Private Investigator Course

1 - Introduction to Private Investigations

·        Sources of Work

·        Qualities of Private Investigator

·        Consumer Research

·        Surveillance Equipment

·        Legislation

·        Irish Constitution

·        Criminal Law and Surveillance

·        Comparison Privacy Legislation between some countries

2 - Surveillance

• Introduction to Surveillance
• Surveillance Equipment
• Domestic Surveillance
• Insurance Surveillance
• Commercial Surveillance
• Shoplifting
• Pilferage of Stock by Staff
• Pilferage of Cash by Staff
• Vetting Staff
• Theft of Commercial Secrets
• Property Surveillance
• Initiative Surveillance

3 – Tracing People

• Keeping Records
• Correct Name
• Client's Wishes
• Sources of Information
• Address Verification
• Tracing Adoptive Families
• Tracing Missing Persons
• Abductions

4 – Law for the Private Investigator

• Courts
• Civil Law
• Trespass
• Defamation
• Negligence
• Contact Law
• Process Serving
• Invasion of Privacy
• Criminal Law
• Law Reform Commission

5 – Getting Started as a Private Investigator

·        Registering a Business Name

·        Business Types

·        Marketing Yourself as a Private Investigator

·        Dealing with Clients

·        Setting Up Your Office

·        Employing Staff

·        Interviewing

6 - Checking Records and People

·        Checking Records and People

·        Vital Statistics

·        Public Welfare, Social Service Agencies and State Unemployment Offices

·        Investigative On-Line Services

·        Accessing Restricted and Private Records

·        Developing, Managing and Handling Contacts

·        Checking Out People

·        Types of Background Investigations

·        Searching Public Records and Sources of Information

·        Personal Sources of Information

·        Asset Investigation

·        Collection Procedures

·        Business and Criminal Intelligence Investigation

7 – Interviewing, interrogating & Taking Statements

·        Interviewing

·        Interrogation

·        Interrogation Techniques

·        Signs of Lying

·        Bluffing

·        Types of Statement

·        Preparing a Written Statement

·        Preparing a Tape-recorded Statement

8 - Marital Investigations

·        Marital Investigations

·        Infidelity - the Reasons Behind the Investigation

·        Pre-investigation Phase

·        Establishing Trust with the Client

·        Meeting with the Client

·        Third Party Information

·        Starting the Surveillance

·        Taking Photographs

·        Protecting the Client

·        Communicating with Your Client

·        Submitting Your Report

·        Equipment Used in Marital Investigations

9 - Employee Theft

·        Employee Theft

·        Reasons for Employee Theft

·        Common Factors

·        Types of Embezzlement

·        Investigation

·        Theft of Merchandise

·        Methods of Internal Theft

·        Pilfering

·        Theft Evaluation

·        Conduct the Investigation

·        Guidelines to Preventing Losses from Embezzlement

·        Undercover Operations

·        Types of Undercover Business Assignments

·        Roping

·        Identifying Dishonest Employees

·        Tips for Retail Store Operations

10 - More about Surveillance

·        Photography

·        Types of Surveillance

·        Surveillance Equipment

·        Conducting a Fixed Surveillance

·        Motor Vehicle Surveillance

·        Video Surveillance

·        Surveillance Methods

·        Selecting a Surveillance Vehicle

·        Vehicle Surveillance Techniques

·        Two Risks That Jeopardise Success

·        Vehicle Tracking Systems

·        Foot Surveillance

·        Some "Do's" and "Don'ts" of Surveillance

·        Field Notes and Reports

11 - Writing Reports

·        Writing Reports 

·        The Investigator’s Report

·        Hearsay, Opinion, Vague Language, and Other Errors

·        Report Preparation

·        Report Writing Tips

12 - Testifying in Court

·        Testifying in Court

·        Emotional and Physical Reactions

·        Common Questions

·        How to give “Responsive” Answers

·        Attacking Your Report

·        Bluffing

·        Asking Non-Questions

13 - Finding Missing Persons

• Finding Missing Persons
• Conducting the Investigation for a Missing Adult
• The Runaway Juvenile
• Child Abduction by Paedophiles
• Parental Abduction Investigation
• Interdependent Roles of the Investigator and Others
• Adoptee/Birth Parent Investigations