Professional certifications exist for a reason. They indicate to clients that the professional is dedicated enough to his chosen profession and his clients to seek accreditation beyond the minimal requirements. They are at a higher level of dedication. One of the...

As we discussed before, background checks are invaluable to any investigation. Background checks are considerably more than simple database reports and are an absolute necessity. After all, you don’t know what you don’t know, which couldn’t be more true than in the...

Background checks are an invaluable piece of any investigation. But what constitutes a thorough background check? Many people think they know what a background check is in today's digital age and believe it’s a simple name search in a public database, which anyone can...

Felony cases are as unique as they are serious. No two cases are exactly alike. As an attorney, it may be easy for you to lump robberies, sexual assaults and even homicides into their own neat little bundles. And indeed, if one were to strictly follow the Elements of...

About twenty years ago, social media was barely in its infancy. We had chat rooms, occasional photo sharing sites, and “rooms,” and in 2003, a site called Myspace. If you knew where to look, you could find a photo here, a photo there, maybe some insight into the type...

The adage "a great report can save a horrible investigation, while a horrible report can ruin even the best of investigations" isn't the report's only purpose. While a detailed, yet concise story of what was observed during three days of insurance surveillance is...

There's an old adage in the investigative world; a great report can save a horrible investigation, while a horrible report can ruin even the best of investigations. When new investigators join the profession, there are usually mixed emotions to hearing this. At face...

As a defense attorney, you want to control all aspects of your cases, and for good reason. Maintaining the attorney-client privilege and keeping the defense team from running down every rabbit hole a client comes up with is paramount to keeping your defense strategy...

Surveillance is an expensive yet imperative part of working any insurance file. Without laying eyes on the claimant, documenting his or her daily activities, fraudulent claims can be all but impossible to prove. Other methods of investigation lay the groundwork, such...

Anyone who has been in criminal defense for any reasonable amount of time has heard the name “Reid Technique.” Law enforcement and DA’s offices love it; defense attorneys hate it. The prosecution calls it getting the truth; the defense calls it coercion. But what...