Divorces are Awful: On the Homes and Rahe Stress Scale divorce is rated the second most stressful event with death of a spouse taking first place and imprisonment taking forth place. The expense, the loss of friends and family, changes in lifestyle and living accommodations, and the potential for losing your children can be devastating. Compound that with allegations of domestic violence, physical or sexual abuse of a child (either falsely accused or misidentified) or adultery can make a bad divorce unbearable. When the average person hears someone talking about having a “bad divorce” this is what they are talking about! Only persons who have gone through such an experience can truly understand what's involved. It can consume your life and in long protracted cases it can actually make you ill. Statistically, about 50% of all marriages in America end up in divorce - compare divorce rates here.
Tip!
Persons who generally do better during a bad divorce or child custody battle are those who are proactive not reactive. Gathering evidence can be critical for your case either pre-divorce or during a divorce, or modification of divorce. A private investigator In the long run can save you a great deal of money not to mention your children. For example, in the case of adultery, having photographic or videotape evidence of the offending party can have devastating effects and can be profoundly influential (and I don't have to prove this by putting a video camera in their bedroom). In a divorce modification, showing that your spouse continues to drink despite a Court Order prohibiting it and then driving drunk with the kids in the car (which is a felony in Texas if children are present) can put you in the right direction for asking the Judge for custody. It is not uncommon for Judges to award unequal property settlements during a divorce. That might mean the house, attorney fees, as well as the children to the unoffending party. Waiting too long or to the last minute to move your case along is another critical mistake. In complex child custody cases, evidence is gathered from a variety of sources that takes time and expertise to obtain and gather. If you believe a private investigator is needed the earlier he or she begins the better. Once evidence is lost it is usually lost forever.
Evidence, What Evidence?
As a private investigator it is my job to provide the kind of service to you that you ask for. All you might need is that picture of that cheating girlfriend or husband who is staying just a little too late at work. For many people they might just want to know for sure and use the information for closure or to make different decisions. Other times, it may be more complex if the information found may lead to divorce or other child custody action; or, if you are in litigation, providing evidence so it is admissible and has the highest degree of impact possible may be your need. Every situation is different and takes its own course with the personalities involved. Interaction with other agencies, such as Child Protective Services (CPS), or when a Guardian ad Litem is involved are also important variables to consider. Truly, a specialist in divorce and child custody issues is needed to put together all the complex issues and arrange them in a mosaic that makes sense in Court and to you and/or your attorney.
Ok, So what is the difference between a Private Investigator who specializes and one who is a Jack of all Trades?
In Texas there is no educational requirement to be a private investigator. A 2 hour test and three years of legal Investigative experience with essentially no criminal history would qualify a person as a Licensed Private Investigator. Many private investigators attain their experience from police work, or through the military, or perhaps, if they were an insurance investigator. Some I know of are ex-FBI agents. Other potential private investigators gain their 3 years of experience by working under another private investigator until that investigator gets his license to practice and he hires others to work under his private investigator's license, and so on. When it comes to child custody and complex divorces, you really want a private investigator who knows how to handle a problematic or difficult cases - not the retired FBI agent now practicing as a private investigator. For example, a child abuse case associated with drug and alcohol abuse and domestic violence requires a certain expertise, not only how to assess and treat, but how a given piece of evidence will play out in Court or have some other cause and effect, i.e.; How will this evidence impact the decision-making of an agency such as Child Protective Services (CPS) or how say, a Guardian ad Litem might consider an issue? Through my years of education and experience, I have had the unique opportunity to gain expertise in the divorce and domestic relations arena with a strong foundation in forensic mental health and in the Texas criminal justice system.
Austin, Texas 78701. Family law Courts are held on the 1st through 5th floors.
LICENSING AND DUTIES OF INVESTIGATIONS COMPANIES AND SECURITY
SERVICES CONTRACTORS : (This is the legal definition of performing private investigation work in Texas)
Sec. 1702.101. INVESTIGATIONS COMPANY LICENSE REQUIRED. Unless the person holds a license as an investigations company, a person may not:
(1) act as an investigations company;
(2) offer to perform the services of an investigations company; or
(3) engage in business activity for which a license is required under this chapter.
Sec. 1702.104. INVESTIGATIONS COMPANY. A person acts as an investigations company for the purposes of this chapter if the person:
(1) engages in the business of obtaining or furnishing, or accepts employment to obtain or furnish, information related to:
(A) crime or wrongs done or threatened against a state or the United States;
(B) the identity, habits, business, occupation, knowledge, efficiency, loyalty, movement, location, affiliations, associations, transactions, acts, reputation, or character of a person;
(C) the location, disposition, or recovery of lost or stolen property; or
(D) the cause or responsibility for a fire, libel, loss, accident, damage, or injury to a person or to property;
(2) engages in the business of securing, or accepts employment to secure, evidence for use before a court, board, officer, or investigating committee;
(3) engages in the business of securing, or accepts employment to secure, the electronic tracking of the location of an individual or motor vehicle other than for criminal justice purposes by or on behalf of a governmental entity; or
(4) engages in the business of protecting, or accepts employment to protect, an individual from bodily harm through the use of a personal protection officer.
What is the definition of a Private Investigations Company and the requirements to become a Licensed Private Investigator in Texas?
I frequently get 2-3 calls per month from folks who are wanting to work as Private Investigators or how to start their own private investigation business. For the general public who is interested in hiring a private investigator, the following should give you some reassurance that the Private Investigation industry is tightly regulated by the Private Security Bureau and is a division of the Texas Department of Public Safety located in Austin, Texas. In Texas, one must possess a license to act as a Private Investigator and must carry insurance in an amount determined by the Board. Persons who act as an unlicensed Private Investigator are subject to fines and incarceration.
If you believe an individual is following you who might be a Private Investigator, you can determine if he or she is listed as a private investigator by checking out the Private Security Bureau database here, List of Licensed Texas Private investigators.
Much like you see on television, there are strict confidential guidelines between a Private Investigator and his client. What you tell the Private investigator in confidence will remain with the investigator and will not be disclosed to anyone except under rare occasions as defined by the Board.
Austin, Texas: Best Place in the World to Work and Live
Austin is in the middle of it all, the capital of Texas. It is also the county seat for Travis County. Austin, Texas is located right on the Eastern side of the Southwest, located in the central part of Texas. It is also the 4th biggest city of Texas and it also holds the title for the 15th largest city in America. From the year of 2000 - 2006, Austin was named the 3rd fastest growing city in the world. The population of Austin, TX as of 2009 was estimated to be around 757,000.
In the 1830s, the area of Austin was settled by the pioneers on the lovely banks of the Colorado River. The pioneers named the area Waterloo. It then went on to be the capital in the year of 1839. Later, Waterloo was changed to Austin. The name came from the one and only that was called the “Father of Texas”, Stephen Austin. Austin, TX continued to grow through the rest of the 19th century and went on to become the meeting grounds for the government and education center for the building and construction of Texas’ state capital.
Austin, Texas didn’t always boom and continue to grow. When the Great Depression hit, Austin was hurt as well. The growth slowed down and development came to a halt. However, after the Depression, the Austin area started booming again. It then started the long development of turning Austin, TX into a greater city than it already was. The development that was going on helped turn Austin into a major city. It also became the main center for business and technology.
The development of Austin, Texas didn’t stop there. Today, it is the home of many high tech companies such as Dell, Freescale Semiconductor, 500 Corporations, and a whole lot more. Even today, Austin, Texas continues to grow in population and development.
In 2006, Money Magazine selected Austin, Texas as the second biggest city in the category of “Best Places to Live”. In 2009, it was chosen as number 3 in the US. It has also been named the “Greenest City in America”. Austin has been well recognized by many magazines, reporters, documentaries, and more for its charm, development, and other interests. The Travel channel voted Austin, TX “America’s Number 1 College Town”.
When America was being ranked for safety, Austin, TX came in as the 5th safest city. Part of that was because there are less than three murders for every 100,000 people annually. With those numbers, you can see why Austin was named the 5th safest city in America.
The population of Austin, TX includes a mix with people who are students, professors, blue collars, white collars, politicians, and more. All citizens in Austin are known as Austinites and are proud to call themselves one. Austin got the nickname “Silicon Hills” because of all the major tech corporations. The official slogan for Austin, TX is “The Live Music Capital of the World”. It got that nickname because it is home to so many singers and music venues.
Speaking of slogans, not long ago, some Austinites came up with the slogan “Keep Austin Weird”. This came of partly because of the eclectic and progressive lifestyles found in Austin. There is a campaign in Austin that strives to preserve the local, smaller businesses and resist excessive commercialization that uses this slogan as well. Bottom line is Austin is a wonderful place to live and has a ton to offer!
Speaking of things to offer, we are one of the best Private Investigators in Austin, TX. If you happen to need a Private Investigator in Austin Texas, we can help you out. You can see our site and all we specialize in to see if we can help you. If you don’t see what you need on our site, give us a call and we will see if we can help you.
I frequently get calls from out of State clients who require the services of a Private investigator. For our out of State friends the following may be quite helpful.
Now providing services in the Central Texas area including Austin, San Antonio, San Marcos, Temple, Killeen, and Bastrop
An Austin, Texas Private Investigation Agency specializing in Domestic Relations, Pre and Post Divorce Issues, Cheating Spouses, Surveillance, GPS Tracking, Computer Forensics, Child Custody, CPS, Falsely Accused or Misidentified Child Abuse or Child Sexual Abuse, Domestic Violence, Drugs and Alcohol, Mental Health, Parental Alienation, Home Studies, and Family Law
