SPECIALIZED INVESTIGATIONS

CIVIL INVESTIGATION

A civil trial involves two (or more) individual citizens who disagree on an issue that relates to their rights as citizens.  A person or entity will bring forward complaints that another person or entity failed to uphold their legal duty. The accusatory party will ask for completion of duty or compensation for the harm done. Some scenarios where a civil investigation may be necessary are Personal Injury cases, Worker’s Compensation, and breach of contract.

One or both parties can initiate a civil investigation. Civil investigations focus on assembling the evidence essential to such a trial in a reliable, legal manner.   The Investigator will gather evidence through:

  • Witness interviews
  • Financial documents such as checks and bank statements
  • Computer forensics such as computer and cell phone activity (including emails and texts)
  • Statements from family, friends, and colleagues
  • Public Records
  • Physical evidence

Civil Investigators provide unbiased proof in a professional and legal manner.

CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION

A criminal case is a matter in which a person is charged formally by the government on behalf of the people.  It is not the victim’s responsibility to bring forth a criminal case and sometimes there is no specific victim.  The result of a criminal case is a decision or finding that could include a monetary penalty, imprisonment, or supervision in the community.  The government usually determines investigation methods rather than the individuals involved.

Common scenarios for needing to initiate a criminal investigation are:

  • Law enforcement investigations provide little or no results
  • When you need evidence gathered
  • To find and interview witnesses to a crime
  • To gather impartial facts
  • If you need surveillance or record searches

Private Investigations can assist in a variety of offenses that result in a criminal trial such as: fraud, theft, kidnapping, assault, and homicide.  In some cases, criminal defense investigation is necessary for the wrongly accused.

A Criminal Investigation is an undertaking that seeks, collects, and gathers evidence of a crime for a case or specific purpose. The Investigator may look for clues and evidence to determine whether a crime has taken place, this also includes checking into the background of the accused.

A Private Investigator will use the following techniques to gather evidence for a Criminal Investigation:

  • Interviews with witnesses, family, and friends
  • Crime Scene photography
  • Surveillance
  • Background checks
  • Document Searches (Business, personal, public, social media, etc.)

DOMESTIC INVESTIGATION

Domestic Investigations are cases in which the investigation focuses on individuals and issues concerning their personal life, this can include legal or criminal issues.   Domestic cases can be difficult to prove in a neutral manner as many of the issues occur in a private setting and without witnesses, leading to a “he said, she said” scenario.

Scenarios in which a domestic investigation may be necessary are:

  • Divorce and spousal deceit
  • Adultery
  • Threats, blackmail, and extortion
  • Restraining orders
  • Stalking
  • Spouse or child abuse
  • Alcohol or Drug Abuse
  • Illicit activities (i.e. gambling)
  • Caregiver Investigations (Background checks, Surveillance)
  • Missing persons

A private Domestic Investigation can contribute unbiased evidence that is admissible in court.   Techniques an investigator may use to gather such evidence are:

  • Surveillance
  • Background checks
  • Computer forensics such as computer and cell phone activity (including emails and texts)
  • Public record and information search
  • People locate services

PROCESS SERVICE

Process Serving is when an individual delivers documents that notify a person that legal action is being taken against them.  According to the due process of law, each person involved must be adequately informed of court actions and any documents pertaining to these actions must be delivered in person.  These documents could be a variety of legal documents including writs, subpoenas to testify in court, a summons to appear in court and formal complaints.  In addition to serving papers, process servers can assist with retrieving court documents.

In most states, anyone over a certain age that is not involved in the case can be a process server.  However, in some cases, people do not want to be served legal documents. They may wish to avoid a court case or simply refuse to accept the documents. This can lead to volatile situations.  Another consideration is that each state has individual laws in what determines if an individual was served in a legal manner. 

Professional Private Investigators ensure that the documents are served and delivered in a legal manner.  Mistakes made in serving papers can cause a court case to be dismissed or create other legal problems.

In those cases where individuals attempt to avoid service, Private Investigators can employ surveillance techniques to locate the individual that is evading service.