Private Investigation

Lesson 1: History of Investigation. Local, state, and federal investigators; what private investigators do; the detective mystique; licensing issues; the third degree; scientific methods and the research revolution in investigating.

Lesson 2: The Investigation Process. An overview of investigating; qualities and skills you'll need; types of investigations; patterns, leads, tips, and theories; verifying the crime report; the role of ethics; basic techniques.

Lesson 3: Types of Investigations. Personal injury; insurance fraud; product liability; missing persons; medical malpractice; corporate espionage; background checks; marital cases; wrongful death.

Lesson 4: Crime & Security in the U.S. Crime defined; public and private crime and protection; private security vs. public law enforcement.

Lesson 5: The Crime Scene. Protecting, photographing, recording, and reconstructing the crime scene; the command post; preserving and processing evidence; the chain of custody; marking and packaging evidence; the death investigation.

Lesson 6: Interviewing & Interrogating. Types of interviews; suspects; victims; informants; door-to-door canvassing; interviewing children and sexual abuse victims; special interrogation aids; the Miranda Ruling; tactics to obtain confessions; recording the interview; written statements.

Lesson 7: Sources of Information. Cultivating sources; the paper trail; law enforcement, government, and private record sources; books and directories; computerized information brokers; psychics; psycholinguistic analysis; criminal profiling.

Lesson 8: Surveillance & Undercover Investigations. Preparing for surveillance; going undercover; types of undercover investigations; tactical strategies; stationary and moving surveillance; if the tail is “made”; avoiding common mistakes; recording and debriefing the surveillance; legalities.

Lesson 9: Case Management & Report Writing. The importance of case management; note-taking; preparing the case folder; preparing official reports; report writing; using a computer.

Lesson 10: The U.S. Legal System & Rules of Evidence. History of evidence law; the criminal law process; the civil law process; discovery; the trial; the jury; circumstantial, prima facie, and direct evidence; forms and rules of evidence; the hearsay rule; using expert witnesses; privileged communications; presenting testimony in court.

Lesson 11: Criminalistics & Technology. Fingerprinting, photography, blood analysis, ballistics, DNA profiling, and other criminalistics techniques; the modern crime lab; using automated information systems; electronic surveillance devices; videotaping.

Lesson 12: Retail Security & Loss Prevention. The store detective; the store camera system; fraudulent credit cards; bad checks; employee theft; audits; shoplifting methods; apprehending shoplifters; price switching and altering; taking a statement.

Lesson 13: Domestic & Child Custody Cases. The preliminary interview; working on contract or retainer; working with domestic relations lawyers; investigating and surveilling subjects; what constitutes adultery; the unfit parent; locating hidden assets; handling evidence; client protection; documentation.

Lesson 14: Insurance Investigations. Investigating property/casualty, workers’ compensation, liability, disability, life/health, personal injury, and accidental death claims; how to spot fraud; surveillance and the activity check; the pretext; note-taking; testifying in court.

Lesson 15: Executive Protection. Celebrity and corporate clients; the command post; advance work; the travel route survey; airport and hotel security; lowering the profile; motorcades; the “arm's reach” principle; interviewing unwanted visitors; portable protection; etiquette, and protocol; using force.

Lesson 16: Firearm Use & Safety. Defensive shooting; the last restraint; owning, handling, and maintaining guns safely; tactical handgun operation; low-light shooting; ammunition, sights; carrying a concealed handgun.

Lesson 17: Specialized Investigations. Arson, product liability, missing person, medical malpractice, probate, and criminal defense investigations; locating heirs; security counter-measures; pre-employment checks; bounty hunting; repossession; process serving.