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Private Criminal Investigations

Using a private investigator for criminal investigations is sometimes necessary when caught up in or accused of a crime, whether personally or through business. The usual process of reporting a crime is done through the local police agencies or law enforcement, who are then obliged to start a formal investigation.

Government or State law enforcement agencies are usually the one’s to investigate criminal cases but that has now changed somewhat. It is commonplace for individuals and businesses to hire the services of private investigators to conduct private criminal investigations rather than report a crime to law enforcement; (although there are crimes that by law must be reported).

Using a private investigator's services for criminal investigations can give the victim (a person or entity of whom the crime was committed against) better control. Here are some reasons a private criminal investigator may be hired instead of using the police:

A high profile individual (such as an actor) may want to investigate a crime without the publicity of going to the police. The unfortunate possibility of reporting crimes to police agencies run the risk of being made public in the news – particularly if high profile.

A corporate business wants to investigate a crime internally so as not to harm their public reputation and cause their market share price to drop.

The crime may be too petty for police to commit too many resources to fully investigate it, due to budgets and/or the limited potential of a criminal charge being brought against the criminal once found.

Law enforcement and police do have their restrictions, such as manpower and budgets, and therefore have to prioritize cases on the severity of the crime committed and if it's in the public's interest to fully investigate it. The police are more likely to spend resources investigating a homicide and less likely to spend much time on a petty theft - that’s where using the services of a criminal case private investigator comes in.

Private Criminal Investigation Services

A criminal investigator’s job is one that specializes in solving crimes against an individual or business, with the purpose of bringing those criminals responsible to justice, through the court system. A private investigator that specializes in private criminal investigations is trained to look for clues relating to a case and to gather evidence in accordance with local laws and procedures.

A private investigator that works on criminal investigation cases has to determine from the evidence in hand what crime has been committed and by who. Once the evidence of a crime has been collected, methodically put together and a suspect established - through overwhelming evidence - the private investigator can advise on a course of action. It is not necessary to report the crime to the police, but if serious enough there is a legal obligation to do so.

Crime investigation services carried out by private investigators are paid for by the individual or company that hires them and is not a public service, as with police investigations. The cost of a private investigation relating to crime is usually substantially more than other low-key investigation services.

Types of Private Criminal Investigations

Considering how many laws there are and the potential of breaking one – knowingly or unknowingly – can give you some idea of how many types of crimes there are. These are some of the main crimes a private investigation service can cover:

Theft and fraud investigations

Criminal damage against property

Assault and homicide investigations

Kidnapping investigations

Sex crime investigations

Drug crime investigations

Unsolved crime and cold cases

Criminal defense cases

The Criminal Investigation Process

The standard process for a criminal investigation would start with some form of official complaint from someone. A victim of crime, as they are often known, will usually report some crime against them or their business and make a formal statement or declaration. The next step in the process is for the private criminal investigator to establish in fact that a crime has indeed been committed - according to any legal definition - and to follow a train of evidence. Through investigation, interviews, fingerprinting, etc. evidence is gathered and a suspect is identified.

Usually, once the suspect has been clearly identified an arrest can be made (if the client requests it). Or, if the crime is serious enough - by law or by conscience - the evidence will be passed on to the police. The next part of the criminal process is of course, court proceedings. All evidence - legally obtained and properly documented - is presented to a court of law where a judicial decision is made.

The Methods of Criminal Investigation

A private investigator working on a criminal case will understand the methods of investigating crime that complies with local and State laws. Some of these methods of investigating crime are the following:

Interviews - interviewing suspects and witnesses
Crime scene - taking photos, fingerprinting, etc.
Surveillance - following suspects
Background checks - checking personal details of suspects and witnesses
Document searches - sifting through court records, company documents, etc. for evidence

Hiring a private investigator for private criminal investigations is beneficial to anyone who has been a victim of a crime, or accused of one they haven’t done. Expecting the police to fully investigate a crime is not always the wisest choice (as explained earlier). If you want to hire a private investigator for a criminal defense case, search our directory.

Private Criminal Investigations

Private Criminal Investigation Services

Types of Private Criminal Investigations

The Criminal Investigation Process

The Methods of Criminal Investigation

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