So You Need A Private Investigator?

Most individuals are not familiar with the services of a private investigator other than what they have seen on television or in the movies. While attorneys, insurance companies and some large corporations utilize private investigators on a regular basis, the individual may only require an investigator once or twice in a lifetime.

What to Expect from a Private Investigation
P.I.'s are licensed by the State and heavily regulated. Though we may have contacts with various policing agencies, we are citizens just like our clients. For example, we have no authority to break into someone's home or to wiretap someone's vehicle or office. We do get some leniency when it comes to stalking laws, which allows us to perform surveillance.

For individuals, a P.I. can expertly observe activity through surveillance or undercover type operations. We can assist in building a case that will stand up in court. We have access to databases that are not readily available to the public due to restrictions or cost. We can utilize these databases to help locate individuals and assets. In some cases we can assist in obtaining phone records, utility records, etc.

Costs
Naturally, all clients want to get a feel for the cost before the investigation begins. This is often difficult because P.I.'s usually charge an hourly rate for services. In domestic surveillance situations it usually takes 6 to 8 hours of time to establish a pattern of activity. This may include obtaining database records as well as performing surveillance. It may take an additional 5 to 10 hours or longer to obtain the visual "evidence" that is needed for court. On average, an individual client may expect to spend between $500 and $1,000 for a domestic investigation. What evidence we may gather depends upon the activity of the subject under surveillance. There have been cases when we obtained everything needed in 4 hours. There have been other cases when we surveilled a subject for weeks and found no illicit activity.

Success Rate
We have a 90% rate of success when it comes to maintaining a surveillance. Our investigators are trained and experienced in large city and rural surveillance techniques. We utilize professional equipment including night vision cameras, micro cameras, hidden body cameras, and long range video cameras.