Hiring a Private Investigator:
What to Expect

Here at Mate Check PI, we understand that hiring a private investigator may be intimidating for some, evoking emotions of indecisiveness, nervousness, or downright fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of actually knowing the truth, or maybe fear of possible retribution from those whom you’re having investigated.

Instead of letting those fears get the best of you, be assured that, as with all private investigators, and especially Sandra Hope and her investigative team, your identity, personal information and investigative goals will be held in the strictest of confidence.

All you need to do is just relax, take a deep breath, and be assured that your private investigator has the experience and expertise to handle your case, be discreet (ensuring your privacy and safety), and has an established relationship with local law enforcement to ensure that all aspects of the investigation go smoothly—efficiently ensuring that you get the facts you need while preserving your peace of mind.

First of all, let’s briefly go over the various types of private investigators and their respective specialties and then we will go over what to expect once you’ve made the decision to hire a private detective and make contact. After that, we’ll go over what to expect when you hire a private investigator and a few facts about the detective business in general.

Basically, there are four categories of private investigators and they all have their own specialized field of expertise. A private investigator is defined as such: being a person who accepts employment to conduct an investigation for the purpose of obtaining information that may be used for civil or criminal investigative cases.

In other words, a private investigator is a problem solver for hire, a person who is employed to obtain information for a client. PI’s are not just problem solvers however, but truth seekers. PI’s search for facts about people, places, and events. These detectives may investigate a person’s background or try to find missing people as well as investigate crimes and gather evidence while working for individuals or companies. A private investigator’s report may include pictures, audiotapes, and videotapes. Private investigators may also testify in a court of law, relaying to the judge or jury during a trial the facts found during the investigation along with any evidence discovered.

As in the case with Sandra Hope and the Mate Check PI agency, some private detectives are specialists and have a great deal of training in certain types of investigations.

The various specialized fields break down as follows:

• Legal Investigators—these investigators specialize in court cases assisting lawyers in preparation for trial and may also testify about their findings in court. Legal investigators will have a good understanding of both civil and criminal law along with a working knowledge of legal terms.
• Corporate Investigators—these investigators work for large companies conducting internal and external investigations for corporations. Internal investigations are conducted to investigate such activities as employees stealing merchandise, money or improper use of company accounts, and drug use in the work place. External investigations are directed towards people who do not work for the company and typically prevent criminal schemes originating outside the corporation; such as theft of company assets and fraudulent billing of products by suppliers.
• Financial Investigators—these finance detectives are often Certified Public Accountants (CPA’s) and work closely with other accountants as well as investment bankers. Financial investigators search for assets in order to recover damages awarded by the court in cases involving theft or fraud. In other words, not only do financial investigators investigate funds stolen by embezzlers, but they also help the courts by searching an individual’s financial records who has been ordered to pay for “damages,” but tell the court that they cannot pay. A financial investigator will find out the truth.
• In-House Detectives—these private investigators are also known as loss-prevention agents, store detectives, or hotel detectives. These investigators work for banks, retail stores or shopping malls, hotels, and casinos and are responsible for protecting patrons from undesirable individuals, and protecting the assets of their clients by apprehending anyone attempting to steal merchandise or destroy property. In-house detectives may prepare loss-prevention and security reports for management and testify in court against persons they apprehend.
  

Now that we have covered the basics, let’s go over, in more detail, what to expect when you decide to contact a private investigator and the process you may go through as well as what basic information you should have on hand or be prepared to share in order to obtain your investigation goals.

Without exception, private investigators will want their prospective clients to feel safe and have confidence that all contact will be discreet and handled in the strictest of confidence. Therefore, the internet has become a safe neutral ground both for PI’s and prospective clients alike.

Most investigators will have an email or website as well as a business phone where contact can be made discreetly without the possible intimidation of a face-to-face meeting.

However, once contact has been made, a meeting may be arranged (depending on the nature of the investigation) to express client concerns in more detail or to gather further information needed by your investigator to more effectively complete the investigation.

Typically, your first point of contact will be to submit an email or post a request on a prospective private investigator’s website. In this initial contact you will want to express basically what your goals are (is my man cheating, I want to find a missing person, can you do a background check for me, I think my girlfriend has another boyfriend, etc), and what your specific circumstances are.

Next, you will want to leave a way for the private investigator to contact you back, so be sure you leave a phone number, email address, or mailing address and be sure it’s an avenue that is private for you and you alone; in other words, don’t give the PI your home phone number or a shared email address if you’re looking to check on a cheating spouse.

Next, after two-way contact has been made, a phone or face-to-face meeting may be set up where the client’s concerns can be addressed and investigative costs can be gone over as well as if the chosen PI is suited for the job. If not, your investigator will direct you to another private investigator having an expertise (such as Sandra Hope for infidelity cases) for your particular situation.

After a relationship has been established between the client and investigator, and the private investigator’s experience “fits” the case, the PI will then decide whether or not to accept the case. If the case is accepted, the client will most likely have to sign a standard private investigator contract that may include but is not limited to the following:

• Date—the day and date of the agreement between the client and private investigator or agency
• Services—the services that will be provided to the client by the investigator or agency
• Expenses—out-of-pocket expenses the private investigator may incur that will be billed to the client and a dollar amount of what the expenses are not to exceed.
  Retainer or Rate—this will include the amount to be paid at time of signing the agreement and the hourly or flat rate that will be paid to the investigator upon completion of the investigation; also, the hours or flat fee rate that are NOT to be exceeded.
• Written Report—a written result report on the findings of the investigation that will be provided to the client as well as pictures, audio tapes, or videos that may or may not be provided and who will keep the originals if copies are made.
• Confidentiality—this clause is provided because the private investigator may need access to confidential or private information of the client’s and thereby promises not to disclose such information, except where needed in the course of the investigation, as well as not disclose the fact of being hired by the client without proper written consent of the client.
  

Most likely there will be more clauses; however these will be the basic clauses covered in the contract as well as the state that the laws governing the contract will be held in, and an understanding of the agreement and of course the signatures of the two parties—in this case the client and the private investigator or agency hired.

After an agreement has been made, you should be ready to answer a few questions regarding the target of the investigation because a surveillance period will most likely be required (as in the case of a suspected cheating spouse, girlfriend, or boyfriend).

Your private investigator will need to know the following basic information:

• What the subject looks like
• Where the subject works
• Daily activities and patterns
• Places he or she might go
• Where the subject likes to eat or drink
• Driving habits
• What vehicle the subject drives, make, model, and year
• Any other information that would be helpful for the surveillance of the target
  

In general, the more informed your private investigator is about the target of the investigation, the more efficiently and quickly you will get the facts, leading to the truth of the matter in question and your ultimate peace of mind.

On behalf of Sandra Hope and the Mate Check PI staff, we hope this has helped alleviate some of your questions regarding the hiring process of a private investigator. If there are any further questions, please feel free to contact us anytime.

Below is the form for requesting a private investigator.  None of the fields are required, but you need to fill in either your phone or email address so we may contact you. In the best time to contact you field, note the time when we can discreetly contact you without conflict.  ALL INQUIRIES HELD IN THE STRICTEST CONFIDENCE.

Mate Check Private Investigations
Specializing in Domestic Relations Cases
Phone: 1 (480) 391-1010
Toll Free: 1 (866) 640-1010
matecheck@matecheckpi.com

License # 1003408

*Mate Check welcomes same sex and alternative lifestyle cases.

ALL INQUIRIES HELD IN THE STRICTEST CONFIDENCE.