Investigative Techniques and Case Management
This domain tests the practical craft of an investigation: planning, lawful information gathering, evidence integrity, documentation, and running a file from intake to report.
Intake and planning
Open every matter with a written engagement that defines the client, the question to be answered, the scope, the budget, and the lawful purpose. Confirm the client has authority to request the work, check for conflicts, and identify legal limits before fieldwork begins rather than after.
Surveillance
Plan location, timing, cover, and contingencies; work in public places and avoid trespass, harassment, and conduct that would alarm the subject. Keep a contemporaneous log with date, time, place, and observed facts. Record video in public where lawful, but do not capture audio of conversations without every participant's consent, and do not attach a GPS tracker to a vehicle without a warrant.
Interviews and statements
Identify yourself truthfully; never claim to be police or a government official. Take notes during the interview, date and sign them, and have the witness read, correct, and sign the statement where possible. If a witness declines a written statement, record that fact and the reason.
Evidence and files
Preserve originals: memory cards, notes, recordings, and metadata. Maintain chain of custody when items pass between people. Reports should separate observation from inference and identify sources. Store files securely and retain them per the engagement and any legal hold.
Worked example
You are asked to check a workers' compensation claimant. You observe him loading heavy equipment at a public job site and record video from the street. Your log shows arrival at 07:12, departure at 09:40, and the specific activity. In the report you write what you saw and when, not "he is clearly faking." You keep the original card, note the camera used, and do not enter the property or record his conversations.
Traps
Secret audio recording; trespassing to get a better angle; discarding original notes after typing a report; and writing conclusions the evidence cannot support.