorder and use this evidence later in a court of law.

7. Time/Evidence.
Finally, any surveillance procedure undertaken by a private investigator is usually
very time-consuming. Assuming that you have to work as well as carry on your do-it-
yourself private investigation duties, it is very likely you are not going to have
sufficient time to adequately handle all of your obligations. In this case, you’ll have
to spend a lot of your own time on a project, only to find out that it was completely
wasted if none of the evidence is admissible in court. Worse still, you may
inadvertently overstep the line and find yourself in trouble with the authorities. The
last thing you want to happen is to go from being the innocent victim to being the
defendant. The money that you may be forced to pay an attorney to represent you to
undo the damage could have been far better invested in the services of a
professional investigator who earns a living by conducting work like that every day
for many different clients.
So, when it comes to detective work, don’t try to do it yourself. Instead, hire a
professional private investigator and sit in the comfort of your chair while you read
the investigator’s report and watch the covert video without the concerns of you
getting hurt or losing the prey!