Private Investigation Basics
What is a 'private investigator'?
If it's the government that's hiring you, whether it's the District Attorney's office or a city attorney, or even the city council or something like that, those people want to get an independent opinion or investigation done that's different from the one that law enforcement has done.
How does a private investigator differ from a police detective?
They're not going to be investigating civil matters. Where you're suing somebody and you're trying to get information as to whether you were wronged by this other person. They are investigating criminal matters only. And the criminal matters can range from robbery, rape, theft, burglary, you name it. It's not a situation where they have to worry about their paycheck. They're on a salary, they wait for that call to come in. They're on patrol and they pick up a case, and hand it over to the detectives and the detectives will look into it. They don't have the incentive to go out and generate business. Police officers don't really sit around and say, 'Wow, crime is really slowing down, we're have to go out and get somebody to kill somebody', it doesn't work like that. But investigators, we have to do a good job and develop a good reputation. And beat the competition at what we do, and it's a little different.
What type of background should a private investigator have?
The criteria for becoming a private investigator in California, other states are a little different, but California is you have to work for another investigator, or work in the investigative field, basically on an apprenticeship basis for at least three years, 6000 hours total. That could be working as an investigator in law enforcement, or working as an investigative reporter in the news media, or working for an attorney, or working for another licensed private investigator. All of these, the techniques are the same. We have to know how to research public records - there are many databases that you have to learn how to use, sometimes it's observation, surveillance, interviews. All those things combined to give you the ability to find the truth of the situation. And that's what it takes.
What type of education should a private investigator have?
The initial education for a private investigator is, as I've said before, regarding apprenticeship You work under another private investigator. You work under an investigator that's in law enforcement or investigative journalism. But there are certain aspects where there is specialized investigations, where they're getting into forensics. Some investigators will specialize in things. There are polygraph operators, or they'll be experts on computer crimes, or there will be experts on handwriting analysis. They go and they get specialized education regarding that. And there are a lot of colleges that offer those kind of courses. Plus there are associations. In California we have what is called CALI, California Association of Licensed Investigators. And we hold seminars on everything from data base research, to surveillance, to photography, to interview techniques. All that is available through those associations and through colleges.
What types of characteristics should a private investigator have?
A private investigator has to have a curiosity and an analytical mind. It's nothing like you see on TV or in movies. They have to look at a problem and a lot of times put themselves in the shoes of the person committing either the crime or the particular act that they are looking into and say, "if I was this guy, how would I do it?" Very rarely is information gathered through confrontation. You gather information through observation. You have to be very good at observation, you have to have a good memory, and you have to be ready to take notes on things that you have. You have to be credible, and you have to be willing to say when you screw up rather than trying to cover up a mistake that you make. This is because later on if you do not come off as being credible, because sometimes what you find out ends up in court, you will soon get a reputation as somebody who will make up the answer. You are never ever hired to defend a specific position. That's what the person tries to hire you for, but you are hired to find out the truth. You can't be a guy who's willing to take a buck to do anything to solve that person's problem.
How much does a private investigator charge?
I personally charge $150 an hour, and that hour starts when the phone rings. I've seen private investigators charge as much as $500 an hour which I think is outrageous, but they get it. They're Beverly Hills PI's that people have money to throw away. But $150 an hour or a flat day rate, in my case my day rate is $500 a day, plus all my expenses, my mileage and any incidental expenses. But if I'm on the hourly it's $150 an hour. After four hours it's considered a day. And you get a break cut.
When can I expect results from a private investigation?
If you want to get the truth of something, don't rush your investigator. Don't try to be corner backing what he's doing. He has been doing what he's doing for a long time. Let him do his thing! And, a good investigator would say “I will try to come back to you in a couple of days with a progress report”. Ask for a progress reports! Don't just give money that expected to get some sort of answers, but don't expect him to have the answer in 20 minutes! If you want a good investigation you would give him the time to do it.
