Role Of Modern Private Investigator
A Private Detective or Private Investigator (PI) is a person who conducts investigations, usually for a private citizen, business, or organization. Many Private Investigators work for insurance companies to investigate suspicious insurance claims for that company.
Private Detectives also conduct process serves, background checks, skip tracing, and locating of missing persons. Many agencies across the country specialize in one particular field of expertise.
Private Detectives and Private Investigators often work irregular hours due to of the needs of there case which require them to conduct surveillance and contact people who may or may not be available during normal working hours. Early morning, holiday, evening, and weekend work is common. Most Private Detectives and Private Investigators spend a majority of there time away from their offices conducting interviews or surveillance, but some work in their office most of the day conducting computer searches and making phone calls. Those who have their own agencies and employ other investigators may work primarily in an office and have normal business hours. Sometimes an investigation calls for the investigator to be armed, such as certain bodyguard assignments for corporate or celebrity clients. Detectives and investigators who carry handguns must be licensed by the appropriate authority in most cases to carry a firearm on duty. However, a weapon is not necessary, because the purpose of the work is gathering information and not law enforcement or criminal apprehension.
Most states require that Private Investigators be licensed. A Private Investigator often works long hours, keeping detailed notes and video for reports to supply to there clients and often spend most of there time in the field conducting surveillance related work. Private investigators and private detectives typically have previous experience in other occupations that prepares them for there career as a Private Investigator.
Former law enforcement private investigator officers, military investigators, and government agents, often become Private investigators or private detectives, others from such fields as finance, accounting, commercial credit, investigative reporting, insurance, law, etc. These individuals often can apply their prior work experience in a related investigative specialty and be considered experts in there field.
A background in subjects such as criminal justice and police science can be helpful to anyone interested in Private Detectives and Private Investigators employment. Some corporate investigators have a master's degree in business administration or a law degree, while still others are CPAs.
The majority of States require private investigators and private detectives to be licensed in there state. A growing number of states are enacting mandatory training programs for private detectives and investigators. The Bureau of Security and Investigative Services of the California Department of Consumer Affairs requires private investigators to be 18 years of age or older, have a combination of education in police science, criminal law, or justice and experience equaling 3 years (6,000 hours) of investigative experience, pass a criminal history background check by the California Department of Justice and the FBI (in most States, convicted felons can not be issued a license), and receive a qualifying score on a two-hour written examination covering laws and regulations.
Most private-detective agencies are small, with little room for advancement due to not more than one to three Private Investigators in the Firm. Usually, there are no defined steps or ranks, so advancement takes the form of increases in salary and assignment status. Many detectives and investigators work for detective agencies at the beginning of their careers and, after a few years, start their own Agency after receiving the necessary experience. Corporate and legal investigators may rise to supervisor or manager of the security or investigations department.
A Private Detective or Private Investigator (PI) is a person who conducts investigations, usually for a private citizen, business, or organization. Private Detectives and Private Investigators often work irregular hours due to of the needs of there case which require them to conduct surveillance and contact people who may or may not be available during normal working hours. Most Private Detectives and Private Investigators spend a majority of there time away from their offices conducting interviews or surveillance, but some work in their office most of the day conducting computer searches and making phone calls. Private investigators and private detectives typically have previous experience in other occupations that prepares them for there career as a Private Investigator. The majority of States require private investigators and private detectives to be licensed in there state.