Most people understand that movies and TV shows about police officers are not accurate. The police can do all kinds of things on TV that are illegal in real life, such as searching property without a warrant. Similarly, media coverage of private investigators is not always accurate either.
In this article, our team at Charlotte Private Investigator will go over three examples of things private investigators cannot do. We hope this gives you a better sense of what our services entail.
- Private Investigators Can’t Arrest People: Some stories will show a private investigator making arrests, but in real life, we don’t have the power to arrest anyone. We can find evidence of wrongdoing, but the power to arrest someone is reserved for law enforcement officials.
- Private Investigators Can’t Trespass: A private investigator also can’t enter someone’s property without their knowledge or permission—that’s trespassing, and it’s illegal. Fictional private investigators might pick locks and sneak around, but our real-life investigators must stay within the bounds of the law. Not even police officers can legally enter someone’s property without permission unless they have a warrant from a judge.
- Private Investigators Can Only Take Photos in Public: The third example of what private investigators can’t do we want to discuss here has to do with when and where we can take surveillance photos. Our private investigators can take photos of a subject when they are in public places, but we can’t take photos through the windows of their private home. So we can photograph the subject when they’re out and about here in Charlotte, North Carolina, but once they step inside their home at the end of the day, we must stop.