I Spy With My Little Eye…

Some call them detectives.  Others call them sleuths.  Still others call them gumshoes, private eyes, beagles, flatfoots or skip tracers.  But whatever else they might be called, here in Utah, they’re simply called private investigators.

Whenever lost evidence needs to be found; whenever a forgotten witness needs to be interviewed; whenever a background check needs to be made; whenever a little information might go a long way – all of these occasions call for a private investigator.  These resourceful professionals often prove indispensable in cases with criminal charges, domestic disputes or even personal reassurance.  It is not unheard of for a case to be cracked wide open thanks to the efforts of a private investigator, and there’s probably nothing quite so satisfying as catching someone red-handed.  So how do they do it?

1) Experience

Experience, as they say, teaches, and there are few better educated in the ways of investigation than private investigators.  Most if not all private investigators have had training with law enforcement agencies and police departments, and as such they have had access to all contacts, resources and training that goes with it.  In fact, Utah Law requires that private investigators have at least 2,000 hours of experience doing investigatory work before they will can even be issued a license.  By the time they arrive in the private sector, these wily watchers are more than a match for their counterparts in public agencies.

2) Tools of the Trade

For all the experience a private investigator might have, it does them little good without access to some high-tech gear.  From SIM card readers to GPS tracking devices; from high-powered cameras to microphones – a good private investigator has it all.  Combined with their knowledge of what to look for, these tools help a private investigator to scrape up any evidence that may have been missed or even deliberately overlooked.

3) Legal Protection

While you might think that just anyone can pick up a camera and go follow a given target, you’d be wrong: that’s what those in the business refer to as stalking.  Licensed private investigators, on the other hand, have a special section of the Utah Code set out which grants them the authority to do things other people might not be able to do (Utah Code Chapter 53-9).  For instance, while a private investigator might have the authority to tag someone’s vehicle with a GPS tracking device, an unlicensed civilian could be risking some pretty serious criminal charges for doing the same.  Unsurprisingly, it often improves a private investigator’s effectiveness when they aren’t being chased by the police!

Almost as important as protecting the private investigator, however, the same Utah Code protects their clients.  Confidentiality is key in the world of private investigators, and the results of their work are the property of the client and the client alone.  In fact, if a private investigator was to pass along information they obtained while working for you, they’d actually be guilty of a class A misdemeanor.

When taken together, the experience, tools and legal protection that private investigators both enjoy and provide can be of great benefit to any case – criminal, civil or otherwise.  And though they may not always come cheap – good things cost money! – it is certainly worth consulting with one whenever you think their particular talents might come in handy.

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