There are some skills that can not be taught for someone to become a successful Professional Private Investigator. These skills can be honed, improved upon, yet there are a few skills that successful private investigators must possess before they begin their training. 

• Being alert at all times - Being alert to potentially dangerous situations is one aspect, more importantly, it is being alert to situations, body language, what is said, and what is not said while conducting an investigation. Some refer to this as being "quick of mind", or "sharp" or "intuitive". Successful private investigators have the ability to know when something is not quite right... there is something missing. It may be how a suspect phrases an answer to a question, how they gaze in a different direction when answering, or looking at a crime scene and thinking, "Hmmm...something is wrong here". Sensing, or being alert to these indicators is one of the traits that is successful investigators possess. 
• Creative - Creativity is needed in investigations whether gathering facts that are elusive, finding additional ways to get to the truth when obstacles appear in the investigation, or utilizing varying approaches during an interview with a cunning suspect. Private investigators have to be creative in how they approach an investigation, being able to implement a new approach quickly when the one they are trying does not appear to be effective. Although there are several common tenets on how to approach and conduct an investigation, creativity is one of those skills that help an investigator reach a conclusion quickly. 
• Analytical Mindset - Gathering, reviewing, verifying facts requires a mental ability to think logically, analyze all the information that is gathered to find the truth in an investigation. In any investigation there is often a lot of information that has to be analyzed. Successful private investigators logically analyze the information they gather to determine what is relevant and what is not. Successful private investigators know what is 'noise' in their investigation, information that is not relevant, so they can focus their time and effort on what is important." 
• Honesty/Integrity - We include courses on ethics in our training and emphasize the importance of being honest and ethical. We identify the boundaries of what is ethical behavior and what is not ethical behavior. Although this training is important, it is only a reminder to those that already possess them. Honesty/integrity is learned from an early age that is the moral compass that guides us in everyday life. Consider that being honest in carrying out investigative responsibilities is a behavior versus a teachable skill. Facing the challenges, challenges to your honesty and integrity, in the right way requires a mind-set that is just not teachable, rather it is a commitment that does not require thinking about. Consistently successful private investigators are honest in all of their dealings. They find it easy to maintain their honesty and integrity where others may see it as a difficulty. 

It is these skills that stand successful private investigators apart from the other, less successful investigators. Education can help improve these skills, but, from our observations, what we've listed must be in place to become a successful, Professional Private Investigator. 

Private investigations are often challenging, complex -- that's the primary reason clients employ a private investigator. Chances are you've heard, maybe even used the idiom, "Going down the rabbit hole" which refers to taking routes that are problematic, often following leads that are not specifically related an investigation. Starting out I experienced this problem first hand. After completing several interviews in a simple assault case, I had a long list of additional "leads" to follow. What should have been a simple, quick investigation, quickly expanded to include several actions. When asked by my supervisor about the status of the case. I shared the information I collected and how I was diligently following several "leads" such as; "Did the combatants know each other?", "Exactly what time did it occur", among others. Patiently my supervisor worked with me so I would understand the concept of going down the rabbit hole and how to avoid it. 

First, to avoid investigative rabbit holes, it is important to identify specific questions that need to be answered. In my previous example, the questions were simple; "Did an assault occur?" and "Who was the aggressor?" By focusing on answering just one or two questions other issues that are raised are often moot such as exactly what time did the incident occur. Whether it happened at 11:00 or 11:15 was not relevant, rather did it happen. 

Second, as a private investigator the scope statement that is developed with the client is the best guide for the investigation. If during an interview additional information about other incidents arise, they can be referred back to the client while the investigator focuses on the initial scope statement. This is critical to meeting the contractual obligations as well as ensuring the investigation stays focused.

Third, identifying the relevancy of facts collected, which can be a combination of one and two above, will help avoid going astray during an investigation. A lot of facts are collected during any investigation. Several of the facts may not be directly relevant to the incident being investigated. Gather facts as they are found during an investigation but when nearing the end of the investigation focus on relevant facts to ensure the investigation is accurate and that others will have a clear understanding of what actually occurred. One of our favorite examples used to teach report writing is a statement that a private investigator put in a report about an internal employee theft case. "Witness 1 stated that they had noticed that the suspect often coughed a lot which disturbed others in the office." This statement had no relevancy in the case but the investigator decided to include it in the report. 

Professional private investigators know the importance of keeping their investigations focused on the specific questions need to be answered, staying within the scope of the investigation and sorting the facts as to their relevancy to the specific incident. Being a private investigator requires being cognizant of the time spent, focusing on the scope of the investigation to ensure that the investigation is profitable. (This does not imply that investigators should short-cut an investigation - rather focus on the incident at hand). 

The investigative report is one of the primary deliverable's that private investigator provides to their client. From a report personnel actions, criminal actions, and/or civil actions may be started. In some cases, the report may serve as protection when claims are made against the investigator. Following are some tips, as a refresher for the experienced private investigator, and for those just starting out in private investigations. 

• Just the facts!!!! - This can not be emphasized enough. When writing a report every sentence must be factual. Don't make assumptions, don't provide unsubstantiated information. For example; "It appears John took the money because he was the only one in the room when it was taken." Rather, "John was the only individual that entered the room from the time the money was left until it was discovered missing." Making assumptions in a written report could be taken as a fact by the client and reflect badly on the investigator. 
• Use names, not identifiers - Some investigators use, "Suspect #1" or "Victim". A common practice in police reports. Use the individuals name and if needed for clarity, include an identifier after the name, "John Doe, (Suspect)". This method reduces confusion for the reader who may not remember who the person is. 
• Use quotations when quoting someone - It is important to share the exact quote when relating information to the reader. For example; Jane Doe, (Witness), stated, "I saw William put the money in his pocket then leave the room." Include exactly what they said. Ask them to repeat it if needed. The statement they made is the fact. Using quotations, and exact statements made by an individual ensures you are accurately recording the information. Believe it or not, some people change their statements later:-)
• Use chronological order narrative - Using the chronological order method when writing the narrative will help your client understand the results of the investigation. Some investigators write a brief summary of the investigation that is also helpful for the client. 
• Use diagrams when appropriate - Use simple, hand-drawn diagrams as a way to ensure the reader can understand an incident. Include the locations of witnesses, suspects, and evidence. It only takes a few minutes to draw out a diagram with notes, but it will greatly improve the understanding of others that will be reading the report. 
• Use a table of contents - If the report is lengthy, includes several pages, consider using a table of contents to note the page numbers of information. It will make it easier for the reader to navigate, find information in the report. Using the table also allows you to organize a lot of information by creating sections for written statements, photo's, etc. 
• Footnotes - Using footnotes is a great way to support statements with facts. You can include page numbers that reference where the fact came from supporting the sentence, and to share information. Not every sentence has to have one, but for critical pieces of information having a footnote is a great way to demonstrate that the sentence written is based on a fact or you can share a quick note about the sentence, "Based on the statement by Jane Doe, (Witness), Investigator asked William James, (Suspect), if he took the money." This note demonstrates why the investigator asked a specific question.
• Avoid "flowery" statements - I read one investigator's report that had this sentence, "Based on my extensive experience, over 10 years in investigations, I deduced that Bill and Jane were the only possible suspects." Bill and Jane were the only possible suspects based on video surveillance and witness statements. Sentence would have been better to reflect that information - - the facts. These type sentences don't provide much in the way of support for the investigation and may be misinterpreted by the reader. 
• Concise reports - One experienced investigator shared that when writing a report, "Less is better. It ensures you are only including facts." It is important to note that being concise does not mean leaving out important information, but only include information specific to the case. Secondary information, such as; "Investigator drove to the incident location to conduct interviews," is not specifically relevant to the case report and only creates "noise" in the narrative. Your investigative notes will cover information that may not be directly relevant to the case, but were important at the time of the investigation or may be more appropriately included in your services billing statement.  
• Proofread, proofread, proofread - We can't emphasize this enough. Minor errors in grammar, spelling, can reflect poorly on the investigator's work. Whenever possible you should write the first draft, then proofread it. Allow a day or two between the first draft and the second or third proofreading. This gives you the opportunity to think about the written report, recall information that may be missing from your first draft. 

Overall, private investigators should include only facts about the case in their written report. This is important for the client and for protecting the investigator in the event there is a challenge to the report later on. If you only include the facts, then it is hard for the report to be disputed. 

Effective interviewing requires a lot of work. Laying the foundation for rapport, closely monitoring body language, and controlling the interview. (Click here for the basics of interviewing) Monitoring and controlling the tempo of the interview is an additional technique that effective private investigators use to increase the amount and the quality of the information they obtain from the interviewee. 

For the purposes of this article, tempo refers to two primary aspects; the emotional state of both the investigator and the interviewee, and speed of the interview, primarily through the speed in which questions are asked. 

Emotional State refers to the emotional state of the both participants -- interviewer and interviewee. Private investigators may feign various emotions at various times during an interview to invoke a response from the interviewee. They may feign lack of interest, anger, and/or empathy during an interview to further a sense of trust or illicit a response from the other. The emotional state of the interviewee during the interviewee also impacts the results. Individuals that are angry, or emotionally upset, may be less likely to impart truthful information, not that they are trying to mislead, but their emotions control their verbal responses. Depending on the incident, emotions may vary from fear, to happiness. 

Speed of the interview refers to how quickly or slowly the private investigator moves through the line of questioning, or the speed in which they guide the interviewee in to responding to questions. Sometimes a line of quick questions, not rapid-fire, may evoke an outburst or emotional response. Consider the private investigator that pauses frequently, slows down in asking questions. Depending on the interviewee's emotional state, this may increase or decrease stress which can aid in gathering important information. 

Technique
Let's start with a disclaimer - The following techniques are provided as a brief overview, not a course. Be careful in utilizing techniques that follow without proper training and then guidance from a skilled investigator. 

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As Private Investigations is a business that relies on making money to be successful, it is easy for a Private Investigator to fall into traps, primarily, failing to adequately evaluate a case before accepting it. Private investigators, when deciding whether to take a case, or not, must carefully weigh their decision before proceeding. 

• Why would a private investigator not take a case? There are many reasons why a private investigator would not take a case: 
  • Lack of expertise in the specific case being presented - Not all investigators have the necessary skills, abilities, and knowledge to take on all cases. Some obvious areas might be computer intrusion investigations. This is a highly technical field requiring not only specific knowledge but often software and/or equipment. 
  • Inability to meet client demands - Some client's may have unrealistic expectations as to the timeline required to complete the case, expectations of how evidence might be collected, or other reasons that may place the investigation out of reach of the investigator. Some of these expectations may violate state and federal laws. 
  • Current case load may also be a determining factor - A firm with several active cases may not be able to take on another case. Investigators have to carefully review their current load and determine if they have are able to absorb another case.  

From observation and experience there are some pitfalls that private investigators have to work hard to avoid. The opportunity to increase the bottom line can result in negative consequences if not carefully considered. 

• Damage to reputation - The worse situation is where an investigator is not able to effectively investigate a case for a client based on the reasons above. This is disastrous. One failed investigation can result in a dramatic loss of revenue for an investigative firm. Word-of-mouth can reduce business opportunities for the firm. With the use of social media, one dissatisfied client can severely impact business opportunities for the firm, short and long term. Protecting the firm's reputation is critical to ongoing business success.
• Loss of revenue - Often when taking on a case where the investigator does not have the necessary skills or experience the bottom line can be greatly impacted. Additional costs to get the job done right quickly add up. Hiring additional investigators, or technicians, even having to purchase additional equipment endangers the profitability of an investigation. 
• Poorly executed investigation - Being unable to devote the necessary time, or expertise can result in an investigation that is not helpful to the client, or even worse, fail to the point that the client may incur liabilities. This not only fails the client, but damages the reputation of the firm, and possibly allowing violators to go unpunished. 

When deciding to take a case, investigators should consider the T.A.S.K.E.R. thought process...

• Time - the time required to complete the investigation based on the scope provided by the client. Time must be considered in comparison to existing workload, and staffing to effectively meet the client's timeline. 
• Abilities - Considering the abilities of the firm in meeting the clients expectations is critical. Short deadlines, and/or unrealistic expectations of the client great decreases the ability of the firm to complete the investigation in a satisfactory manner.  
• Skills - Toughest part of any decision is admitting to a client that the firm does not possess the necessary skills to complete an investigation. Having an inventory of colleagues with the necessary specialties can go a long way to off-setting the challenges in meeting a clients expectations. 
• Knowledge - Some investigations require a specific knowledge base. Employment investigations, internal employee investigations, all have specific rules and laws that need to be followed. Without the necessary knowledge, a lot of time, not to mention the case, can be lost. Experience is something we also throw in to this category. Having experience in a specific investigation is critical to being successful.
• Equipment - There are times when purchasing special equipment from GPS, surveillance camera's, computer processing software, etc, have to be made to allow the firm to expand their service offerings. Considering the initial investment in equipment to complete the investigation has to be compared to the potential return. In addition, impacts on the timeline of the investigation will have to be carefully considered from purchasing, learning how to use the equipment, as well as gaining the required knowledge in it's proper operation and use.  
• Risk - Overall, an investigator has to weigh the risks of financial impacts, and potential risks to the firms reputation when deciding to take a case. Considering the aspects mentioned above will allow the firm to make a better decision when deciding whether to take a case. One investigator shared, "If I have concerns about the investigation that make pause on making a decision for more than 24 hours I pass on it [investigation]. I will try to help the client find a firm to assist them." 

There are other obvious reasons not to take on a case such as;  the clients' motivation may not be ethical, the investigation can not be successful, or the investigator realizes the client will be difficult to work with in completing the investigation. Although there may be a missed opportunity for financial gain, when the risks are present, understand that long-term business opportunities can be negatively impacted, potentially threatening the existence of the firm. 

The ProPI Academy 2019 Blog Book is here and available for download for FREE!!!!

The blog book is a collection of academy blog posts in PDF or Ebook formats for easier reference. 

When working on a criminal case, or an individual suspected of violating company policy you need to prepare in advance for conducting an interview, or follow-up interview, and identify a strategy to confront the suspect with their actions. Following are a few suggestions in preparing to confront a suspect. 

Preparing in advance can help you during the interview or interrogation process.

• Start by gathering the facts that point to your suspect. Have them in the order they happen. Sometimes creating a timeline with notes as to what evidence supports each fact is great place to start. This will allow you to focus your interview/interrogation to gain additional insights into each fact. 
• Learn about the suspect. Talk with the client to gain additional information about their habits, possible personal issues they may be facing, and ask if there have been any noted changes in their behavior since the incident before you meet with the suspect. 
• Identify any legal requirements, or policy requirements that may include notifications you must give to the suspect at the beginning of your interview/interrogation. These may include policy notifications, depending on the client, that require them to cooperate with an administrative investigation. 
• Develop your question list in the order you want to begin. Starting slowly with open-ended questions, then working up to more specific questions is one technique that works for most situations. For example; "Tell me about what you did yesterday from about 9:00 am to 11:00 am?" Then getting more specific, "At 9:15 am you said you were in Jane's office. Why did you go in her office while she was gone?", "What were you carrying when you left her office?" 

Starting the interview/interrogation: 

• For safety you should have a second investigator with you in the event the suspect becomes violent. Also, having a second investigator will allow one to focus on questioning, monitoring body language while the second investigator focuses on taking notes. 
• Continuing with safety, arrange the meeting location so you have a direct route to the exit. 
• Always start by developing rapport, even if you have interviewed the suspect before. Your goal is to get them comfortable at in talking to you. This increases the chance that they will open up to you as the questioning progresses. Starting off in an aggressive manner often results in resistance from the suspect. One investigator shared with us, "I get more confessions with sugar than I do with salt." 
• When appropriate, be empathetic with the suspect during questioning. Being empathetic furthers their their trust in you and they may be more likely to open up about the incident. If you are aware of personal issues, such as financial problems, drug use, etc, you may want to emphasize with them during the interview with verbal "clues". "We know you are facing some financial issues. Facing financial issues is stressful, makes me feel trapped." (Notice the change the use of "me" in the second sentence)
• TIP: One private investigator uses a technique he calls, "mental braking". After the interview has progressed for awhile he will intentionally sit back in a relaxed manner, and ask the suspect, "What are you thinking right now?", to slow the interview -- "slowly apply the brakes". Depending on the suspect's response, the investigator will ask further questions. For example; if the suspect says, "I'm thinking that you suspect me." The investigator says he always responds with, "Why is that? What makes you think that?"

During the interview/interrogation: 

• Address contradictions in the suspect's statements.
• Practice active listening. Use your body language to let them know you are listening. One technique is to mirror their body posture. If they are leaning back then do the same. 
• Be alert to their body language. Hands touching their face repeatedly, breaking eye contact, etc. These signs can help guide you on your questioning in changing from a casual approach to a more pointed approach. 

Closing the interview/interrogation: 

• Some experienced investigators, when concluding the interview with or without a confession, will ask the suspect to write a statement about the incident, even if they have already written one. One investigator shared, that in her experience, the suspect that was involved often will refuse to write a statement, but cautions that this is not a sign of guilt in all cases. It often allows her to continue the interview with more discussion. 
• Near the end of the interview/interrogation, if the suspect has not confessed, you can decide if you will confront them with some or all of the evidence you have. Being empathetic, if the suspect has been generally cooperative, may help solicit a confession. "Unfortunately, I don't believe you. I have witnesses, and video evidence that shows you at the scene when the incident occurred. I can understand that you are under a lot of stress right now with everything that is going on in your life. Stress clouds my thinking. It would help me if you could explain how that happened if you weren't the one?" 

These are just a few ideas, or tips. How you implement them will depend on your specific case, the evidence you have, reactions of your suspect, and your personal preference in conducting interviews or interrogations. 

No industry is free from individuals that choose to do the wrong thing from time-to-time and this applies to private investigators as well. Unfortunately, there are those limited few that bring discredit to our profession and it often reflects badly on all of us. 

Ethical, professional private investigators are always alert to conduct that may breach or violate ethical professional standards. Here is a simple decision making method to determine if your conduct during an investigation is ethical. This method is extremely important when the decision is not clear. 

1. Is the action(s) a violation of any local, state, or federal law? If yes then STOP. If no, continue to the next item. 
2. Will the action(s) if taken negate being presented in court? If yes then STOP. If no, continue to the next item. 
3. Is the action(s) considered immoral, unjust, or otherwise a questionably practice? If yes then STOP. If no, continue to the next item. 
4. Are the action(s) contradictory to professional private investigative standards? If yes then STOP, if no then continue to the next item. 
5. Will completing the action(s) make you, your investigators or client feel uncomfortable? If yes, then STOP, if no then continue to the next item. 
6. Will the action(s), if known to others, put your company at risk of obtaining additional business? If yes then STOP, if no then continue to the next item. 

If you answer Yes to any of the questions above then you should not take that action. If you can answer No to all of these questions, there is a great chance that others will not question your conduct.

One question that often comes up from students, "Is there any situation where violating ethics acceptable, maybe more ethical?" This is a tricky question as it seems to imply the private investigator is conducting an unethical act when they learn something that is of such great importance to reveal that it would make the unethical act ethical. Our answer, considering the context of the question, is No - we are not aware of any "excuse" to make unethical conduct ethical. Otherwise the action(s) would be ethical at the time.

The biggest risk a private investigator takes when deciding to pursue an unethical or questionable action in their investigation is the harm that may be done to a client. This is unethical behavior aside from the action - creating risk for the client.​ 

​It's unfortunate that a few investigators decide to continue moving in the wrong direction when they know better, or are just not sure. When they do, and get caught, this reflects badly on them and badly on the private investigator profession. Any time the action is questionable, you are not sure if the answer is Yes or No, the best course of action is to find an alternative approach or discuss with legal counsel, or other trusted colleagues in your profession. 

For fun, watch New York Private Investigator, Michael McKeever, by clicking here, Fact-Check some private investigator movies. 
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Some investigations into incidents, criminal or surveillance activity can be difficult to convey to your client in a written report. Establishing a clear timeline in chronological order can greatly assist in sharing information with your client they can understand. Here are a few timeline format ideas to help in your next investigation: 
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• Straight Timeline - This is a timeline where the action from one moment to the next or is one step to another. For example; a customer is injured by slipping on a wet a floor. The timeline will start with the causal action, water on the floor and continue through the incident and response. 

​Slip & Fall Jones Retail Store

• 10:15 am - Employee begins mopping floor immediately in front of the entrance/exit door. 
• 10:20 am - Employee is called to the front desk by a customer for assistance. 
• 10:25 am - Customer pays for items then walks to entrance/exit door stepping on the wet floor and claims to have fallen. 
• 10:28 am - Employee returns to entrance/exit area and finds customer sitting on the floor near the wet surface. 
• 10:38 am - Emergency medical technicians arrive and transport customer. 
• 10: 45 am - Employee calls manager who is at the main office and notifies her of the fall. 
• The straight timeline provides the reader with a 'step-by-step' list of actions based on the approximate time they occurred. 

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• Parallel Timeline - Some incidents have two or more action timelines that may run parallel to each other. These are multiple actions that are happening at the same time. The best format is to create columns to track the multiple actions and follow the straight timeline method for each column. For example; a fight breaks out on a property between employees. There is the action of the fight participants that engage in the fight. The investigation also determines the action(s) of the on-site security officer who is working in another area when it occurs. The first column begins with documenting the actions of the fight participants while the second column starts at the time the security officer was notified, then his/her actions in responding to the incident from another location. Following is an example: 

The parallel timeline clearly demonstrates the two actions as they occur. From the timeline it is easy to see the security officer responded as quickly as possible, as well as, the manager notified the security officer in a timely manner. 

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Timelines are a great tool to clearly demonstrate, document the results of the facts gathered, making it easy for others to understand what and when something occurred. As a private investigator gathering facts it is important to provide them to the client in a format they can understand, almost visualize what occurred. 

There's nothing more rewarding than conducting an interview of a suspect and getting a confession, or completing an eye witness interview that clearly identifies the suspect. But wait, your work is not done. 

Even when an interview is completed, the information you are searching for has been obtained, you must verify the information to ensure it is factual, then document it in the report for your client. 

Why is it important to verify the facts when you get a confession or eye witness accounts? Because the suspect may change their story, or if court is in the future, they simply plea the fifth amendment and do not testify. Witnesses disappear, they move away or over time their memory recall becomes fuzzy. Also, a defense attorney may seek to poke holes in the information you gained through interviews by pointing out you did not verify information leaving doubt in the mind of the judge or jury. 

Following is a simple checklist to verify information from a confession or eye witness statements: 

• Identify timelines - Was the suspect at the location when they committed the crime? Was the eye witness accounted for at the scene? Were there others that saw them immediately prior or at the time. Creating a timeline that shows the movement of the suspect, and locations of the witnesses is one method for verifying information collected during an interview. 
• Verify descriptions - Verify the clothing worn by the suspect in comparison to the witness statements. Video surveillance immediately prior to the incident, e.g. suspect entering the store, that shows the clothing worn matches the description given by the witness. Look for others that match the clothing and physical description. 
• Time cards (employee's) - Whether the suspect is an employee, or the witness, simply asking the client to verify that either, or both, were working that day is another verification method. Having this information in the report supports they were at the site when the incident occurred. 
• Follow the property - If property is involved, whether altering time records, or items stolen, follow the property in the next step in the timeline. A suspect says they gave the items to a friend? Talk to the friend to see if they received the items. Of course you want to try and recover them as well. Ask the client to conduct an inventory where appropriate to verify the item(s) are missing. 
• Identify & Interview "supporting" witnesses - As a part of the timeline, conducting follow-up interviews with supporting witnesses that can verify the location of other witnesses, or the suspect. Supporting witnesses provide information about the presence and/or disappearance of items are critical as well. For example; Supporting witness observed the eye witness and the suspect enter the area where the incident occurred are great ways to verify statements of both. 
• Identify & Interview "informative" witnesses - Primarily in incidents involving employees, it is important to gain information about processes and procedures. For example; employees are not allowed to take items from the store. Interview a human resources representative, or manager to verify that this is a prohibited act. Other informative witnesses may include inventory clerks, or others with information that supports the incident did in fact occur, even if they were not at the scene at the time it occurred. One PI said he makes a point to interview custodial staff. They often move around the workplace without anyone paying much attention. They often are great sources of informative or supporting witness information. 

Verifying each piece of information provided by suspects and witnesses will ensure that your case is complete and accurate. Any discrepancies should be investigated further until there is no doubt. This will help maintain the integrity of your case in the event memories of witnesses fade, or the suspect refuses to talk anymore.