There are many professional uses for private investigators, but there are also several private investigator services which can be helpful for the regular everyday individual. These services can protect your children and home, be an extension of your local police department, free you from liability, and even track down criminals below the law enforcement radar. The key to a successful experience with a PI is knowing how they can help and hiring someone from a quality firm. In this post we’ll tell you some of the best personal uses for a PI and where you can find one you can trust.
The first way private investigator services can be helpful to an individual is in the case of locating a person; whether it’s a criminal situation, civil litigation, or missing person. In these situations a private investigator can act as an extension of the police department, but more importantly can act much more quickly than your local police department.
Hiring a private investigator to run down leads, retrace the person’s movements, and speak to people who saw someone who hasn’t or doesn’t want to be found can give you a fighting chance of finding them. The results of their investigation, if applicable, can be handed to the police if they need to get involved, which expedites their process. It’s also possible the PI is enough to make contact and facilitate future discussions/meetings as well.
The same can be said on the back end of these investigations. Eventually police need to move on and resume their regular duties, even if they can’t locate a person. A private investigator can continue looking and keep the search as long as needed.
Keeping families together and safe truly is an underrated ability of private investigators. Another way they can help individuals is by conducting background checks for nannies, babysitters, and housekeepers. These are people we let into our homes and near our most prized possessions: our children. They need to be vetted properly and while several websites allow you to check someone’s history, they aren’t always accurate and in many cases don’t go deep enough. Hiring a PI allows your background check to be as thorough and detailed as you request. No one wants to leave their child or home with someone who shouldn’t be trusted and private investigators can help you avoid that pitfall.
Another private investigator service helpful to individuals in alleviating liability and protecting you from fraud. This is particularly helpful for homeowners hiring the types of employees we discussed above. Whenever people are in your home there is an inherent risk that they get hurt and you can be held responsible. However, employees are expected to follow safety guidelines and if they aren’t then it isn’t your fault. Obviously a low level residential injury fraud case isn’t something the police are going to get involved with. That’s why you need an experienced PI.
A good PI knows how to conduct an in-depth investigation in a way which allows all uncovered facts to be used in court. They know the standards and legal restrictions on evidence and work in a manner consistent with those rules. This can protect you from a big payout.
So how do you find someone capable of all this? You look for the three pillars: experience, recognition, and track record. At AEGIS Security & Investigations these are the same three criteria we use when hiring private investigators. We hire PIs with not only a lot of experience, but a wide range of experiences. We want well rounded PIs. We also want to hire people who have name recognition. Their previous employers and clients should remember them and their work in a fond manner. Lastly, they need to have a great track record of success. You’re paying to have the job done right and so it is our duty to only hire PIs who will do exactly that: Get the job done right.