The Role of Private Investigators in Building a Strong Criminal Defense

The role a private investigator plays in the building of your criminal defense will vary depending on the nature of the charges brought against you. You can expect a private investigator to help you gather witness statements, assess evidence relevant to your charges, and prevent unnecessary delays in your case.

Our board-certified criminal defense lawyers at Fighter Law have a long history of working with private investigators on behalf of our clients. We can help you understand more about what you should expect from a private investigator as we craft a defense against your charges.

Getting to Know Local Private Investigators

Private investigators are not lawyers. Instead, private investigators are professionals working adjacent to the legal field. They often do not have police badges or access to law enforcement’s resources. Instead, their knowledge of surveillance, body language, and digital security can help them better understand peoples’ private behaviors.

Private investigators can collaborate with law enforcement or lawyers to gather evidence of someone’s wrongdoings. When hired by criminal defense attorneys, private investigators can help find evidence challenging the charges brought against a defendant like you.

Outlining a Private Investigator’s Goals

Private investigators can specifically help criminal defense attorneys address the following:

• Statutory crimes
• Financial crimes
• Crimes against property
• Crimes against people
• Conspiracy and other inchoate crimes

A private investigator’s findings can specifically help a criminal defense attorney find enough evidence to have a criminal case thrown out in a preliminary hearing. If a private investigator joins an attorney’s team later in a case, their analysis of key evidence can poke holes in the prosecution’s accusations.

What to Expect From a Private Investigator

If your criminal defense attorney brings a private investigator onto your case, you can expect that investigator to help your team:

Gather Evidence to Challenge the Prosecution’s Findings

You must have strong evidence challenging the prosecution’s findings if you want to prevent criminal charges from landing you in jail. Private investigators can supplement an attorney’s investigation by:

• Returning to the scene of an alleged crime to look for physical evidence
• Gathering photos and video footage of an alleged crime from passersby
• Collecting electronic data relevant to an alleged crime

The majority of today’s private investigators specialize in digital forensics, or the practice of trawling digital mediums for evidence of a person’s innocence. You can expect a private investigator to ask for access to your social media, phone, and browsing history when building your defense.

Depending on the nature of your case, a private investigator may also access your online chat logs or specialized digital accounts, including gaming platforms or professional portfolios.

Interview Witnesses and Prepare Cross-Examinations

Many private investigators also specialize in witness communication. You can count on an investigator to reach out to bystanders who witnessed an altercation between you and the other party involved in your case.

The popularity of social media makes it easier than ever to track down people whose testimony may positively contribute to your defense. Private investigators can even submit data from popular social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, Facebook, and Reddit to serve as testimony discussing your alleged crime.

When to Contact a Private Investigator

If you want a private investigator’s help bolstering your criminal defense, let an experienced criminal defense attorney reach out on your behalf. If you have legal representation, you do not need to independently secure a private investigator’s services.

If we believe your case may benefit from additional witness testimonies, electronic data, or forensic analysis, we can work with private investigators in our professional network.

Our connections with some of the best private investigators in the business today can ensure that you work with top-of-the-line analysts.

Let a Private Investigator Bolster Your Legal Defense Today

If you’re facing accusations of criminal misconduct, we encourage you to connect with a criminal defense lawyer. An experienced attorney can call on the expertise of private investigators to strengthen your defense. Together, we can protect your right to freedom and prevent a court from misrepresenting the reality of your charges.

You can book a free case consultation with our criminal defense attorneys today to learn more about our relationships with local private investigators. Don’t let your right to a comprehensive defense pass you by. Let board-certified lawyer Tom Feiter fight for you. Contact us by calling (407) 344-4837 or reaching out to our team online.

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