* You have a friend who suspects her ex-husband is keeping company with some people of questionable character and may even be involved in some drug activity. She is really concerned for her child who spends every other weekend with him. She asks you if you will follow him around one weekend to see what he is up to. You really want to help, but should you agree to do it?
* Your business has really been thriving, so much so that you have hired several new employees in the last several months. Recently some of your stock has gone missing and there really isn't a logical explanation for what could have happened to it. As bad as it makes you feel, you suspect one of your employees is stealing and you have thought about following them after work to see if you can prove they are. You're justified in doing this, aren't you?
* Your mom has a new man in her life and she seems so happy, but you're really concerned for her. The relationship turned serious way too fast and it seems as though this man appeared out of nowhere. You don’t think he is being truthful about who he is or what he does. Your husband said he would follow the guy around for a few days and see what he is doing when he is not with your Mom. You’re really tempted by his offer - after all, both of you are just trying to protect your Mom, right?
Whether you need proof of infidelity, fraud, employee theft, cohabitation, neglect or drug activity there is simply no better way to document facts than with the irrefutable video or photographic evidence obtained during surveillance.
So is it really legal to follow someone around and document their activities?
The answer is yes, providing that the surveillance is conducted by law enforcement personnel or by a licensed private investigator for a legitimate and legally permissible purpose and it is conducted in a discrete, reasonable and lawful manner.
This means that unless you are an officer of the law conducting surveillance during the course of your job, or a licensed private investigator that has been retained by a client for the purpose of conducting surveillance, it is not legal for you (or a family member, a friend, or a friend of a friend), to follow someone around. In fact, it could be construed as stalking. So when it comes to surveillance investigations, there is no such thing as DIY (Do It Yourself). You must hire a licensed private investigator to conduct the surveillance investigation for you.
