Your Complete Guide to Hiring a Private Investigator

Rick Roy November 19, 2009
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Rick Roy founded his own private investigation firm, Rix Investigations, in 2005. He started working as a private investigator in the 1980s, and now provides professional investigations and related services to clients throughout mainly the Phoenix, Mesa, Chandler, Scottsdale, Tempe, Gilbert areas of Arizona. Here he discusses the nuts and bolts of his work, from helping businesses catch employee thieves to collecting evidence against cheating spouses.
What is a Private Investigator?
Cloak and dagger stories are only partly true when it comes to private investigators. They actually do a lot more than run around after people, although that is part of the job. They also have access to great databases and can get information about people you would find extremely difficult to get yourself.
Why Hire a Private Investigator?
Private investigators have access to information which other people are not able to obtain, which is why it so often makes sense to hire them. Also, they are professionals with all the experience and equipment needed to uncover the evidence you may require, whether it’s a child custody, homicide or sexual harassment case.
Choosing the Right Private Investigator
When you need a private investigator, you want the right person for the job – someone who is licensed, experienced and has the right equipment to get things done. Making sure the two of you have the right chemistry is also important.
How to Become a Private Investigator
It can take up to 6,000 hours of working in the military or in a law enforcement field, at least in the state of Arizona, before you can become a licensed private investigator. You will also need a myriad of specialized personal qualities, such as resourcefulness and the ability to work under pressure.
Flat Fee-Based Private Investigation Services
When you hire a flat-fee based private investigator, he will quote you a specific price to do the job. There are no hidden extras, and you know you get what you are paying for. It’s all up front from the beginning.
How Private Investigators Conduct Background Checks
Background checks can be conducted for a variety of reasons, but usually the people who are checked are nannies, spouses, employees, employers and tenants. After a check is completed, you can rest assured that you’ve done all you can to ascertain the truth about someone – and that they really are who they say they are.
Hiring a Private Investigator for Spousal Infidelity
It can be incredibly difficult to prove yourself that your spouse is having an affair. A good private investigator can follow him to procure the evidence you need – or to let you know he’s in the clear.
What is Spousal Surveillance?
Whether you need someone to track your spouse’s car, watch whether he’s really in meetings when he says he is’ or keep tabs on who he has lunch with, professional spousal surveillance can do the trick.
Signs Your Spouse May Be Cheating
You may be delusional, or you may be right on the money. Whatever the case, wouldn’t you like to know whether your husband or wife is having an affair behind your back? Some of the signs include unwillingness to answer his cell phone in front of you, or a sudden, unexplained change in sexual habits.
Prenuptial Investigations
When you get ready to tie the knot, wouldn’t you like to be sure that your intended doesn’t already have a wife and five kids – or that he really does work in IT and has a bachelor’s degree? A prenuptial investigation may give you peace of mind before you get hitched.
Sexual Harassment Private Investigations
Many times private investigation agencies are hired by companies to help disprove a sexual harassment allegation. They can track a suspected individual and see if he really has the proclivities of a sexual harasser.
Hiring a Child Custody Private Investigator
Many people hire a private investigator who specializes in child custody either to prepare for a court hearing, or because they are not satisfied with the court’s decision. Some people just want to make sure that their child’s welfare is not in question.
Private Investigators and Missing Persons
A private investigator can be invaluable in helping to locate a missing person, especially in cases where law enforcement officials have failed. Sometimes people disappear intentionally, other times authorities or private investigators come up only with a body.
Private Investigators and Identity Theft
Anyone these days can obtain access to your personal data fairly easily, and thus use your identity to purchase all sorts of things, from electronics to cars. It’s a game where everyone loses, and catching the thief is important.
Hiring a Private Investigator For a Homicide Case
This is another situation where private investigators are called in where law enforcement has failed. However, there are no guarantees: Sometimes these cases, unfortunately, will never be solved.
Settling a Neighbor Dispute With a Private Investigator
Neighbors fight for all sorts of reasons, including property issues, playing of loud music, trespassing, animals and even personal dislike. Sometimes it’s because one neighbor has committed a crime, and the other turns them in. Whatever the case, it’s not always pleasant – and that is where a private investigator can come in and sort things out.
Uncovering Workman’s Compensation and Insurance Fraud
If an employee trips on a wet patch of floor at work and then claims not to be able to walk for the next four years, the court may award him compensation. But what if a private investigator then takes photos of said employee climbing Mt. Everest with the pay-out he managed to get?
What Are Computer Forensics Investigators?
Computer forensics investigators do not just recover lost data, they can follow trails to see why the data got lost and why, and find out if anything untoward has been going on. They can also tell if someone is spying on you using your computer, such as a competitor who wants an unfair business advantage.
What is a Corporate Investigator?
Corporate investigators perform a myriad of tasks, from helping catch an employee-turned-thief to finding out who the boss’s wife is sleeping with. And if someone in the team has turned bad, they can sort out the rotten potato.
How to Hire a Bodyguard
Typically there are two types of bodyguards — overt and covert. What you need depends on your own personal needs and wants. You might need someone with special skills, someone who blends in, someone who stands out from the crowd and acts as a deterrent. It’s all up to you.