As a private investigator, you will be asked to perform background checks from time to time.  This usually happens when a client wants to verify the identity or history of a particular person, often as a requirement for employment or for insurance or inheritance claims.  Sometimes, the reason can be personal, as when one party wants another’s identity to be checked.  However, you don’t need to be a professional or trained P.I. in order to do this type of investigation.  Here are ways you can perform DIY background checks as a private investigator wannabe:

Start with what is obvious.
Who wants to have the background check performed?  Check with them and determine what type of knowledge they already have about the person.  This will help you establish a few benchmarks, such as this person’s supposed identity.  It will also help you determine where to start.  A few tidbits of information you can collect initially will prove helpful for you later, when it’s necessary to extend your search.

Get the basics about the person: name (including nicknames, married name, maiden name, middle name and aliases), last known address, hometown, telephone number, etc.  It will also help if you find out about his or her employer and the college, university or high school he went to.

As a first step, check the phone book.  You’ll find a person’s address here.  If you can’t find the results you need, check other possible sources, such as employers, neighbors and former schools.  Former employers will help establish the person’s past work record and will give you a glimpse at his personal characteristics.  If employers refuse to talk, maybe you can check with employees or that person’s former co-workers.  Former neighbors and alma maters can also help.

Use online search resources.
You’d be amazed at how helpful Google and other search engines can be when you’re performing a DIY background check.   Type a person’s name or the business name in the search box and Google will come up with any entries that may contain the name.  If the person has an account with Friendster, for example, or was part of a news entry, you’ll probably find it in the search results page.

If the person uses a blog or a social networking site, you can also start from there.  Google has a search tool that allows you to look for person’s blogs and you can log on to networking sites and perform your search from there.  Alumni registries are also excellent places to start if you have information about the person’s school.

Check with clubs and associations.
If the person has a known association with a club or is affiliated with an organization, you can start your DIY background check from there.  You’ll be able to establish identity, work history and education.

If the person whose identity you are trying to establish is a professional, you might be able to do a DIY background check using licensing boards.  Not only can you check for identity and verify personal information, you can even check for any violations or disciplinary actions taken against that person.

Use public records.
There are certain public records that you can use to help you find out about a person’s background.  All you have to do is perform a DIY search using online resources, which can be faster and more convenient.  You can even check criminal records online, as some courts allow public access to these from their websites.  You can also check that person’s motor vehicle record in order to determine name, address, birthday and location.

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Crime scene investigation is a very exciting field, a practice that combines training, education, science, logic, law and technology in order to process, analyze and eventually resolve a crime.  A new investigator on the job will find that there are plenty of things waiting for him to handle and that he will need to use all the resources he has in order to effectively perform his work.  Here are some crime scene investigation tips that new investigators will find useful:

Remember your job.
A crime scene investigator’s job is to document the details of a crime scene and to collect physical evidence that may help solve a crime or provide proof for an investigation.  Your most important responsibility is to make sure that the physical evidence you collect are complete and uncompromised and that they can help you solve the case.  Make sure that when you enter the crime scene, you keep this purpose in mind.

Use your senses.
One of the very first things you will be taught as a crime scene investigator is to make full use of all your senses.  Much of the evidence left behind can be detected physically.  Process the scene with your eyes, ears, touch, smell and hearing.  You will also be recording your observations with pen and paper.

Be meticulous and systematic.
Be slow but sure.  You could lose some very important evidence if you are not careful.  Before leaving for the scene, always check if your kit is complete.  You should be able to use enough resources for the collection of materials left behind. 

The very first thing you need to do is to perform a walk-through as an initial first step.  This will help you establish a ‘feel’ of the scene and will help you determine the subsequent steps you need to do.  Your initial observation will also help you determine the extent of your investigation, whether you need to limit the area or extend it some more.  You might also want to check with the first responders if there was anything in the scene that they touched or moved.

Anything out of the ordinary such as a broken lock, upturned chairs, broken glass and the like are easy to spot from a distance.  Visual examination is the very first step you must perform before you even touch anything. 

Look at surfaces carefully, first from a wider point of view and then go for a closer look.  Being careful to pick up and photograph all the evidence is key in making sure you do your work correctly.  If necessary, you might also have to sketch the scene or take video footage of the walk-through. 

Once you have documented the scene, begin examining and processing stuff that can possibly be introduced as evidence.  Used drinking glasses, tables, plastic equipment and other such surfaces may be dusted to check for fingerprints, for example.  Certain items within the crime scene may also be collected and kept in envelopes or plastic bags and sealed. 

Provide comparison to establish size.  When you’re photographing evidence such as footprints and other impressions, provide an easily recognizable and measurable tool beside it, such as a ruler, a piece of bond paper, a tool, etc.

Remember to label and log everything.  As a crime scene investigator, you are expected to be systematic.  When you bring the evidence into the laboratory, you or any of your colleagues should be able to work with them efficiently.  Any ambiguities or evidence that have been compromised will cause confusion and might even prove to be inadmissible later due to unreliability.

Coordinate with the right people and agencies.
Not everything found in a crime scene are yours to handle.  Even investigators have their specialties.  As a crime scene investigator, you will be working with other people in your field, including police officers, detectives and other specialists.  As a new investigator, learn everything you can from every crime scene investigation you’re involved in.  You’ll improve in time and become that much more of an asset to your division.

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