Government Records

We recently told you about a private investigator who posed as a law enforcement officer in the course of his work. Here's a question we get often and a brief answer:

Do Private Investigators have access to government records?

Having a private investigator’s license does allow you access to several proprietary databases that are not available to the general public. These include data aggregators such as:

www.IRBsearch.com

www.TracersInfo.com

www.Merlindata.com

www.LocatePlus.com

www.ChoicePoint.com

www.Intelius.com

Private Investigator Ethics

There are things a Private Investigator is allowed to do that citizens are not allowed to do. However, a PI cannot hold himself out to be something he is not, such as a police officer, judge, or parole officer. In a recent case, a Sacramento private investigator was seeking information in a child custody case and used old pieces of identification from his previous job as a parole officer to obtain such information. He reportedly covered the portion of his identification that stated it was no longer valid to trick his informants. He now faces misdemeanor charges for impersonating a peace officer.

Read the full story at the Sacramento Bee

How to Hire a P.I.

Ask friends and family members if they've ever hired a private investigator. Ask only people you trust to keep your inquiry to themselves, especially if the matter is sensitive.

Search online for private investigators in your area. Search for investigators who handle the specific type of investigation you'd like done, such as missing persons searches, crime scene investigation, bounty hunting or surveillance work.

Visit the website of the private investigators you're considering, and contact them directly. Find out what credentials they have, such as education, experience and clientele. Obtain testimonials and references.

Ask the investigator detailed questions about his background, why he became a private investigator and what types of cases he handles. A good private investigator will answer these questions willingly and will most likely be happy to provide you with details about his training, background, qualifications and cases. Remember that they can only share limited information about their clients' cases.

Source: eHow