People are going the do-it-yourself (DIY) route on all kinds of projects these days. Everything from home improvement projects, art projects, fixing appliances and even legal documents such as bankruptcies. However, there remain a number of things it’s just better to leave to the pros instead of trying to DIY – removing a venomous snake from your yard is a good example and so is private investigation. What you don’t know could hurt you, could hurt your case, could invalidate your evidence and could even land you in jail.
DIY Private Investigation: What’s the Worst That Can Happen?
If you do decide to try your hand at DIY PI, there are a range of negative consequences that can result. Let’s take a look at some undesirable outcomes of trying to do your own PI work.
- Your evidence could be dismissed as inadmissible in court – If you are conducting an investigation for a court case, any evidence you collect could be thrown out of court as inadmissible. Most people don’t know the legal requirements for collecting, handling and turning over evidence in a court case. Screw up at any point in the process and the judge could be legally required to dismiss your evidence. PIs are trained to gather, manage and submit evidence according to requirements of the laws in your state to prevent it from being inadmissible.
- You could be arrested – A number of things PIs are certified to do are not legal for ordinary citizens. For example, following someone and gathering video surveillance can get you arrested for harassment, stalking and also possibly trespassing if you follow them onto private property. Recording conversations or gathering recordings of a private conversation is a violation of eavesdropping laws and could also land you in jail, no matter what is on the recording. All states require at least one party participating in the conversation be aware of the recording and many states require that all parties be aware the conversation is being recorded to be legal.
- You could face criminal charges – You don’t have to be arrested to be charged with a crime. Violating any number of federal or state laws intended to protect an individual’s privacy could subject you to criminal charges. A few examples of laws DIY investigators might violate while digging up information on someone include the Fair Credit Reporting Act, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), Computer Fraud and Abuse Act or simply digging up certain kinds of information can be charged under Invasion of Privacy laws. Licensed PIs have legal access to online resources, restricted databases and certain proprietary information that the average citizen does not. Private Investigators also have the necessary experience to know what types of information are legal to gather and use in court and which are not.
Why You Really (Really) Should Hire a PI
The list of reasons why you really (really) should hire a PI is a very long one. Aside from avoiding the negative consequences above, here are a few additional ways hiring a bona fide PI benefit you and your case.
- A PI is a neutral third-party – Many people are deeply emotionally invested in the situation surrounding their case. This creates conflict with any evidence you bring in that is accepted in court and also impacts how much weight the judge can give your testimony. A PI can serve as a neutral third-party for court testimony and evidentiary hearings because they deal only with the facts of the case and no emotion is involved.
- PIs are skilled interviewers – PIs are trained in a variety of interview techniques, lie detection and other skills that make them the ideal professionals to turn to when your case will require associates or other parties be interviewed. And because a PI is not a participant in the case, the people they interview are more likely to provide honest and straightforward information than they would if you were the one asking the questions.
- PIs are legally allowed to access various types of information, records and databases that civilians are not allowed to access – PIs can get to information legally that it would be illegal for you to have or even attempt to access.
- PIs have resources you don’t and might never even be aware of – PIs often have a network of informants, data brokers, independent labs and a vast network of other investigators they can tap into when needed.
- Technology and equipment used by PIs could be unavailable to the general public – In many states, PIs can own and use technology and equipment that ordinary citizens would be prohibited from possessing or at the very least, using for evidence collection.
Private investigation is no Pinterest project. It takes training, skills and certifications/licensing that the average citizen just doesn’t have. Attempting DIY Private Investigation for your case or situation could also land you in some serious trouble. Does hiring a private investigator cost money? Yes. You are paying for all of the skills and access listed above and so much more when you hire a PI. When you look at the long-term costs of the potential negative consequences you could face by trying to do your own PI work, there is no question that hiring a skilled and legally licensed/certified private investigator is money well-spent.
