My expertise of surveillance focuses primarily on collecting video evidence of a subjects actions and activities during the course of a day from public view. Specific to my application these are observations, usually made from a distance, by means of a video camera to document and store observations on a digital media storage device. These assignments are usually related to insurance fraud, medical malpractice fraud, personal injury fraud, catch a cheating spouse, divorce, matrimonial disputes or products liability. These videos serve an extremely valuable purpose to the parties involved.

The video’s function is to communicate information about the subject to interested parties. These parties can be attorneys, insurance companies, doctors, employers, medical experts, wives, husbands, adult children, family members, etc... These parties have questions, and they hire Private Investigators to get them answers! The answers I provide are objective facts gathered from observations in the field. These facts are documented on video as irrefutable evidence to be later used in a court of law or settlement negotiation.

The surveillance video is a powerful means of communicating information to the viewer. If the video is created properly by a skilled private investigator or private detective the big 6 questions should be answered, these are the: Who?, What?, How?, Where?, When? & Why?

WHO? Who is the person under video surveillance? The most effective way to accurately identify a person on video is with an ID shot of their face. This should be recorded with the video camera zoomed in tight on the face for 5-10 seconds, in focus and steady so there is no disputing who is on the video.

WHAT? What is the subject’s activities or actions on the day of surveillance and how do these activities support or contradict their claimed abilities or impairments. This could be in reference to a personal injury fraud or medical malpractice insurance claim.

HOW? The subject’s means, how does the subject perform a task. Can they do this independently or do they need assistance? Examples include: cars, tools, briefcase, stroller, grocery cart, basketball, shopping bag, etc… How capable is the subject at performing the task at hand? How does the subject manipulate and handle objects they are interacting with? Does the subject appear in control & well coordinated? Or, do they appear clumsy and uncoordinated?

WHERE? The subject’s location. The private investigator should film street signs & addresses at each location visited by the subject. Documenting these locations is extremely important for every surveillance video. These street signs and address numbers are irrefutable as evidence and demonstrate the exact whereabouts of the subject without question. These signs may also help indicate what the subject is doing there and why.

WHEN? Time stamp and date stamp on the video camera, must be accurate. The measurement and tracking of date and time on a surveillance video are performed by the video cameras time stamp function. It is the private investigators responsibility to make sure the time stamp is accurate.

WHY? The private investigators duty is to unobtrusively collect video images of the subject performing there activities unaware they are being watched and filmed. The subject’s motive is usually of little to no concern to the private eye. The private detective is there as a third party observer and should remain impartial to the observations while video documenting the subject. This question may be of the least important question to the PI but may be of the most importance to the client or interested party.

All videos should tell a story of the subject’s activities throughout their day in a clear and concise manner. The information the surveillance video is trying to communicate will be better received by the watcher if the video is in focus, steady and properly framed. This will enable the end viewer to make educated decisions on the physical capabilities or activities of the plaintiff or claimant. These viewers can vary widely in there experience viewing these types of videos. Whether they are an attorney, claims adjuster, claims examiner, judge, jury member, spouse, client or arbitrator - the story should be easily understood and relatable. If the PI did their job professionally & properly all 6 questions should be answered and anyone, no matter what their experience level should be able to understand the surveillance video.