The common misconception of a private investigator is someone who sits in their car with binoculars, maybe even a trench coat, and secretly watches individuals go about their daily routine in hopes to catch them in lies or half-truths. I have received many calls in the recent months with many questions regarding surveillance. What a lot of clients don’t realize is that there are many other services a private investigator, like myself, will offer before suggesting any surveillance.

Fortunately, these other services save the client time and money and can better determine if surveillance is even worth it for that particular case. Here are four things to think about before agreeing to any surveillance:

1. Survey the area requested for surveillance

Not every location or address is ideal for surveillance. The last thing an investigator wants is for his subject to be tipped off to a possible surveillance or be noticed by the subject. The goal in observing any individual is to blend in, so no one notices that you are there conducting surveillance, so that you are able to observe natural behavior of the subject.

If the location is on private property, has minimal parking, or is too open of an area where you are unable to blend in, then the surveillance conducted will not yield favorable results.

2. The more information, the better

The investigator needs to know all the information you have on the individual that you would like surveillance conducted for, even if you don’t think it’s important. Many people call and state that they want to conduct surveillance at a particular location to observe an individual, but don’t have enough information on the individual to move forward with the surveillance.

The goal is to have a certain understanding about that individual’s routine. Some information that is extremely helpful is:

• Photo of the Subject –  A MUST! Or a VERY detailed description of the subject.
• Do they drive? If so, what cars do they have? Color of Vehicle? License Plates?
• Do they work? If so, is it from home? If not, what times do they usually work?
• Any specific knowledge of schedule, such as running errands or gym routine
• Any known social media accounts?

If you do not have any of that information, that’s ok. The investigator can always obtain this information related to this individual before they ever go out in the field. However any additional research will typically incur additional costs on top of the surveillance fees.

Social Media Searches, Drivers Abstract, License Plate Checks, Employment Search, Skip Traces and Database Searches are all services that an investigator will utilize first before stepping out in the field.

3. Sometimes there is no activity – investigators cannot guarantee results

An investigator’s job is to utilize all known resources to gather facts and analyze information. Sometimes there is little to no activity while conducting the surveillance. Investigators cannot guarantee that the results you are looking for will actually take place.

For example, let’s say the investigator received previous information from the client on an individual’s regular schedule and knows that they typically leave their house at 8am every morning. The investigator arrives at the surveillance location and begins to observe at 7am. At 8:30am there is still no movement or activity at the property.

Turns out, the individual decided not to go to work that day and never left their house. The investigator will report exactly what was observed while conducting surveillance, thus leaving little to report on.

4. You can use surveillance for a variety of cases

Once the investigator has obtained all of the required preliminary information for an individual, the investigator will then introduce surveillance. Surveillance is extremely useful in many types of cases, such as:

• Insurance defense – to prove If the claimant is in fact injured as claimed
• Matrimonial Cases- Cheating cases, cohabitation cases
• Child Custody- to prove if the parents are following custody agreements
• Trademark infringement – to prove if a company is actively using a logo or policy that infringes another entity
• Criminal Cases – to observe any criminal behavior that is suspected
• General Litigation Matters – as an extra measure of proof to general litigation matters

OTLO has conducted many surveillance cases and can assist you in all investigative needs. Should you have any specific questions related to your case, please call us at 973-867-3070.