Principles Of Private Investigation (200 hours)

Course Overview/Description

This comprehensive basic course in private investigation will facilitate a career in the investigative field. Students will learn the basic techniques of information gathering, techniques required to successfully practice as a private investigator. Individuals that need the ability to gather information as an adjunct to their present career, e.g. paralegals, legal secretaries, insurance adjusters, attorneys, collection agencies, law enforcement, criminal justice and law students will find this course valuable to advancing their career goals. Upon obtaining a license to practice private investigation in the state of residence, this course will provide the student the knowledge to apply for apprenticeships with investigation agencies, or to open their own private investigation agency in the states that don’t require apprenticeships. Students must satisfy the licensing requirements in their state of residency. This program provides a Certificate of Completion. It does not give the student a license to practice private investigation.

This certificate program includes:

1. Private investigation as a profession
2. Study of Federal criminal and civil procedure
3. Terminology of the Judicial system
4. Codes and statutes of the legal system
5. Client and witness interview
6. Missing persons and research
7. Surveillance techniques
8. Conducting an investigation
9. Process service as a business
10. Testifying in court
11. Writing a professional investigative report
12. Investigation of criminal and civil cases, personal injury, workmen’s compensation, and missing persons, domestics (divorce and child custody investigations

Course Objectives

By completing the Private Investigation course, students will:

• Have a knowledge of private investigation .
• Answer the question of what a private investigator is and is not.
• Identify the different specialties in the profession.
• Gain information regarding training, field experience, licensing, and laws that govern licensing of private investigation.
• Explore the profession as a potential career choice.
• Prepare the student to function in the private investigation field as an investigator.

 

Course Outline

 

• Preface & Ethics
  1. Introduction to the field of private investigation
  2. Definition of Ethics
  3. Professional conduct in the practice of private investigation
• Overview
  1. What is private investigation?
  2. What is a private Investigator?
  3. Private investigation as a career
• Legal Terminology
  1. Terminology used in the judicial system
  2. Use of correct terminology in professional communication
• Federal Criminal Procedure
  1. Describes the process of a crime in Federal criminal procedure
  2. Rules of the different types of courts on the Federal level and their functions.
• Federal Civil Procedure
  1. What constitutes a civil procedure?
  2. The process of a civil action as it moves through the court system
• Codes and Statutes
  1. Explanation of the structure of civil and criminal statutes.
  2. How codes and statutes are decided?
  3. How to research specific laws and statutes as they affect the private investigator?
• Domestic Definitions
  1. Understand the use of terminology in domestic cases
  2. Write a professional investigative report using terminology in domestics
• Interviewing a Client
  1. How to obtain clients?
  2. Interviewing a client to gather the appropriate information
  3. Techniques of effectively interviewing a client and closing the case
• Interviewing a Witness/Statements
  1. Interviewing a witness techniques
  2. Recording of witness statements
  3. Interviewing a witness in civil and criminal cases
• Missing persons/Research
  1. Interviewing a client in a missing person case
  2. Techniques of using public record and research databases to locate missing persons
  3. Procedure of locating people
• Surveillance/ Personal Injury
  1. Knowledge of pre-surveillance and surveillance techniques
  2. Professional surveillance equipment
  3. How to do the different types of surveillance successfully?
• Process Service
  1. What is service of process?
  2. How to do process service as a business?
  3. Qualifications, procedure, and legal responsibilities of process service.
• Courtroom Definitions
  1. Terminology used in the a courtroom
  2. How to use courtroom terminology in professional reports?
• Testifying in Court
  1. Procedural rules used in a courtroom
  2. Method of jury selection
  3. How verdicts are reached?
  4. Professional conduct of the investigator
• Investigative Report Writing
  1. What constitutes an investigative report?
  2. Body and style of a professional investigative report
  3. Legal use of an investigative repor

Prerequisites/Audience

Prerequisites
There are no specific prerequisites to this program other than an Internet connection and basic computer knowledge. This program is open to individuals 17 and over.

Target Audience
This course is intended for individuals interested in a career in the investigative field.

PC Requirements/Materials Included

This course is compatible with the Windows Vista operating system.

This course must be taken from a PC running the latest version of Internet Explorer. There are no specific PC requirements other than an Internet connection (broadband recommended) and email capabilities.

RGS Specialists, Inc will provide the required textbooks for this course. Each student will receive Principles of Private Investigation, by Lynn Phillips LPI consultant and the RGS staff of investigators.

Instructor Bio

The staff of RGS Specialists, Inc will instruct this course in private investigation. RGS, a professional educational developer in private investigation, is staffed by licensed private investigators. Students will have a licensed investigator to seek the answers to any questions. The combination of investigators at RGS represent over 15 years of investigative experience in the fields of criminal and civil areas. State certified instructors in private investigation are a part of our staff. Instructors for RGS have years of experience in online and face to face classes on the University level for students of private investigation.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. How do I register?
Click on the register button at the top of the page and follow the directions. It is important that you type all your information in the boxes, then print it out to sign.  Payment and sending instructions are in the bottom right corner of the form.

2. How much do the courses cost?
The fee is in the pink box at the top of the page.

3. Can I register for courses if I live outside the United States?
Yes you can!

4. Do I ever have go to the school I register with?
All of our courses are delivered entirely online, so you never have to go to a class or travel to the school.

5. How long does it take to complete a course?
All of our courses are self-paced and open enrollment. You can start and finish the course at your own pace. When you register for a course, you are given 180 days (6 months) to complete the course. If you need more time, extensions are available.

6. Do I have to buy additional materials?
All materials are included. The cost of materials is covered by your tuition. GES ships all materials via UPS ground service upon registration.

7. Can I get financial aid?
GES courses are non-credit courses, so they do not qualify for federal aid. In some states, vocational rehab or workforce development boards will pay for qualified students to take our courses.

• GES provides a loan opportunity for students. Simply go to www.collegeloanapplication.com to apply for an easier qualifying loan at a slightly higher rate. Click here for more information on this loan program.

8. What happens when I complete the course?
Upon successful completion of the course, you will be awarded a certificate of completion from the school with which you registered. You must obtain a final passing grade of 70% or greater to be awarded a certificate.

9. Am I guaranteed a job?
GES courses will provide you with the skills you need to obtain an entry-level position in most cases. We do not provide direct job placement services, but our instructors will help you build your resume and are available to give advice on finding your first job. Instructors will also be available to use as a professional reference upon completion of the course. Potential students should always do research on the job market in their area before registering.

10. Who will be my instructor?
Each student is paired with a facilitator for one-on-one interaction. The facilitator will be available (via email or phone) to answer any questions you may have and to provide feedback on your performance. All of our facilitators are successful working professionals in the fields in which they teach.

11. What do I have to have in order to take an online course, and what are the system requirements?
In order to take our online courses, you must have access to a computer and the Internet (a normal dial-up connection is fine). You can access the course contents from any Web-enabled computer. There are no necessary plug-ins. You do not have to use the same computer to log-in to the course every time. We recommend that you have a word-processing program (Microsoft Word is best) and the latest version of Internet Explorer.

12. Can this course be taken on a Mac?
No.

13. How can I get more information on the course?
All of the information we have is available online under our course catalog (www.gatlineducation.com). If you have questions that are not answered online, please feel free to email us at courseinfo@gatlineducation.com or call 817-870-2870. We will answer your questions promptly.

14. When can I start the course?
Our courses are all open enrollment. You can register and start the course as soon as you are ready.

15. How many hours per week should I spend studying?
As a general rule, we suggest a minimum of between five and ten hours per week. However, this will vary from individual to individual. If you are just getting started and have little to no experience, certainly try to put in as much time as you can and try to maintain a persistent schedule. Ultimately each student will find a pace that is comfortable for them.