Four Things Private Investigators Can Legally Do

On a scale of “average citizen” to “police officer,” a private investigator falls somewhere in the middle.

While licensure requirements vary by state, private investigators are generally known for being licensed professionals who investigate a variety of types of people and situations. They are able to find out the truth about many types of people, especially catfish.

Although we often see PIs portrayed in movies as badass super-detectives who aren’t restricted by any boundaries, the reality is that private investigators are held to many of the same restrictions normal citizens are held to. Still, they aren’t normal citizens, and here’s why:

What Can Private Investigators Do?

1. A PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR MAY HAVE A BADGE

It is illegal for any person–even a private investigator–to impersonate a police officer. A private investigator has not authorized law enforcement and therefore cannot claim any affiliation with law enforcement.

Private investigators (PIs) are only authorized to make citizen’s arrests. However, PIs do possess a degree of legal authority that ordinary citizens do not. The licensing requirements and regulations may differ from state to state, but in general, most PIs are licensed and carry badges or specific identification that identifies them as a PI.

2. A PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR CAN ACCESS PUBLIC RECORDS

Although private investigators can’t legally order a credit report or access sealed records, they do have the ability to access public records.

Because they are professionals, they may have accounts and connections within certain departments to be able to access these records a lot faster than the average citizen. These records could tell them a lot about a person, whether that person has a criminal background, is a catfish, or has simply filed for bankruptcy.

Never underestimate how much a trained eye can learn from rifling through the public records of different departments and agencies of the government.

3. A PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR CAN OBTAIN PROTECTED INFORMATION

If private investigators can get a subpoena through the court, they can access information that would otherwise be protected legally. This includes phone records, financial records, and bank account information, among others.

The only caveat is that such protected information can only be accessed with the help of the court: PIs can’t do it all on their own.

Without the court’s help, the most private they can get is running a license plate (if they have a legal purpose to do so). A license plate alone can help private investigators locate someone or gather information about who they really are for court proceedings.

4. A PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR CAN SPY

Okay, so private investigators aren’t international super spies. They aren’t above federal laws that prohibit wiretapping phone lines, placing GPS trackers, tampering with mail, or hacking and placing spyware. They aren’t allowed to be peeping toms either.

Despite what the movies will tell you, they aren’t allowed to place recording devices or nanny cams and they definitely aren’t allowed to take pictures through your bedroom window. However, they are allowed to spy on anybody in public spaces. This could mean taking pictures of a cheating spouse kissing in the park. It could mean taking a video of someone taking part in a drug deal in a back alley. It could also mean catching the catfish in an online dating romance scam. Basically, anything that doesn’t take place on private property is up for grabs.

All in all, private investigators are restricted by virtually the same laws that affect the average citizen. However, due to their experience and training, they can do a lot more with those laws than any given citizen might. They know how to make the laws work for themselves in ways the average Joe may never know.

You can also hire Social Catfish to do a virtual investigation for you. They can help you reverse search any name, email address, phone number, social media username, or email to see who it is you’ve really been talking to. We also have a search specialist that you can hire to do your investigation for you.