Taking up the slack where law enforcement left off

For some time now, the Private Investigation Industry has been called upon take up the slack where law enforcement has left off. Many times, when a burglary occurs a victim is encouraged to file a report over the phone or when the police arrive they take a report and you never hear from them again. The police in most cases are defiantly over worked and underpaid. Due to lack of man power and budget concerns law enforcement is limited as to their level of involvement and the priority given to any given case.

Our firm is constantly being contracted to provide more and more security for someone who feels they are in danger but the threat cannot be proven. The police can’t guard you or your loved ones 24/7 but we can and do.

Many times, we have become involved in a burglary after the police had taken the report and left.  Sometimes we start by fingerprinting the point of entry, then interviewing the neighbors, any family members and associates who might have had opportunity. We sometimes even canvass pawn shops.  We have been able to recover many missing items through the years, including a 3-carat solitaire ring.

Occasionally after an interview, or a series of interviews, a lie detector test is incorporated into the investigation. This comes in handy especially when working an internal theft case, involving many potential suspects or a theft involving family members and or friends.

We have worked several murder cases, unattended death cases, missing person cases that became murder cases and cases that are declared suicides but the family believes differently. Some cities and counties have limited resources to throw at these types of cases. For instance, when a body is found in a certain area, the department in that jurisdiction catches the case. Then it is discovered that the murder took place in the San Jose area. This means that a sometimes small, understaffed, underbudgeted, department must send an officer to San Jose, (to an unfamiliar area) for days or weeks at a time. We are usually retained by the family to assist the police with their investigation or simultaneously work on our own leads. After the police, have ran out of their leads, their budgets or their man power, we were able to continue to follow up on things as they developed. We then can report back to the police department or the District Attorney’s office in that area.

Sometime a second private autopsy can be helpful to determine what happened to the decedent. We can help with arranging that and of course work as a liaison between the department and the family throughout the duration of the case.

This is just another sign of the times. It seems there is too much crime for any police department to handle. Try reporting an identity theft incident. They will most likely, take your information and tell you it’s a blue-collar crime. If you’re lucky the bank or credit card company will cover the loss, but even if you tell them who did it there will be no investigation into the matter. More and more we are going to have to depend on the private sector to take up the slack, concerning crime and security in the world today. If you have been a victim of a crime of or have any security concerns please give us a call for a free consultation. Ray (408) 268-5900