A Typical Day of a Surveillance Investigator

While a typical day of a surveillance investigator has some predictable elements, there are more unpredictable elements that will be articulated as you read further.  

A position as a surveillance investigator for a private investigation firm is typically the first position that many enter the investigation world as.  The fundamentals that you learn as a surveillance investigator can be translated into other areas of investigation. 

Whether you are just curious about a typical day as a surveillance investigator or want to know if this industry is good for you, you will have a very good and realistic view of what it is like to be a surveillance investigator by hearing about a typical day of a surveillance investigator.

Receive the Surveillance Assignment from your Client

Whether you work for a company or have your own company, you need to receive the basic information for the assignment to begin.  I have created an intake sheet if you are a private investigation business owner to help you collect the information you will need to carry out an assignment.

Generally speaking, some of the basic information you will need or you will receive is the following:

• The subject’s name
• The subject’s address
• The subject’s phone number
• The subject’s social security number (if available)
• Any additional information the subject may feel is important
• The vehicle associated with the subject

This information is just the beginning of an investigation. From here the investigator will need to verify and collect more information before they head out to the surveillance assignment.

Preliminary Investigation

Generally speaking, a private investigator will not trust the information provided by the client as being the best information especially as it relates to insurance-related surveillance assignments.  Addresses and phone numbers will be provided through the intake sheet but you never truly know if the information provided is the best information.  This is why the preliminary investigation should always be conducted before an investigator begins surveillance.  

I will share in broad terms what a surveillance investigator will do during a preliminary investigation to give you a sense of what a private investigator researches.

A preliminary investigation helps verify information provided is accurate.  It helps find new information regarding the subject to help the client and help a surveillance investigator during the investigation.  

I recommend writing down the information you obtain in a surveillance notebook I created specifically for surveillance investigators.  This will keep your information organized for your surveillance. Good investigators will have a notebook for this.

The Investigator will Run the Subject Through Databases

Investigators will run the subject’s social security number in databases like Tracers, IRB, or TLO which will provide a private investigator with a variety of information like:

Address History (based on credit headers)

Generally speaking, this information is typically pretty accurate in providing current and previous addresses of the subject.  This information can sometimes lead an investigator to another address where the subject is actually residing. The subject many times will use provided address (that the investigator receives) to just receive mail (if trying to be hidden).  This information is valuable to be used to help you start your surveillance at the proper address or to leverage to find where the subject is residing. 

Possible Phone Numbers Associated with the Subject

Investigators may find the provided address to be associated with the subject and may find that there are possibly others it is associated with.  Investigators can also reverse search landline phone numbers and cell phone numbers to see who the owner of the cell phone is.  This information could come in handy during an investigation.  

Possible court cases associated with the subject

Sometimes the report will generate information regarding the subject and possible court cases associated with the subject. Investigators will likely search court cases through public databases to confirm it is indeed related to the subject.  

This information can be presented in the surveillance report in the preliminary information section for the client but this information can be valuable to the private investigator as well.  Some court cases can potentially give you an idea of the character of the subject you are investigating.  If the subject has court cases associated with them related to violence, this may change the way a surveillance investigator approaches surveillance assignment. 

Possible Associates of the Subject

Many names might be listed in the database report.  The list might be quite extensive and quite frankly I am not sure how these companies associate the subject with them. I do know that I have used the list to locate people (unrelated to surveillance) and it has served me well.   A surveillance investigator would use this list if they are having a hard time finding someone.

Possible vehicles registered to the subject

Sometimes vehicles will be identified in the report depending on what information is available for some states.  There are times when vehicles will be identified but they are vehicles that are no longer registered currently.  This list may be valuable even if the vehicles are not current. Sometimes the unregistered vehicles may be found at a surveillance location which helps to confirm you are at the right location to start your surveillance.

Social Media Investigation

When conducting a preliminary investigation, investigators will search social media for the subject as part of the investigation process.  Investigators will attempt to locate the subject on social media or with close associates and document any information that could be useful to the client or to the surveillance investigator. Investigators can determine if someone is working, where they work, what they look like, family members, children, and spouses.  This information can be very helpful during surveillance.  Investigators might find more things however these are some of the basics things they may be looking for.

Run License Plate Information

If vehicles aren’t identified through the database, there may be special access from the state for running vehicle information.  If a private investigator has access to it, they will be using it.  

Address Confirmation

Quite a bit of information is provided in the proprietary database however an investigator will search property records to determine the owner of the home (if applicable).

Investigators will Map out the Address

An investigator will look at Google Maps to see the layout of the area where the surveillance will be conducted and see if there is anything in the pictures that could be of value to the investigator before starting the surveillance.

Prepare for the surveillance assignment

The night or day before the assignment the investigator will need to make sure all devices are charged like their video camera, spy cameras, computers, battery banks, etc…  Ideally, the investigator will make sure they have a full tank of gas before they leave and all the necessary equipment ready to take on the surveillance or make sure it is in their vehicle already.   Investigators will pack food for the next day as well. 

Travel to Assignment

Surveillance investigators can travel a great deal to surveillance assignments.  Investigators will need to leave early enough to arrive at the surveillance assignment 15-30 minutes early so that can make sure they don’t arrive late to the assignment. 

Generally speaking in the insurance investigation industry the first day of surveillance will typically begin at 6 a.m.  Regardless of the start time, investigators leave earlier than needed to make sure they are at the assignment at the time they are needed to be there. 

Conduct Surveillance 

The investigator will arrive at the surveillance assignment and find a suitable surveillance position. Ideally, the investigator will have a clear view of the residence where the subject is residing.  This makes it easier to see who is coming and going from the subject’s residence.  

Sometimes the investigator can not have a view of the residence and will have to rely on other methods to secure video documentation of the subject.

Surveillance investigators typically will videotape subjects from within their vehicle as it is usually tinted which doesn’t draw attention to the investigator.  

If a subject enters stores or restaurants, many clients would like video documentation of the subject within the location.  Investigators will attempt to document their subjects in these locations and at the very least follow the subject without documenting.  

A surveillance day for an investigator can vary.  A surveillance investigator may arrive on-site and determine within the first 4 hours that the subject is not home.  And without knowing if the subject will return that day the investigator may need to pull off surveillance for the day or pull off for several unpaid hours and return again to see if the subject has returned. 

Sometimes the surveillance can go well past 8 hours and the investigator will be required to document the subject’s activities until they return to their home.  

Pretexting 

During surveillance, an investigator may be required to conduct a pretext which is basically a rouse to determine information to help the investigator during the surveillance.  Generally speaking, the investigator may be required to conduct a phone pretext, in-person pretext or talk to neighbors using a pretext.  

If you want to know about pretexting laws and court cases associated with pretexting I have written about it extensively.

If you would like to know common phone pretexts that are used I have written about that as well. 

Surveillance Notes

During the surveillance, investigators document activities that take place during the day as well as different efforts investigators make in their notes.  I have created a surveillance notebook to make this easier for investigators to keep track of activities each day as notes are incredibly important during the investigation and after.

Surveillance investigators will keep track of time shots, undocumented (video) activity, activity associated with the residence, people coming and going from the residence, or any efforts conducted by the investigator.  

These notes will be later used in the investigator’s report to the client.  A summary of the investigator’s notes may also be created and sent to the client to give them summarized details of what took place during the surveillance day including how much video documentation was obtained of the subject.

Travel Home

After the surveillance is completed for the day, the investigator typically updates a case manager (if the surveillance investigator is working as an employee) to let them know they are safe and alive and any important information.  The investigator takes one last video clip of the residence and the area next departs the area to travel back home.  Travel time might be a bit longer depending on when the surveillance comes to an end.  

Report Writing

Depending on the company the investigator is working for or the client they are working for, a completed report for that day of surveillance may need to be submitted.  This will be regardless of how many hours were worked (very long or very short day).  The report will include all videotaped entries as well as activities that were not documented with video.  

Screenshots of photos will need to be entered within the report as well.  I have created a surveillance report template and video walk-through of an example surveillance report for those who would like to see what a typical layout and entries look like.  The surveillance template can be purchased here.

Video Processed

Video documentation can be processed in a variety of ways depending on who the surveillance investigator is working for.  Sometimes companies will have the investigator send the company the raw footage and the company will compile the video files and make sure the timestamp is on the video.  

Some investigators like myself would process the video clips to ensure the time stamps were on them and then compile the video together and send it to the client or the company. This process can take 30 minutes to 1 hour (if not longer) depending on how much video was obtained during the surveillance period. 

Additional Considerations for a Typical Day of a surveillance investigator

There are soo many other things that happen or could happen during a surveillance investigation that I couldn’t name them all. There are dangerous elements when trying to follow people undetected which requires investigators to sometimes make unsafe driving decisions (which I don’t advocate for).  

There are dangerous elements regarding the individuals that are the subject of the investigation.  These subjects will follow you or come after you in a violent manner which can be incredibly scary.

The is pressure to always be perfect during surveillance from the company investigators work for.  This would mean not losing subjects, or confirming a subject home within the first 4 hours of being on-site (regardless of how it could affect the outcome of the surveillance).  

There is pressure on the investigator to work 8 hours minimum and there are soo many variables that can keep an investigator from billing out a full day.  If an investigator can’t bill out days of surveillance consistently it will put financial stress on the investigator. 

Final Thoughts on a Typical Day of a Surveillance Investigator

Being a surveillance investigator is not glamourous.  It is the exact opposite of it.  Peeing in a bottle in your vehicle because you can’t leave the surveillance location is a daily event for men. Women have been known you use bowls or camping toilets in their vehicles.

Inconsistent work and pay are part of a surveillance investigator’s life. 

Being harassed by neighbors is a frequent occurrence for many investigators. 

Sitting for extended periods of time is hard on an investigator’s body especially as investigators get older. 

A tension between results and billing out a surveillance day is always in effect for a surveillance investigator. Doing as much as an investigator can without being compromised is a tension all investigators feel. 

Missing family events is a constant with surveillance investigators because they just never know when they are going to be home.  Missing music recitals, children’s sports events or just missing dinner time is a life of a surveillance investigator.

If you were thinking about becoming a surveillance investigator, some of this might sound like fun. A surveillance investigator’s job can be hard to make a living while trying to be present for your family.  I hope this gives you some insight as to what to expect.

Want more tips? Pick up my book that shares things I wish I would have known before becoming a private investigator.