Anyone who has done surveillance for many years can tell you that there are common errors that new private eyes make when first attempting to do surveillance. Whether for child custody cases, following a cheating spouse, or something else, there are plenty of reasons why newbie PIs accidentally screw up even the easiest surveillance jobs. Sadly, there are many reasons for this.
A big part of this comes from a lack of experience in the field, plus how basic licensing courses for Oklahoma private investigators do not afford any opportunities for legal professionals entering the field for the first time to gain any practice or instruction on how to do it properly and effectively. Instead, new private detectives must willingly opt to take special training courses on their own at an additional expense. They may not know the courses exist, and even if they do, someone just starting out may lack the financial resources to be able to afford taking the class. Thus, many private detectives in Oklahoma City just end up learning how to do the job properly through years of trial and error while ruining clients’ cases, unless their supervisor/mentor teaches them and/or they fork over the money to take special training classes to help them learn how.
According to the owners at our private investigation agency, some of the most common mistakes new private detectives in Oklahoma make when first starting out with surveillance investigations often include, but are not limited to, the following:
Table of Contents
They Forget to Bring the Proper Equipment:
There is a basic list of equipment that no licensed private detective should ever be without during surveillance. From backup battery chargers to carrying extra water and something to urinate in, newbie criminal private investigators doing surveillance often forget these essentials. This is because they lack experience and thus do not fully anticipate everything they might need while on the job.
The owners of our private investigation agency in Oklahoma City take time to help new staff learn what they might need while doing surveillance private investigations. As noted earlier, we provide them with a special link that helps guide them on what items to bring and why. Doing so helps prepare them for success!
They Neglect to Install Window Tinting on Their Vehicle:
Every single car doing surveillance must have tinted windows. They not only help keep vehicles cooler during the sweltering Oklahoma summer heat, but they also add the extra essential layer of privacy PIs need when watching someone and monitoring activities. Otherwise, it is too easy for nosy neighbors, irritating police officers, and even the POIs to spot, report, and harass unknown people they see sitting in vehicles. So, every private eye at our Oklahoma private investigation agency must always have tinting on every vehicle they use while working for and with our agency.
Their Vehicle Has Unusual Colors, Special Markings and/or Is Too Loud When Operated:
This may seem like an extremely obvious no-no, but people reading this would be surprised at just how many private investigators in Edmond, OK have tried to bring the worst possible vehicles on the job. Some have arrived for work in flashy orange or pink vehicles, which of course “no one” would “ever” notice someone else following them in.
Oh, but the insanity hardly ends there!
Other private detectives near me have sported personalized license plates, colored headlights, or have even arrived with missing hubcaps. Some new staff have even tried surveillance in trucks, and/or their vehicles were so loud that a POI could have easily heard them from a mile away. Making these rookie mistakes could have serious consequences and a detrimental effect on clients’ cases. Therefore, private investigators in Moore, OK, who are conducting surveillance must take special care to avoid making these errors.
The Private Oklahoma Private Investigator Follows the POI Too Closely:
Another newbie mistake new private detectives in OKC sometimes make is to follow a person of interest too closely. In their eagerness to follow the person and secure the needed information, they can inadvertently self-sabotage the surveillance investigation by getting burned. While some POIs are slower than warm, soft, delicious bread, others are very savvy and street smart. Thus, the owners of our private detective agency in Oklahoma City always take great care to train every private investigator who begins working with our PI agency, regardless of their previous experience level, to ensure they know how to properly follow someone with both a low chance of losing them and a low chance of getting burned/caught.
When Burned During Surveillance Investigations, the Private Eye Fails to Disengage:
Every private eye in Oklahoma gets caught by the POI at some point in time. This is just a sad hazard of conducting surveillance. However, when it does occur, it is vital that the private investigator in Edmond takes care to cease all surveillance efforts for that day. There is no point in continuing to follow someone in most circumstances when the individual knows a PI is in pursuit. Instead, choosing to disengage and send another Oklahoma City private investigator later in a different vehicle is often the best practice in the field.
One of the most common ways to discover if a POI has burned/caught a homicide private investigator is when they stop their car and look right at her/him/them, begin driving in circles, and/or drive super erratically in a way that is atypical for their usual driving patterns and behaviors. When this occurs, rape private investigators should immediately cease surveillance, because failing to do so will only make matters worse.
The Private Detective Lacks a Decent Cover Story When Approached:
Sometimes a POI or neighbor will approach a kidnapping private investigator who is on a surveillance case while trying to find a missing child. The legal professional must always have a decent cover story in mind to help provide a “valid reason” for sitting in a car or following someone. Of course, the owners of our Oklahoma private investigation agency do have a special plan of action that the best private investigators near me can utilize when near-burns occur, if they wish.
We always tell our staff to print out copies of the latest sex offender registry lists, along with profiles, photos, and addresses. When a neighbor or POI approaches and asks a homicide private investigator what she/he/they is/are doing just sitting there, they can respond with, “Oh! I thought you [or the people in X house] were this guy/gal/nonbinary person here on theOklahoma Sex Offender Registry. We are looking to help find this person.”
When confronted with this false reality, it will often trigger their sense of justice and need to protect vulnerable children. Thus, they may turn from potentially hostile to outright wanting to help assist in the private investigator’s “investigation” into the matter. Whatever the surveillance private detective decides, it is vital to have some kind of backstory in mind to offer as a plausible front that can serve as a cover story for sitting on a POI’s location.
The Private Investigator in OKC Discloses to Nosy Police That They are PIs, Instead of Staying Quiet:
Police are a different story in the field of Oklahoma private investigations. Most law enforcement officers are extremely unhelpful. Indeed, when a neighbor or POI calls the police on our private eyes near them to report their presence to law enforcement, their flashing red and blue lights help burn PIs, while their invasive questions are extremely irritating. Indeed, many of them will report back to the original caller who reported the theft private investigator and will let them know if the person did indeed disclose a status as a PI. Law enforcement’s inappropriate actions can seriously damage the efforts of effective surveillance private investigations.
Thus, since most deputies and other police are so incredibly unhelpful to process servers and private detectives in Oklahoma, the best response to a boundary-pushing, nosy patrol officer when she/he/they ask(s) why a sexual assault private investigator is doing, “I am sitting on a public road enjoying the evening, Officer. What are you up to?” This sends a clear message to the RoboCop that the person is breaking no laws and has a right to sit quietly in a car on a public road, unmolested by the police state mafia. No, the serial killer private investigator should not disclose that she/he/they is/are a private detective or what they are investigating, because it is none of the officers’ business! But wait! It gets better!
The police detective may also ask to see the person’s identification. Oklahoma is not a “stop and ID” state. Thus, if the police officer engages in an unlawful fishing expedition to find out the identity of a driver who has violated no laws, it is important that the private investigator kindly and gently remind the Officer that Oklahoma is NOT a “stop and ID” state. Thus, unless they have pulled over the person for a moving violation like running a red light or caught the person breaking into vehicles, they have no right to ask to see an individual’s state or federal ID.
The Private Investigator in Oklahoma Fails to Start Surveillance with a Full Tank of Gas:
Nothing is more frustrating for a licensed private investigator than to run out of gas while in pursuit during a surveillance private investigation. Indeed, no private detective in OKC can ever truly know just how far away a POI will travel or how many hours of travel time it will take. Thus, it is vital to always start with a full tank of fuel for gas-powered vehicles or a full battery charge for electric vehicles. Always anticipate the unexpected and stay fully prepared for any obstacles that might arise!
The Private Detective Near Me Forgot to Install a PikePass on Her/His/Their Vehicle:
While the State of Oklahoma does allow for “plate pay” nowadays, whereby the use of PikePasses is not always necessary to utilize Oklahoma’s turnpikes, it nevertheless does not hurt for child custody private investigators to have one placed on their vehicles anyway. This ensures they can go anywhere the POI travels to, and it also reduces the costs to the clients they may incur while in pursuit.
The Surveillance Private Detectives Allow Other Cars to Come Between Them and the POI:
One of the most common errors that newbie cheating spouse private investigators make when following a potentially cheating spouse is to allow cars to come between them. This is especially egregious at traffic lights, stop signs, and during heavy traffic. Indeed, if the POI goes through the traffic light but then it turns red, and the vehicle in front of them stops, they have just lost the person. They cannot force the other driver to keep going, so they have no choice but to stop as well.
Even allowing other cars and trucks to wedge in between the POI and the private investigator when approaching stop signs and during heavy traffic can have deleterious results, because it can increase the chances that the sex trafficker or adulterer can get away. It is rude and unprofessional for human trafficking investigators in hot pursuit during sex trafficking private investigations to allow this to occur.
The Private Eye Parks Too Closely to the POI When Waiting/Watching:
The owners of our private investigation agency always train each unfaithful spouse private investigator at our private investigation agency in Oklahoma City to try to stay a distance of at least seven houses away or more when conducting surveillance. While this may not always be possible in remote areas or locations with limited usable geographic terrain, it is crucial to keep a decent distance away during standard surveillance whenever possible.
Infidelity private investigators must also try to park in a location not easily visible to the POI should she/he/they leave her/his/their current location and go elsewhere during the surveillance investigation. Indeed, if the POIs constantly see the child custody private detectives when they drive somewhere, they will eventually catch on and will burn/discover the person following them. So, keeping a healthy distance and staying discreet are crucial to completing civil private investigations effectively.
The Private Investigator in Oklahoma Makes Jerky Movements with Her/His/Their Vehicle When Following the POI:
Some of the newer private detectives in Norman, OK, that the owners of our Oklahoma private detective agency train will sometimes make extremely jerky movements while pursuing a POI. This makes it much more obvious to the people they are following and can cause the POI to discover the private eye. Thus, it is vital that the criminal private detectives always take care to change lanes, speed up, and slow down very smoothly for easy transitions. Blending in is key to successful surveillance!
The Private Investigator Fails to Close the Distance When Approaching Stoplights & Stop Signs:
One of the most irritating mistakes we see some of our brand-new stalker private investigators make when doing surveillance is when they fail to close the distance with a POI when approaching stoplights, stop signs, and during heavy traffic. Thus, if a traffic light changes and the fraudulent private investigator is too far away to speed up and make it through, then the legal professional will lose the POI and has just needlessly screwed up the surveillance.
Police Catch the Private Investigator in OKC Speeding:
Law enforcement officers expect private detectives in Oklahoma to follow all applicable laws while conducting surveillance and following a person of interest. Thus, unlike their police and deputy counterparts, a licensed private detective in Oklahoma is unable to turn on the red and blue emergency lights and travel at speeds that exceed the posted legal maximums. Thus, if PIs run a stoplight, float a stop sign, or if a police officer catches them speeding, the law enforcement officer can pull them over, cause them to lose the POI, and issue them a traffic ticket.
The Private Investigator in Edmond, OK Fails to Take Ample Videos & Photos of the POI’s Activities:
One of the biggest things that will quickly anger a client is when the criminal private investigator is present during surveillance but subsequently fails to take enough photos and videos of the POI’s activities. The owners of our PI agency will always require our staff to take a photo with a date/time/location stamp upon arrival, every 15 minutes regardless of activities occurring, and upon finishing surveillance for the day.
In addition, they must also take tons of photos and videos of all activities the POI and others of interest take part in. Thus, our accident private investigators must always take more photos and videos than they think they may need. This is because clients can always discard photos and videos they do not want or need, but it is impossible for a private investigator in Bethany, OK, to return to the surveillance site and take more photos and videos of a person after the fact.
The Private Investigator in Norman Fails to Add Date/Time/Location Stamps on All Videos & Photos:
It is also crucial for due diligence private detectives to add date/time/location stamps on surveillance photos and videos they obtain during surveillance operations. This helps both clients and their attorneys clearly show the courts the exact dates, times, and whereabouts of the POI’s activity. Thus, when judges and juries need hard proof or a cheating spouse tries to deny she/he/they was/were at a certain location like a hotel or strip club at a given time, the date/time/location stamps on photos and videos make the evidence harder to refute.
Special downloadable apps can help do this on photos and videos, or social media scan private investigators can also use standard video cameras with similar options. This can help add the special watermark designations attached to all pertinent evidence. Our PI agency always does whatever it takes to achieve the needed results!
The Private Detective in OKC Forgets to Take Photos Documenting the Initial Arrival, Departure, & Integrity Shots Every 15 Minutes:
Clients want to know that the parental kidnapping private investigators they hired were out on-site doing their jobs. They have spent plenty of their hard-earned money to hire a private detective, and they want to ensure their dollars are used in the most efficient manner possible. Thus, it is important for all private detectives near me who are out doing surveillance to take integrity shots with date, time, and location stamps upon arrival, every 15 minutes while onsite, when ending surveillance for the day, and while the POI is doing anything of significance. That way, if the client asks for proof the person they hired was onsite and not out playing golf, there is quick and easy evidence available to present to substantiate claims of surveillance work.
New Private Investigators Play on Their Phones While They Are Supposed to Be Watching & Monitoring the Person of Interest (POI):
The moment a Workers’ Compensation fraud private investigator looks away, answers a text message, or plays on her/his/their phone, that is the time the POI will do something prohibited or may even leave the premises altogether. This is why it is so imperative for every theft private detective to always stay focused and do what the client paid for – diligently watching the person of interest! They must not jeopardize the case by playing on their phones or looking away.
The Private Eye Forgets to Bring Extra Cash:
Having extra cash on hand is always praiseworthy when conducting surveillance investigations. This is because a sex trafficking private investigator may have to quickly throw down money in a restaurant and leave suddenly if the POI gets away unexpectedly. Indeed, since sufficient time may not exist to request a check and to pay with a debit or credit card, having cash on hand to simply leave on the table as investigators scurry back to their vehicles to begin pursuit is vital.
Extra money is also helpful in loosening the tongues of those the private investigator in Midwest City needs information from. This is also helpful for process servers as well, because some people will speak more freely about a person’s activities, provide their past and/or current locations, and even bend the rules to help grant special access to areas the private detective in Del City might not otherwise have access to. Money talks, and the fields of process serving and private investigations are no exception.
These are just a few of the many common errors and mistakes that some newbie private detectives in Oklahoma sometimes make when first starting out in the field of surveillance private investigations. This is not a complete list, but it does serve as an excellent reference point for owners of other private investigation agencies in Oklahoma to make note of while training and evaluating their own surveillance private detectives. Hopefully, it has been a useful, informative tool that readers can benefit from and thus become better professionals in this difficult field!
