Investigative Techniques and Case Management
This domain tests how a PI plans and runs a case, gathers admissible-quality information, preserves evidence, and documents work so that a client or court can rely on it. The exam favors practical judgment: lawful technique, contemporaneous records, verification, and clear reporting.
Case planning and evidence handling
- Start with a written case plan: objective, legal constraints, resources, timeline, budget, and reporting schedule. Identify what facts would prove or disprove the client’s theory, not just what the client wants to hear.
- Collect evidence lawfully. Preserve originals, note who obtained each item, when, where, and how. Maintain a chain-of-custody record for physical items and a hash or forensic image for digital evidence when appropriate.
- Interviews should be voluntary. Identify yourself truthfully, do not imply police authority, and document the time, place, participants, and questions asked. Record statements accurately and separate quotation from paraphrase.
- Surveillance logs should be contemporaneous and factual: date, time, location, subject description, vehicle plate, actions observed, and weather or visibility if relevant. Avoid conclusions such as “subject conducted a drug deal” unless you actually observed the elements.
- Verify database hits and public-records matches before reporting them. Common names, transposed dates, and stale addresses cause misidentification.
- Manage the file securely, track expenses, and retain records according to the engagement and applicable law. Report in chronological order with sources and attachments.
Worked example
A surveillance log reads: “14:32 - subject left 123 Main St, entered silver sedan, NC plate ABC-1234, drove north on Main, parked at 456 Oak Ave, entered with a brown bag.” That is usable. “14:32 - subject did a drug deal at Oak Ave” is not, because the log does not show what was observed. The first entry lets the client or attorney draw inferences; the second asserts an unsupported conclusion.
Traps that cost marks
Gaps in time logs, conclusions substituted for observations, relying on an unverified database, failing to preserve originals, and letting the client’s theory drive the investigation.
Key points
- A written case plan defines objective, legal limits, resources, and reporting.
- Preserve evidence and maintain chain of custody for physical and digital items.
- Interviews must be voluntary and truthfully identified.
- Surveillance logs should be contemporaneous, factual, and conclusion-free.
- Verify database and public-records hits before reporting them.