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Q: What
do private investigators do?
A:
Investigation
in both the civil and criminal arena are routinely
conducted by private investigators. Testimony before the United States Congress has indicated
that the private investigation and security industry, nationwide, is three
times larger than law enforcement in both manpower and budget.
Individuals use private investigators in domestic/marital
difficulties, pre-matrimonial background checks on potential dating
partners, or to locate family members or friends.
Attorneys use private investigators to gather evidence, conduct
interviews, assist in case preparation, and testify in court when
necessary. Corporations use
private investigators to address any number of issues, including
pre-employment background checks, employee/customer thefts, product
diversion, copyright infringement, and white collar crime.
Most full-service private investigative agencies have the ability
to investigate criminal defense matters, personal injury cases, product
liability, insurance claims, and to conduct polygraph examinations.
Colonial is a full-service agency capable of assisting you in your
private investigation needs.
Q:
How
do I know when I need to hire a private investigator?
A:
You
can benefit from the services of a private investigator if you can't get
the police, or other law enforcement agencies, to conduct the
investigation for you.
Q:
Is
Colonial Investigations and Security Consultants, Inc., licensed and
insured?
A:
Yes. The State of Florida
requires all private investigators operating within the state to be
licensed. Florida issues a
class ”C” license to fully licensed investigators, a class “CC”
license to investigative interns, and a class “A” license to
investigative agencies. The
State of Florida has issued Colonial a class “A” investigative agency
license. In order for that
license to be issued, Florida demands that the agency provide proof of
insurance.
Q:
Are all individuals presenting themselves as private investigators
licensed?
A:
No. There are more than 6,000
individuals in the State of Florida, licensed to conduct private
investigations. The
requirements to be licensed are rigorous and many individuals that purport
themselves to be private investigators cannot meet the requirements and
are not licensed. These same
individuals are not insured either. Insurance companies require a license before enacting the
required policy. The State of
Florida actively attempts to identify unlicensed private investigative
activity, and sanctions involved individuals to the fullest extent of the
law. Any individual who is
considering the possibility of hiring a private investigator should not
feel uncomfortable asking to see an investigator’s license.
Licensed investigators will have no difficulty alleviating any
concerns you may have.
Q:
Do private investigation agencies guarantee results?
A:
The only guarantees that a
private investigative agency can reasonably offer are:
1.
That the investigator is competent to conduct the investigation you
are requesting, and that he or she will do their best.
2.
That the investigator will keep a detailed log of his or her time
and activities, to explain the billing expenses.
3. That
the investigation will be conducted in a discreet and professional manner.
Q:
Does Colonial conduct investigations for private individuals as well as
attorneys, insurance firms, and corporations?
A:
Yes. Colonial has assisted
individuals in a variety of ways through the use of its investigative
resources. Attorneys from
both the plaintiff and defense perspectives have benefitted from
Colonial’s efforts on behalf of their client.
Insurance companies have used Colonial’s investigators to gather
evidence in support of their suspicion of possibly fraudulent claims.
Q:
What type of domestic related investigations does colonial conduct?
A:
Colonial conducts surveillances in a variety of marital/domestic
situations. One of the more
common requests Colonial receives is to conduct a surveillance when one
partner suspects their spouse of violating their trust.
Colonial can conduct background checks on individuals that you may
consider a pre-matrimonial dating partner.
Q:
Do
most private investigative agencies require payment prior to conducting an
investigation?
A:
Yes.
Most private investigative agencies will require a retainer prior
to initiating an investigation.
Q:
Is
there an average cost for an investigation?
A:
No.
Each investigation is unique and the investigative methods employed
are tailored to meet the needs of the client.
Q:
How
do I go about finding a person who owes me money?
A:
Colonial
is experienced in conducting skip-tracing investigations to locate
individuals, once a judgment has been filed.
Our nationwide database sources search billions of public records.
These computer-generated reports have proven to be very effective
tools in locating debtors. We have additional investigative resources to locate
individuals who are intentionally being hard to find.
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