When you’re searching for something I want you to search as if you expect to find it.
If you’re in Loss Prevention or Security work, you probably understand how this applies in the physical world. If you’re looking for a weapon, look as if you expect to find one. Don’t say “There’s probably nothing here. This is probably a ‘good enough’.” Search as if you expect to find a weapon.
As a private investigator…
if you’re going back to a crime scene after a while (even if it’s been months!) search as if you expect to find something that’s going to help you find the truth of what happened there.
Of course, as a P.I., you probably know we do a lot of investigations that involve “research”. When you are doing more of the research types of things we private investigators do (maybe a skip trace, a background check, criminal records history, address history, asset search, that type of thing), again… search as if you expect to find something.
Different Levels of Courts
It’s very common to find things in lower courts courts like traffic citations (which help with address history and other background checks and skip tracing), but you can get lured into complacency in the felony courts. Veteran investigators, we’ve all been there. For years, we do this stuff and especially for the felony convictions, investigation after investigation, nothing shows up.
You can begin to get a little lazy about your searches! It’s too easy to say, “It’s very unlikely that this person has a felony charge or a felony conviction against them.” So you either skip it or you do a haphazard search. Maybe you don’t search back far enough or you don’t search a wide enough geographic area and you miss something in their criminal history or police record!
New investigators, this is very important good habit to get into. But for veteran investigators too, on every single case, remember to search those felony criminal records as if you expect to find something. Heck, you might even find a search warrant and discover what the police were searching for!
Summary
I’ve given some solid, real world examples above, but this rule goes for all of your searches… when you search, search as if you expect to find something!
Let me know if you have any questions!
Committed to your success,
Larry Kaye, P.I.
P.S. – Don’t miss my special report titled… If You Want To Be a Private Investigator Give Up… Unless You Do These Three Things. You can get it on the home page of my blog.