Private Investigators are trained individuals that utilize various techniques to source hidden information that can serve as evidence for a court case or aid an investigation.
Being a private detective or investigator can be a risky and intriguing profession, one that you’ll fall in love with if you’re a fan of adventures.
The need for a private investigator has never been in question, especially in prominent states of the U.S like New York, Texas, and Oklahoma.
Different Private Investigators employ various techniques for their private Investigations. These techniques may vary from individual to individual or state to state.
Also, different cities have their private investigation agency. The private investigation agency OKC provides most private investigators in Oklahoma city. This includes private investigator Edmond Oklahoma, private investigator Norman Oklahoma, and other private investigator Oklahoma.
In OKC, a private detective maybe a part of the Oklahoma Judicial Process server while actively contributing to the improvement of Oklahoma Statewide Private investigation.
This article highlights some of the private investigation techniques most private investigators use, especially private investigator OKC.
Common Investigation Techniques
The investigation technique a private investigator can employ depends upon the nature of the case he’s handling. A private investigator can handle two different kinds of cases which are:
Investigative cases related to the legal system
An individual private case that’s unrelated to the legal system
The cases related to the legal system may require the private investigator to work with law offices, Insurance companies, Government investigative agencies, Accounts, and top businesses with a financial crime regulation department.
The private individual cases, on the other hand, may involve different personal needs that don’t have anything to do with the law. Searching for missing persons and cases of suspected infidelity are the topmost of this type of case.
Understanding the nature of the case at hand and knowing the legal provisions backing investigating a case is essential to ensure your endeavours don’t end up futile.
You may labor to get evidence that supports a case at court and see it unaccepted if legal provisions state that your means of acquiring it is illegal. You may also get served by an individual if your investigation approach breaches their privacy or violates their right under the law.
Hence, there’s a need for a proper understanding of the law provisions for the type of case at hand to determine the most suitable approach and investigation techniques to use.
Below are the common types of investigation techniques used by private investigators:
Surveillance
This is one of the most popular investigative techniques. It involves close monitoring of your target person’s actions and movements, both online or offline. The surveillance technique is aided by different investigative tools like cameras, drones, etc.
A good private investigator must blend in well during physical surveillance. They must avoid discovery and eye contact with targets and ensure they do not doesn’t run out of cover-up stories when there’s a need for it.
Background Check
This is one of the most adopted investigation techniques in Oklahoma, and an average Keefe private investigator is well vast in this technique.
It’s an intelligence-gathering endeavour that involves accessing top databases with in-depth information about your target. The databases are usually not accessible to the public but only certified private investigators.
A background check includes checking past financial and criminal records, associations, and activities your target may have been involved with at one point or the other.
This information aids investigation and can be used as evidence for some court cases.
Layered Voice Analysis
This investigation technique involves an in-depth analysis of audio files or an individual’s voice to detect truth by considering the emotional and psychological accuracy of the speech or content.
It is employed during physical interrogation or used for an audio file, and it helps determine whether or not the statement being said is true or false. While layered voice analysis isn’t 100% accurate, it is over 95% accurate most of the time.
Most private investigators that work with insurance companies and law offices do employ this technique to verify an individual’s claim.
Device Cloning
This investigation technique involves cloning digital devices like hard drives. This helps preserve and save copies of digital data even when they’ve been deleted.
This method is effective for information gathering. Texts and emails may reveal confidential information relevant to cases and help you identify your target’s support and an accomplice(s).
The law has a provision for someone to clone another person’s hard drive, but this must be done with no intention of causing harm or damage to the person or their properties.
Bugs
Using bugs or spyware for investigation is an old technique that is not generally accepted as legal everywhere. This means that in some states or cities, there’s no legal jurisdiction to bug your target.
Bugs help you monitor and take note of your target’s activities. It is usually installed subtly on digital devices like home PCs, smartphones, etc.
As a private investigator, you must make sure that you’re within legal rights to use bugs on a target to avoid obtaining concrete evidence that can’t be used in court. Remember, any evidence gotten through illegal means won’t be considered.
GPS Tracking
GPS tracking is an alternative most private investigators employ to replace tailing a target. The GPS tracker gives you the location of a target. Beyond that, you can also get information on mileage, fuel level, and odometer readings of a car.
However, you can only track a car with the owner’s permission. GPS tracking is an effective technique to establish infidelity and can be used as evidence for a divorce case.
The use of modernized digital tools aids these various investigative techniques. Uncovering crimes and gathering intelligence is also easier using these techniques.
As a private detective or investigator that’s either working for individuals or as a partner with law offices, knowing the legal limitations of these techniques can help you know which one best suits a case and also aids its practical application.
It’s an unwritten laugh that every private investigator must know about all the investigation techniques, their law limitations, and the application for the majority of them.
