Surveillance, Fees, Plans - FAQs

Surveillance is the method used to discover the truth. It can involve husbands, wives, boyfriends or girlfriends, guardians of our children, etc.. Also referred to as "tailing someone" it is the technique of putting an investigator out in the field who follows a particular subject to document their activities without their knowledge. This is accomplished by recording their activities on videotape or still photographs.

We regularly get calls from people who suspect their spouse or significant others of infidelity. It is nothing to be embarrassed about. What you are seeking is peace of mind and empowerment about something you are not sure of. It is natural to seek out help to determine if your suspicions are real or imagined. We invest a tremendous part of ourselves in relationships. It is natural to want to determine the strength and integrity of that relationship. Each and every inquiry and case is always kept in the strictest of confidence.

If there is no evidence the subject is cheating, you will have gained peace of mind about your relationship. Since our investigations are 100% confidential, you will not have risked sacrificing the relationship if you are wrong

Surveillance is the process of documenting what is going on in the world of an individual. As long as we stay within the law, and we always do, while conducting our investigation. Surveillance by a licensed private investigator is completely legal, once a business-client relationship is established and satisfied with a signed contract. GPS devices are legal as long as you can show us that are a co-owner of the vehicle that you wish to track.

Surveillance is billed on an hourly basis plus mileage and any reasonable expenses. Our rates are comparable to others in our area. As a general rule, in remote areas, the rates are a bit higher because of the mileage rate. Before the case is started, a strategy is established depending on the circumstances and your needs. Once this plan is in place a budget can be established. Investigation services are payable in advance of the work being conducted. Payment can be made by credit card (over the phone if you wish), or by cash, or PayPal.

Planning a surveillance is as important as executing one. The better job we do of designing the surveillance, the more likely it is to be productive and the more cost effective it will be. Because you likely know more about the subject’s behavior, we rely on you to assist us in developing the correct time and place to watch them, etc.. We need you to determine when the subject of our investigation is most likely to be engaged in devious behavior and where we should start the surveillance. If you are not able to discern when with any degree or accuracy, we recommend that you consider when they are not available and we can eliminate those times as a starting point. All these questions and more go into creating an effective surveillance strategy. Finally, the more information you provide prior to surveillance, i.e. vehicle make/model, plate number, work schedule, etc., the less time we need to take to figure all of that out.

The number of investigators used depends on a number of factors. Basic surveillance on an individual being followed from home or an uncomplicated work situation can [usually] be conducted by one investigator. More complicated scenarios, such as following someone from an office building, or airport or hotel, with multiple exits, etc., require an additional agent(s). Other factors in which we may recommend a second agent includes fast and aggressive drivers and extra alert drivers who always watch the rear view mirror. Of course an additional investigator increases the cost of surveillance, and this factor is also taken into consideration in arriving at your budget. For a proper frame of reference, consider the fact that no law enforcement agency would ever conduct surveillance with less than two vehicles despite what we see on television. The more investigators, the less likely the chance of detection.

Once the surveillance plan is in place it is important that you do not do anything to alert the subject of the investigation. Do not change your habits and do not ask too many questions about their activities. Breach of anonymity could put our investigators in danger. In fact, tell no one!

The techniques of tailing someone are an acquired skill that comes with years of experience. When following someone we are constantly weighing two factors against each other. First we want to stay close enough to make sure we do not lose the subject at a traffic light or in heavy traffic. However, we are constantly balancing this against staying so close that we run the risk of being observed by the subject. The art of balancing these two factors in a variety of situations can only be executed well by having experienced investigators to work on the case. In most follow cases a second investigator is preferable or required which allows us to keep safer distances while not minimizing the chance of losing the subject. If we have legal authority on a vehicle we will recommend using a GPS tracker (see our GPS tracker page)(javascript:void(0)).

Our surveillance investigations are 100% confidential. We do everything necessary to insure the covert nature of the investigation. If we ever perceive that the security of the investigation is threatened, we back off and re-evaluate with your input. One important point: Never threaten to hire an investigator to the person you need watched. Never hint that you might hire an investigator. Do nothing out of the ordinary. This will make the subject even more difficult to watch. If you have done this, be sure to tell us ahead of time so we can prepare.

The evidence collected in a domestic surveillance consists of the videotape and/or photographs of the activities. We will produce a surveillance report which details significant activity in writing and is court ready!