Is Private Investigation Legal?

Hiring a private investigator (PI) or a detective does not inherently violate the law. You can read more about how to hire a PI when you click here. Yes, it is legal, but there are specific actions and conduct that PI can’t engage in, or else, they might cross the line with the law. You can check with one and ensure that they know the laws in a specific state.

There are certain things that you need to know to have a clear idea of what’s legal and illegal. Here are some of them.

Break the Law

There are certain limitations to how pieces of information are obtained. Although there are investigation techniques followed by a lot of detectives. They are not permitted to trespass inside a house, harass a subject, hacking, using bribery, impersonating individuals to obtain records, and other deceitful methods to be successful.

Impersonation of Police or Law Enforcement Officer

It is considered a violation if the PI starts to act as a law enforcement officer when he isn’t one. Knowing this, they should not carry a badge or wear uniforms that show the logo of any government agency. This is very important that they adhere to this rule so that the potential witnesses will not be misled. Similarly. The PI should not attempt to arrest the individuals under the color of the law.

Wiretapping

The federal law in the United States and many parts of the world prohibit wiretapping without the permission of at least one individual in the call. Specifically, there are more than 30 states in the US that say one person should give the thumbs up for the call recording, and there are at least 12 states that say that two individuals must give their consent before the record is considered as legal.

Trespass a Property

There are times when the investigator needs to enter a property for further investigation. But this does not mean that they can enter the person’s property without consent. Some laws prohibit many detectives from doing this kind of job. In some situations, there are written or verbal permission needed before the house can be searched. This is often the case in cases of divorce when both the couple still lives in the same house.

Place GPS Trackers on Vehicles

There are times when tracking is needed, but a device such as a GPS tracker can only be placed if the person being tracked has the knowledge, and he has given the consent. In cases where the husband wants a detective to follow his wife, the latter can only put a GOS if the vehicle that the woman is driving is under the husband’s name. There are times when employers can put on a tracker on their employee’s car as long as the vehicle is company-owned and proper consent has been given.

What Others Think

Some critics think private investigations are invading people’s privacy. There are also depictions in popular cultures such as books and movies that show a different scenario to the audience. What goes on in the film or what one read in the books might not be applicable to real life. There are sites such as https://www.investigativelearning.com that can give you an idea of how detectives do their job. You can learn more about surveillance techniques and the things that you can do in a specific state that don’t violate the law.

What an Investigator CAN Do

A PI can be a tremendous help, especially if you are in a situation where you are looking for a person, you need to conduct security audits, you feel your spouse is cheating, or you need to look for assets. What investigators can do is to gather as much information as they can about an individual.

They can gather details such as phone numbers, addresses, birth dates, social media profiles, social security numbers, and a lot more. The investigator may also uncover inappropriate conduct while monitoring the individual’s activities.

If you are going to court with the pieces of evidence that you will be used against the other person, you should only hire a PI who will get information through lawful methods. The court will not ask too many questions, the pieces of evidence are valid, and the legal process will go smoothly. Contact only the trusted ones and those who have licenses to do the job.