Many times, a client may hire a private investigator to do a dark, dirty and illegal task for them. This can be due to the image of investigators that is portrayed online, one of lawlessness, recklessness and secrecy. Well, breaking news, a professional private detective cannot and will not break the law for someone just to get the information they need which is why it is so important for private investigators to build an understanding with their client. This is how.
What Can And Cannot A Private Investigator Do?
There are many laws that an investigator cannot break under any circumstances such as video and audio surveillance laws, phone tracking, access of medical records, using a GPS tracker and obtaining phone and text records. The laws differ from state to state but it is a general law that a private detective cannot trespass, cannot hack into someone’s phone and cannot do certain impermissible surveillance acts. They also cannot invoke fear into someone by showing that they are armed, which is a request made more frequently than you would think.
How A Private Investigator From Oklahoma City Would Handle This
If a client has asked a private investigator from OKC to do something illegal in order to get the information they want, then they have to do the following three things:
- Firstly, the investigator would have to explain to the client why their request is illegal and tell them that they cannot do it
- If the client is extremely insistent that the detective does as they are being asked to, they may just not be serviced
- If the private investigator knows a way to get the client the information they want in a legal way, they may offer to do so
Why It is Important For A Client To Understand
The private detective will not commit a crime just to get you the information you want, that is the reality. They will explain this to you as you may not realize what you were asking for was unlawful and that there may be a more legal way to go about it. Many people think that PI’s can trespass and gain evidence from a household, but that only happens in TV shows. Even if a detective is allowed to enter the property to obtain a statement, they aren’t at liberty to take stuff from the residence without the homeowner’s permission.
This is the main reason why PI’s need to understand that their clients have a good understanding of what their job entails as well as their limitations.
