6 Surveillance Essentials

At Accurate Investigative Services, surveillance is our specialty.  We do many other things as well, but we are proudest of our consistent ability to get video evidence of WC claimant's fraudulent activities, fraudulent "accident" victims, infidelity, and whatever else we may be hired to capture on film or hard drive.  In the 19 years we have been in business, we have learned a thing or two about what goes into a successful surveillance investigation.  Here are our tips for what an honest and dilligent PI company would offer (in no particular order):

1.They will ask questions - when you (the client) assign a case to an investigator, you may think that you have included all of the relevant information. However, this is not always the case.  A good investigator will be heads up enough to periodically ask you for information that they think you might have that could expedite results.

2. Constant Contact - The investigative vendor should provide you with regular updates as to the status and progress of your investigation.  This may range from a short blurb once a week to a summary of several days of investigation every 10 days or two weeks or so, but rarely should a case go longer than that without you knowing what is happening.  Some of our clients even ask for and receive updates from the field whenever their case is being worked.  It's called customer service.  If an investigative company has had your case and hasn't started working it within a 14 day time frame, chances are they don't consider you a priority and aren't giving your file the attention it needs to get good results.  There are, of course, extenuating circumstances and exceptions to this rule, but they are few.

3. Pre-Surveillance/Background Research - Pre-surveillance research is absolutely crucial to starting an investigation out on the right foot.  A good investigator will be adept at searching internet databases, relevant social networks, both online and physical public records, and any other sources of information that may provide insight into the subject's activities.  In the past we have even sifted through garbage periodically when it was relevant (and legal).  Sometimes a Myspace, Facebook, or Twitter account will be an information goldmine.  Other times a DMV search or even a Google search will provide you with what you need.  As much respect as we may have for the old school stakeout methodology, if your vendor does not do thorough internet research as a prelude to each and every surveillance, they are far behind the times.  Incidentally, at Accurate, we consider this type of research so essential to conducting a good investigation, that we provide it FREE OF CHARGE to our clients.

4. Equipment - Your investigative vendors should have a variety of equipment to meet the needs of different surveillance investigations.  Obviously, all surveillance is not going to be conducted from a car or van.  Sometimes investigators are required to go into bars, nightclubs, businesses, medical offices, etc. in order to obtain video.  In these situations, covert body video equipment is necessary.  A good investigative company will have the capability to conduct surveillance in these kind of off-the-beaten-path locations. Each of our investigators is equipped with several different cameras, both digital and analog - in order for us to meet the needs of our clients, some of whom still require analog videotape evidence.  Once again, an investigator should be equipped to meet your needs. 

5. Availability - Is your investigator able to work weekends, nights, holidays, when it's snowing, on short notice, etc?  Oddly enough, not all investigative companies can answer "Yes" to all of those criteria.  Surveillance is not a 9-5, Mon-Fri job.   It often requires irregular or extended hours, travel out of the area, or re-scheduling to work around any known last-minute changes in the schedule of the subject being watched.  A good investigative firm will be able to adapt to these changing needs.  At Accurate, if one investigator cannot handle a case due to a scheduling conflict we are nearly always able to get another investigator to cover the file, even on short notice. We cover night and weekend shifts regularly, and our investigators are used to adjusting their schedules to fit the needs of their investigation.  Many larger companies schedule their investigators far in advance and are not able to cover shifts on short notice, and that's not the kind of service that yields consistent results.

6. Objectivity - Although the investigator works for you, they should remain as objective as possible.  A good investigator will simply observe and report, without embellishment, opinion, or spin.  This means that even if your wife isn't cheating on you like you think she is,  even if your possibly fraudulent WC claimant is REALLY hurt, they will tell you exactly what they've seen.  This is important, because if a case goes to trial, the moment that a judge or jury gets the sense that the investigator is attempting to skew the results of an investigation in favor of the client, the evidenciary value of the surveillance goes right out the window.  It is not our job to give you the results you want, it is our job to explain to you what we have observed and let you or someone else be the judge.  Integrity is the name of the game.

These are just some guidelines for what you, as a potential client, should look for in an investigative company if you want to assign surveillance that is likely to yield results.  It is also important to keep in mind that the results of surveillance also are affected by a number of unknown factors, such as the personality and whims of the subject who is being watched.  Because of this it is vitally important that the investigator know as much as possible about the subject, and be prepared to employ a variety of effective tactics to observe any potential activity.  In then end however, it is ultimately the investigator's job to keep you apprised of the progress of a surveillance at regular intervals and to make sure that you have an objective and unbiased picture of the subject's activities, whatever they may be.  Keep these things in mind when assigning surveillance, and best of luck!