Searching for missing people, catching a cheater, looking into corporate espionage, and many other similar circumstances often lead people to call a private investigator. In many investigative situations, surveillance is a common tool that is utilized. Today, we at Kolbach & Associates Investigations would like to share surveillance basics.
Listening Bugs & Devices
Conversations can be recorded as there is consent to the recording by one person in the conversation. If you have a friend who is willing to wear a recording device and talk with the subject, for instance, professionals can record the conversation. In regards to cell phone recording, it’s illegal to wiretap in addition to using apps that secretly record a conversation on your smartphone.
Tracking Gear
There is a legal gray area when it comes to tracking devices. Location data is constantly accrued by smartphone companies. With the debate over invasions of privacy, placing a GPS tracking device on a vehicle to track activities is not always ideal. Ruled that placing a GPS on someone’s vehicle was illegal in the 2011 Supreme Court case, professionals tend to shy away from it. Professionals rely on other more ethical forms of surveillance.
Photography & Video Digital Imaging
Cameras can be used in public. Photography and video recording are the most efficient forms of surveillance. To capture subjects in nearly every public space, most private investigators use high-tech zoom cameras. To monitor activities and provide quite a lot of evidence, these tools help professionals immensely.
Social Media
Because social media posts are deemed as a public space a private investigator can conduct surveillance with this element. When anything is posted on a public forum, it is in fact placed in the same category as talking to someone in a restaurant or library. To a private investigator who is good at using technology, the information, such as the places the person is visiting frequently or finding location information on a posted photo, can be gathered. For future surveillance social media accounts point professionals in the right direction.
What Can’t a Private Investigator Do?
There are some things that private investigators cannot do, though there are broad surveillance abilities that professionals are well-within the legal limits to do. Professionals cannot break the law in any capacity; break into a home or business; impersonate law enforcement; trespass; hack electronics such as emails, social media accounts, and others; as well as video record the interior of people’s homes.
Private Investigations in Sioux Falls, Aberdeen, Brookings, Watertown, Mitchell, Yankton, Pierre, Huron, Spearfish, Vermillion, Brandon & Greater Rapid City, SD
When you search for a private investigator to hire for your case, keep in mind that every PI has gone through a licensing process and are generally committed to following best practices. You can rest assured that all the information, evidence, and documentation is legally attained for use in court and other official proceedings, by the qualified and skilled experts of Kolbach & Associates Investigations. Whether you need surveillance services solely or in part of an investigation, our qualified professionals can get the job done for you efficiently. Contact us today!
