Thanks to the power of technology, many different fields of study are able to do their work faster. In the field of private investigation, computers, DNA fingerprinting, and other new tools can make investigation go smoother and faster. However, not all investigations will require DNA fingerprinting to be performed, and not all investigations will involve the use of computers. In other words, some people can really make themselves disappear or do a lot of nasty things without getting discovered. In these cases, there are still old school private investigation techniques that can help private investigators push their cases forward.

One method that’s been tried and tested is background investigation. Many investigators today will rely on the power of the Internet to look for client information. However, a lot of data has not yet been put online, and once private investigators find themselves in backwoods, they can lose their cellular phone signal and access to the Internet. In this case, they need to know how to interview people about their suspects or subjects without looking like they are prying. They also need to know how and where to look up historical records in a community. This includes knowing how to look at land titles, education records, pre-employment checks, and others.

Learning how to decode body language is a little harder to do if you do not have a background in the behavioral sciences, but many private investigators have learned how to read people from movement, appearance, mannerisms, behavior, and the way people dress or carry themselves. In the absence of secret chat messages or forum posts, in the absence of DNA evidence or computers, people can still give away a lot about themselves through their behavior, and there are techniques to decode these cues. Private investigators need to point out little details and, like the fictional Sherlock Holmes, make their own conclusions based on these cues put together.

Camouflage and surveillance techniques are essential for private investigation. Such techniques will involve bugging and the use of sophisticated computers, but when the power goes out and if private investigators have no tools with them, they still need to know how the basics of surveillance. In general, this involves keeping people under observation without them knowing it. This can be as simple as following someone around, or as intensive as a stakeout.

These are only a few old techniques that still work in the rapidly developing world of private investigation. There may be better DNA fingerprinting techniques, better ways of tracking down suspects digitally, better ways of finding missing persons – but the basics remain the same, and they are essential for beginners to know and understand.

image credits to nickhall

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