Surveillance Tips

Domestic Surveillance

Surveillance can get expensive, quickly! Whether you hire Morris Investigations or someone else, you should take a minute to review these tips in order to save yourself money and increase your possibility for success.

Tip 1. You must tell the investigator the truth and give him the full and complete reason you want the surveillance. Leave no question as to what you want and what you are hoping to accomplish. There is a fine line between too much information and too little. An experienced investigator will tell you what information he needs.

Tip 2. Look at a calendar and try to recreate the subject's schedule. Is there a pattern when the subject is "out of pocket", late getting home, unable to receive cell phone calls, etc.? There is no reason to pay an investigator to watch the subject while working or sleeping. Try to minimize your window of expenditure. The fewer hours your investigator is on your clock, the smaller your bill.

Tip 3. Make a list of all the subject's close friends and associates. Include anyone you suspect might be involved with the subject. This information might help the investigator if he loses the subject in traffic.

Tip 4. Try to get current photographs of the subject. A full body shot helps. Your Investigator needs to know what the subject is shaped like so the subject can be picked out of a crowd if necessary. A close-up shot is also helpful. Try to get one with a current hair style if possible.

Tip 5. Try to get a photograph of the subject's vehicle. We need the make, model and license plate number.

Tip 6. DO NOT mention the word "Private Investigator" to the subject. If the subject is suspicious and thinks you may have hired a private investigator, you will be setting yourself up to waste your money. If someone thinks they are being followed, they can do several things to make surveillance nearly impossible. Our advice is to make the subject feel everything is normal and that he has your trust.

Tip 7. Try to pre-arrange a free afternoon, evening or weekend so the subject thinks it's safe to make a move. Make your plans days or even weeks in advance, so the subject will have ample time to make plans. One well planned surveillance can often produce what several unplanned surveillances cannot.

Tip 8. Don't cut your retainer short. Remember, when the retainer runs out, the work stops. It's a refundable retainer. What we don't use, you get back.

The average domestic surveillance costs between $750.00 and $1,500.00. We try to spend your money, just like it is our money. Plan ahead and make arrangements with your private investigator as far in advance as possible. If you wait until the last minute to make arrangements with an Investigator, he will not have time to plan your assignment professionally.

Never Hired a PI Before?