Do You Know What Your Teens Are Doing?

Parents seem to be having more and more problems with their teenagers these days - especially those who are enrolled in public schools where immorality, drugs etc. are rampant.  Most have their own cell phones, making it nearly impossible to control who they are in contact with.  Add to that the social media on the internet where they can meet total strangers, and you have a recipe for major problems.

Many parents are simply wringing their hands, knowing that sooner or later their teen or teens will be in some type of serious trouble.

Did you know that you don't have to wait for a tragedy to happen?  Hire a private investigator to find out what exactly your teen is up to.  He will have several tools to help guardians or parents to track their teens in order to find out where they are going, who they are running with and what they are doing. Don't wait until it's too late to do something.  Call a local private investigator today.  Many offer free consultation visits.

20 Things That a Private Investigator Can Do

When you hire a private investigator, there are many things that he/she can help you do.  This list of twenty things is just to help get you thinking about how you could use their services.  It may also whet your appetite to become your own private investigator.

1.  Discover the facts about a case
2.  Find both current and past addresses
3.  Find a date of birth
4.  Search known aliases
5.  Find out and/or confirm a Social Security number
6.  Find birth, death and marriage records
7.  Find and review divorce filings
8.  Search a person's trash
9.  Locate the beneficiary of financial accounts for a probate hearing and get copies of probate records.
10.  Research past and present property holdings
11.  Find out about any properties that have been sold or traded
12.  Find out about any mortgages and who the lenders are
13.  Determine the current value of real property
14.  Find bankruptcy filings, get copies and analyze the records
15.  Uncover improper relationships, including infidelity among spouses
16.  Find any federal civil lawsuits
17.  Find federal and state criminal records, get copies and analyze them
18.  Get copies of mug shots from arrest records
19.  Provide an independent analysis of the case
20.  Locate state and local criminal arrest records, get copies and analyze them

How to Hire a Private Investigator

Private investigators often work for individuals, insurance companies or attorneys in an effort to discover undercover secrets.  Most of them are professionals with a state license if it is required.  If you plan to hire a private investigator, he should have the experience necessary to do the job.  If necessary, you can also be your own private investigator with the proper private investigation equipment.

The necessary qualifications

In order to hire a private investigator, there are some things you should know.  If you’re state licenses private investigators, he should have a license.  He should also be licensed to carry a firearm if he carries one with him.  This person should be organized and know how to take detailed notes.

It is extremely important that he have a clean criminal record.  He should have experience testifying in court concerning his observations.  The most important thing is that he should be a person who is willing to work the hours necessary to solve your case.

Good questions to ask

Since some states do not license private investigators, you should ask the person you are considering hiring the following questions:

• How long have you worked as a private investigator?
• How did you become a private investigator?
• What kind of experience do you have with cases like mine?
• Are you bonded and insured in case something happens?
• How can I be sure you will keep my case and the information involved confidential?
• How much do you expect this case to cost me?

How much should you expect to pay

When hiring a private investigator, most of them ask for an up front fee to get started.  Find out if this fee is refundable.  Many times it is not.

Ask what things you will be billed for and have them listed with their rates.  Different private investigators have different rates.  Most charge between $50 and $85 an hour.  Cases generally require a minimum of five to twelve hours of work.

Talking to your private investigator

Make sure you tell your private investigator everything you can think of about your case.  Make sure to cover the who, what, where, when, how and why.  Your investigator should be asking you questions and showing an interest in the case.  Discuss the methods he plans to use to solve your case, and make sure you are both in agreement.

What Would You Do?

What would you do if your daughter had been missing for nearly four years, and now the police decide to stop searching for your daughter, because "they have run out of tips"?  However, your daughter is gone, your two grandsons are dead, your son-in-law is dead, his brother is dead and their father is in jail on pornography charges.  Susan Powell's father has decided to take things in his own hands by hiring a private investigator and starting his own private investigation.

He and his private investigator will begin by searching along a 400 mile stretch of Interstate 84 that runs between Pendleton, Oregon and Tremonton, Utah.  After being interviewed by the police for the first time, Josh Powell rented a car on December 8, 2009.  When he returned the rental car on December 10, the odometer showed he had driven 807 miles.  During the time he was gone, he activated new cell phones in Tremonton, Utah.

Susan's dad and the investigator will hand out flyers as they talk with local residents and law enforcement officers along the road.  They hope to find someone who remembers something about that fateful night when Susan disappeared in 2009.