Posted:
There is so much to unpack here...
I am a PI. I am a retired Criminal Investator as well.
First, as far as window tinting... In at least two states I am licensed in (TN and FL, but I licensed in 7 states currently) Window tinting has carve-out exceptions. So, My car is registered in TN so that is the only law that applies to me. In TN, only two entities can have dark tinted windows- governmental agencies, and Private Investigators. In FL, PIs can also have dark tinted windows. But the law for the state the car is registered in is the law that counts- regardless of what state I am working in.
Personally, I do not work what I call dirty work- seeing who is sleeping with who. Nobody cares, other than the person hiring the investigator. The courts do not care, it doesn't affect grounds for divorce, child custody, alimony, child support, or anything else. I work almost entirely criminal or potentially criminal cases. Yes, that means insurance fraud and Worker's compensation fraud.
You all should want these people caught. Firstly, they are trying to scam the system, while you and I work for a living. Why should they get away with free-loading off the system, when you and I should not and cannot. They are comitting a crime in doing so. Yes, a criminal offense. And, as most of these cases go, there are multiple states involved, so that could bring in various federal laws as well. On top of that, and to maybe some of you, this might be more important, but their criminal act raises your insurance by a buttload. This hits you and I both in the wallet.
Now, before any private investigator gets a case like this, there are already red flags on the account. The insurance company may have gotten a tip from a neighbor, or from a treating Dr, or someone else.
Now, as far as evidence being tossed out for trespassing- not so much. As a "private" investigator, we do not act as an agent of any governmental agency, so the "fruit of the poisonous tree" does not apply. We do not need, nor can we apply for, a warrant. Yes, we can be asked to leave, and if we refuse then we can be arrested for trespassing, but whatever evidence we gain before that is still good to go. Why any investigator would refuse to leave after being asked to by law enforcement is beyond me- that is just stupidity in action.
Now, when someone knocks on my window, I open it, and depending on the attitude of the person knocking on my window I will act accordingly. So, if the person at my window is pleasant, I am as well. I explain I am a private investigator, show them my ID and whatever. I tell them genrally what I am doing without giving any real information. Most of the time I have a cover story. But I reassure them and calm their concerns. And I also tell them as long as I am here- if anything were to happen- such as a burglary or whatever, I would be the one calling 911. Sometimes they call the cops, and sometimes they do not. Now if someone has a poor attitude with me, "What the hell are you doing here" with a nasty attitude, I do not get pleasant with them. I just tell them to call the cops and leave me alone, and then I roll up the window.
In most cases, in general, and I really want to get through to this as just a general rule, once the cops identify me, and are satisfied with my licensure, they are required to leave me alone. They are there because of a suspicious vehicle. Once they properly identify me and my license- and that I am working a case, the "suspicious vehicle" no longer exists. They may not ask about my case, who I am watching for, or anything else. They are not ruired to leave. On the other side of this same coin, I am not allowed- legally- to tell them anything about my case- or who hired me, or anything else. In many cases, the cop will ask me if I have a cover story to tell the caller.
Only very rarely do I get the asshole cop. 99.9% of the cops are all great. I think I have only had maybe 3 times when I get the asshole cop out of all the police interactions I have had- which is an awful lot. And remember, I am a retired cop. So, while I know we do have the occasional badge-heavy asshole cop (which by the way, we generally do not like them either), I also know you have assholes in every occupation- and even in every neighborhood.
So, in the end, please leave us alone in the long run. Sure, come knock on my window. Be pleasant. I will too. But, just as with the cops, if I show you my ID, that should allay your fears. Leave us alone. Do not call all your neighbors. Likely one of them is who I am watching. In most of the cases (and with me, 100% of the time) it is a potentially criminal matter. If for whatever reason you are not satisfied with my answers, call the cops and leave it alone.
Also, please keep this in mind as well- Even though we are there because of existing red flags- we are neutral parties. If we see our target, we video them. So, if they are actually injured anbd are not violating the medical and physical restrictions, we document that as well. The insurance comany gets the video no matter what we find. This could help relieve the insurance company's concerns as well. But, in most cases, I get people with all these alleged injuries and restrictions, I get them playing football all weekend, or climbing ladders painting or working on the roof, or whatever, etc. Even if they are doing nothing but sitting on their porch all day, he/she might have a restriction from sitting more that 30 minutes or something.