A private investigator is a person who conducts investigative inquiry for a fee. They may either work as an employee on behalf of someone else, or they may be self-employed. A private investigator can uncover facts that other investigators cannot and funny reasons to be arrested, such as being able to track people down when the authorities are unable to do so.
The pros and cons of using a private investigator will depend on what you need the PI to do and what your budget allows.
Pros are:
1. Access to information that is unavailable to others. A private investigator can get access to information that other investigators cannot. Private investigators are not limited by bureaucratic rules and regulations in the same way that official investigators are, and can therefore access a wider range of information resources.
2. They work for you, not for the government or police. Private detectives have fewer legal restrictions placed on them than do law enforcement officers and are able to work faster since they don’t have the red tape or politics associated with government agencies.
3. Professionalism is usually high, due to the independent nature of most private investigators and their firms. Private investigators are on their own and are not part of any government agency, so they can focus on what is most important to them — finding the information you need.
4. More cost-effective, in some situations. A private investigator can usually work faster than a police agency can due to fewer legal restrictions and red tape. In addition, they have more extensive contacts with other agencies, corporations and individuals that will allow them to find information that the average person would never be able to locate or uncover on their own.
5. Better guarantee of confidentiality. Private investigators generally have a better guarantee of confidentiality than law-enforcement agencies. Many private investigators do not report information to law enforcement agencies, or do so only in the most serious or complex cases.
Cons are:
1. May lack proper training, some areas of expertise or experience. Some private investigators lack the necessary expertise in certain areas, such as computer forensics and other highly specialized areas of investigation. In addition, investigative methods and techniques can change over time as technology advances, so someone who was good at their work 10 years ago may not be up-to-date now.
2. Liability concerns. Private investigators are not protected by the same laws that protect law-enforcement officers and government agencies. They are responsible for their own actions, and if they act negligently, they will be liable for damages.
3. They may charge you more than a law-enforcement agency would. The cost of a private investigator is generally higher than it is for a law-enforcement officer or other governmental entity due to the fee structure of most private investigators, as well as additional fees that can be charged by the client if necessary.
4. You may not know what they have or have not done for you. Private investigators don’t work for you and therefore may not be as motivated as someone on their own team. Due to your lack of control, you won’t always know how much time they are spending on your case or where they are getting their information from.
5. You cannot control the quality of information gathered by a private investigator since it is usually provided at the personal discretion of that person. Additionally, there is no guarantee that what was obtained will be helpful to your case or situation, so it is important to verify any information provided by a private investigator before acting on it.
6. It may be difficult to get a good deal if there is bad information. Some private investigators will charge you as much as possible for the job, regardless of its value to you, and then let insufficient information slip through the cracks. A good investigator can often find out what you need in a more economical manner than an official agency, but that does not mean that they should do so.
7. You have no control over their actions when working for you, and therefore cannot hold them responsible for their actions or the quality of their work.
8. They may have an interest in placing blame on someone else, such as your ex-spouse or employer. You cannot control what information a private investigator will give you, as this is at their own discretion. If you feel that the private investigator is working for your spouse, ex-spouse or employer, they may use the information they gather in a way that puts blame on someone else.
In conclusion, it is important to consider all the pros and cons of using a private detective before hiring one to work for you. While it can be easier to get information from a more independent private investigator with fewer legal restrictions than from an official investigator, this does not mean that all private investigators are good. It is also important to always verify any information provided by your private detectives before acting on it.
