An essential part of being a private investigator is developing the ability to find, track, monitor and obtain information.  These are essential skills you have to learn so you can succeed in this industry.  If you will be conducting research using court records as a private investigation newbie, here are tips you should use:

Know where to look
Not every court record you need to obtain about an individual can be found in only one source.  Many times, you’ll find that you will have to go through different database sources in order to obtain a comprehensive report.  Certain court records, for example, may be available only through county or state databases while others will only require you to go local.

Learn how to use court records legally
If you’re a private investigation newbie, you’ve probably heard of the secret or exclusive national database that you can access in order to obtain not just court records but every other personal record known to exist on anyone in the country.  Well, this is a myth.

There is one such records database but it can only be accessed and used by authorized law enforcement personnel of the FBI.  In case you or someone you know obtain court records from this database through illegal means, you should understand that there are legal consequences you’ll have to face.

If you want to use court records efficiently, find out any restrictions that are in place in your state.  Some states, for example, restrict the use of court records that have been sealed or expunged.  There are also states that limit how you can use first-offense records or non-conviction records.  These restrictions can significantly affect how efficiently you can use these court records on behalf of your client.

Learn how to interpret information
There are ways people can access court records without the help of a private investigator but many still turn to professionals for help.  The reason is that there are terminologies used in court records that most people do not readily understand.

In the course of your training as a private investigator, you should be able to learn what these terminologies are.  You will be able to use court records more efficiently if you can read and interpret court records without having to turn to another professional for help, saving time and money in the process.

Be careful when dealing with personal information
In your capacity as a private investigator, you are expected to be discreet about whatever information you might uncover.  This is especially true if you are a newbie.  Be careful about making copies of the documents, even if they are permissible copies.  Do not be careless about handling them.  A good part of your value as a private investigator newbie lies not just on your ability to use court records efficiently but also in helping protect an individual’s right to privacy.

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Probably one of the most common documents that you will ever come across with as a private investigator is someone’s criminal record.  Many clients will ask you for this document in the course of your investigation, particularly if they want to hire someone for a job, obtain information about someone they will work with or start personal relations with.  Since criminal records will be a critical component of your job as a PI, here are tips on how to use them properly and efficiently.

Take note of the extent of the violations
A minor driving infraction is not and will never be the same as theft or murder.  When using criminal records in your capacity as a private investigator, carefully assess the type of violations you might find on the criminal record.  Certain cases could only be misdemeanors and may not be considered as serious crimes or felonies.

Consider legal means
There will be times when you will be hired to sift through criminal records by a client, such as when they need to check on a potential job applicant’s background.  There is a limitation regarding the extent to which you as a private eye can use these records.  The Fair Credit Reporting Act will restrict your access to someone’s criminal records in case you’ll be investigating them for a job.

To comply with this Act, you should have the consent of the person before you can perform any background checks on them.  This consent must be in written form.  Make sure you have this because this will help you avoid any legal complications later.

Don’t be tempted by illegally obtained records either.  Although criminal records exist in the county or state level, there is only one nationwide database for criminal records and that is the FBI database.  This database is restricted and unless you are authorized, you cannot access any information contained here.  A black market offering this information is present but don’t fall for it.  If you get caught, you will be slapped by some heavy penalties.

Always practice total discretion
Some criminal records can be obtained by almost anyone online.  There are companies that offer access to information on records of a person’s birth, address, marriage, divorce, bankruptcy, arrests and jail time.  These are paid sites but many of them offer unlimited checks, which allow people to view other people’s criminal records, if such actually do exist.

However, as a private investigator, it’s your job to take good care that these criminal records are not viewed by anyone who has no business regarding the information.  Make sure to respect owner’s right to privacy and be extra careful about handling these records.  What information you might have should be kept between you and your client and should not be discussed with anyone else.

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Reverse records are very useful for tracing back information about another person.  They can help check a person’s criminal background and act as evidence regarding a possible criminal activity.  Furthermore, they can help prevent potential problems from occurring and can serve as a warning of any potential criminal or predator.  If you’re working as a private investigator, here are things you need to know about reverse records:

What are reverse records?
A reverse record is a document containing information about an individual, such as the name, address and contact number.  These information are often used for identification purposes and for tracing and tracking down a person.

What types of information cannot be accessed through a reverse record?
Only the basic information about a person is usually available as a reverse record.  Some personal information may not be included because of their sensitivity, such as financial records, medical, insurance, driving, social security and employment history.

With a reverse record, a private investigator can also look up the following information about a person:

- Date of birth – which helps you identify the person among others with the same name; also helps verify a person’s age
- Marital status – helps you verify if a person has been married before, how many times and if they have been divorced
- Address history – helps verify, locate and track the person’s whereabouts at a given period of time
- Property records – a list of that person’s assets, useful for determining the person’s financial capability and history
- Associates and relatives – through reverse records, you will be able to obtain information that will help you track a person’s former officemates and co-workers and quite possibly, some of their relatives

State restrictions
Just because almost anyone with the ability and the right access to a resource can make reverse records checks does not mean they can pretty much do anything they want with the information they obtain.  There are state restrictions that limit the use of these records for means that may be derogatory to the individual concerned or affect his personal and/or professional life.

When obtaining these reverse records for your client, make sure you are aware of any restrictions that may be in place in the state where you operate.

Respecting an individual’s privacy
Many of the stuff you’ll obtain from doing reverse records checks are publicly available records.  As a result, the individual who owns that record will not be able to identify who made the request for information.  But just because you are afforded a good amount of anonymity does not excuse you from sharing that information with people other than your client.  Be professional and respect a person’s right to privacy.  The more reliable you are as a private investigator, the more clients will come to trust you.

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