How to choose a private investigator for online infidelity

Private investigations are regulated by state law. In order to be a private investigator a person must meet certain qualifications and undergo a background investigation. Depending on the state in question, qualifications can include a specified amount of law enforcement experience, age requirements, in-state residency and a clean criminal record. Usually, the state licensing agency will issue a temporary license to allow the investigator to function while the background investigation is underway.

Not every licensed private investigator is issued a permit to carry a concealed weapon. The permit must be requested by the investigator’s employer (if not self-employed), the investigator must qualify with his/her firearm to be carried and must adhere to any restrictions placed on the permit. Some permits are issued only for working hours and for carry to and from home. In reality, these restrictions are very difficult to enforce.

The private investigator possesses none of the police powers and authority granted to certified government law enforcement officers. He/she cannot make arrests, obtain search warrants or even stop someone for questioning. Therefore, the successful private investigator will rely on personality, ingenuity, tact and personal resourcefulness to obtain needed information.

Although private investigators are called upon to conduct a wide variety of investigations, the bulk of their work involves domestic situations and divorce actions. Wives want to know about the activities of their husbands, and visa versa. Proof of adultery is a valued hammer when building a tight divorce case and demanding adequate compensation for the aggrieved spouse.

Pictures are worth a thousand words, as they say, and nowhere is this adage truer than in private investigations. Divorce attorneys will say reports are fine, but bring me pictures! It’s very difficult to defend against a series of photographs documenting the offending spouse’s visits to a motel, accompanied by his or her lover.

Private investigation is a very demanding field of endeavor. It requires long hours of “solitary confinement” sitting in a stakeout vehicle waiting for something to happen, physical conditioning to meet the unexpected, the courage to confront people and elicit information from them and a working knowledge of electronic surveillance and photography equipment. It’s not a profession for the faint of heart.