I had the pleasure of taking part in the private investigations industry in Ontario, the CPI-O, annual meeting in Toronto last week. It was good to get together and talk shop with others in the industry, as well as a few beers off the clock, and get back to basics.
It was also good to go over some of the issues affecting the industry and talk about our collective qualifications and what it means to hire a professional Private Investigator (PI).
Many people do not think of hiring a PI on a regular basis as private individuals, however, business and law offices regularly will reach out to us to obtain services. While the exact nature of the service can vary as widely as corporate counter-intelligence to infidelity investigations, they all have one primary goal in common....to find needed information.
Regardless of whether you are interested in hiring a PI for any one of the three main lines of investigations: Domestic, Legal Support or Corporate, there are a few rules of thumb which you should look out for to make sure you are getting a professional versus some random guy with a Craigslist account, pretty much regardless of where you are in the world.
First off are the basics of a profession: agency licence, individual licence, insurance and belonging to some sort of professional organization. These requirements are law in most areas, and really ensures you will have at least a basic level of competence as you move forward in the selection process. The licences are obvious signs that they are operating legally, and insurance is usually a requirement of the licencing process, but you should also look at the professional organization. In Canada, it is a requirement to be compliant as an investigative body under the national privacy legislation. In other areas, as well as Canada, they tend to demand adherence to a basic code of ethics and professional standard to give you some piece of mind that your investigator of choice is acting appropriately, even if you aren't aware of the regulations.
Next, you will want to ensure your investigator is open about pricing, plan, the investigator on scene and rough timelines. I'll be honest here, investigations aren't cheap, that's why you never saw Magnum driving a Chevette. Going to a guy who promises dirt cheap investigations but then hides what the final bill is, or is evasive on an estimate, is likely not a good choice. A professional PI will be up front about pricing, should provide you with a clear estimate and advise if there is the potential for cost overruns if things go squirrely, which can happen. They should also be forthcoming about a timeline and plan for the investigation. If they cannot provide this to you with a service agreement to make things legit, you might want to avoid handing over that deposit (which usually is required for service from domestic clients).
Lastly you will want to ask about what your PI can do, how he or she plans on going about it and why they are able to do it. Beware a PI who claims they can do everything or they nod as you ask for them to insert a brain probe in someone's head. There are many things which aren't legal (depending on the jurisdiction/country). Hiring the sort who is willing to do these things is tempting them to just walk with your deposit, leaving you with no real recourse to recover your money...or worse, they will go ahead with it and open you up to third party liability if something goes horribly wrong. Also match up why they are qualified for a particular task. Many of us offer general investigations, which means we dabble in all types, but each of us has a particular skill we excel at. Its not to say that we can't do a particular job, just that you should ask why they can and how they will go about it. They should once again be open and honest.
That about does it for the general aspects of hiring a PI. The big part is, know a bit about the laws in your area and ask questions of your PI of choice. They should answer all your questions clearly, or get back to you soonest if they need to research a more obscure rule. And always make sure they are licenced in some way, and if no licencing exists, that they belong to a professional association.
Blog post is courtesy Elemental Investigations: Private Investigator Edmonton, an Edmonton, Canada based private investigator agency. They can be found online at www.elementalpi.ca
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