What do Private Investigators Do?
You might have a few ideas of what a private investigator does based off media and public perception. From Magnum PI to the classic Sherlock Holmes, there is a picturesque image of what we do. The truth is, what a private investigator does depends on the private investigator. Each agency, or individual investigator, may have certain services they specialize in.
To give you an idea of what we do at Katella, these are the services we performed the most last year:
Our Top Services in 2021
Locate and Serve Court Documents- Law firms call us with difficult process serving cases. If a subject’s location is unknown, or they have been attempting to avoid service, our team of investigators can quickly locate and serve them.
Locate Investigation- There are a lot of reasons someone might need to locate an individual outside of process serving. We help clients connect with long lost friends, biological family, locate debtors, and more.
Surveillance- Surveillance is a key part of what private investigators do. There are many cases that take us in this direction. We might need surveillance for a domestic investigation, a divorce case, a personal injury case, or even a white collar crime case. The ability to watch a subjects location and activities is one of our greatest tools when it comes to investigation.
Theft Investigation
White Collar Crime Investigation- We receive calls from businesses and organizations dealing with financial crimes or fraud. In 2021, our investigators worked on white collar crime cases involving SEC Embezzlement, Investment Fraud, Internal Theft, Intellectual Property Theft, and defamation.
Supplemental Investigation- A supplemental investigation provides additional information to an ongoing legal suit or internal investigation. In 2021, our team was called in to assist a corporation on an ongoing internal investigation evaluating potential intellectual property theft.
Missing Person Investigation- Missing Persons Investigations require a higher level of urgency than locate investigations, often involving a kidnapped minor, or a critically missing individual.
Locate and Recover Stolen Property- We can help our clients recover stolen property. In 2021, we assisted in recovering multiple stolen vehicles.
Security Investigation- Clients call us with security concerns, such as hacking, stalking, or harassment. We help them evaluate potential risk, and establish security systems to ensure their safety.
Criminal Defense Investigation- We are particularly passionate about working criminal defense cases. In 2021, Our Investigators successfully worked a proven innocence case, saving a client from a 20 year sentence.
What is the workplace like?
As private detectives, our workplace is always changing depending on the case we are working. Some cases require days spent on the computer, conducting OSINT or database research and making phone calls for hours. Other days are spent on surveillance, cooped up in your vehicle for 8-12 hours.
We typically work alone. There are cases where we turn to another investigator to see their perspective, and others where we need a partner for safety.
We don’t work regular hours. For some cases, surveillance needs to be done overnight and people need to be contacted outside of work hours. We often work early mornings, evenings, weekends, or holidays. We do surveillance rain or shine.
What training do PI’s have?
In the State of Georgia, Private Investigators are required to hold a license.
Most Private Investigators learn through experience. We have to be creative with our work, there is no guide on how to conduct an investigation, you have to figure it out. We have found some of the most savvy investigators might lack formal education or police background, but excel in street smarts and interviewing ability. They have learned not to rely on resources, but rather to be resourceful. This mentality keeps us open minded to all evidence on cases, whereas others might discard leads they don’t know how to follow.
At Katella, we developed our skills through years of experience. Our Lead Investigator worked as a Bounty Hunter prior to becoming a Private Investigator. Over the course of a decade, he developed a number of tactics to locate difficult to find subjects. Today, locating subjects is our top service.
Who hires a PI?
Because each firm specializes in difference services, each firm ends up working with different clients. At Katella, we work with General Clients, Businesses, and Law Firms.
In 2021, here’s the breakdown of who hired Katella: