Working With a Private Investigator in Your Criminal Case: Is It Worth It?

While the effectiveness can vary significantly from one case to another, it can be useful to have a private criminal investigator on hand to help your criminal case. The state of California and Orange County have ample law enforcement funds to support the prosecution, so it makes sense that you need someone on your side to investigate evidence. If you need help gathering records, video footage, and other evidence to prove the prosecution’s case is flawed, a private investigator may be able to help.

Hiring a California private investigator can potentially help your case. They have experience investigating many different kinds of cases, so they can offer objective advice. As a neutral third party, they can research the case and help discover the real culprit involved.

There are a few major reasons why hiring a private investigator is a smart move in many criminal defense cases..

With a private investigator, you may be able to discover unknown evidence that could help win your case.

The prosecution’s investigation will collect a lot of evidence, and you don’t want to leave your freedom up to the prosecutor’s investigators. With your own private investigator, you can discover procedural errors or flaws in the other side’s evidence that may be hurting you.

Sometimes, you need someone to conduct surveillance for your case. For example, perhaps there was a string of burglaries at jewelry stores in the area, and the police decided to charge you for the crime. The police are likely done surveilling jewelry stores because they are confident that they’ve already caught the culprit. By hiring a private criminal investigator, you can get surveillance completed and get footage from the real culprit.

A skilled investigator understands how to use the criminal justice system, state records, and other documents to support your case. If there is evidence that needs to be located, your investigator can handle all of the legwork involved.

Your private investigator can pound the pavements and look for witnesses to the crime. Once these witnesses are found, they can take their statement and your defense attorney can call the witness to testify when you’re at trial.

Researching a legal case, interviewing witnesses, using records systems, and unearthing new evidence can take time. If you haven’t handled these activities in the past, the work involved can be onerous and never ending. Because of this, it may be a good idea to hire a private criminal investigator instead of trying to do all of the legwork on your own.

Whether a private investigator is worth the money or not really depends on the unique circumstances involved in your case. For instance, the cost is likely not worth it if you already have all of the evidence you need and an incredibly strong case.

If you are concerned about your case’s outcome or don’t have any proof to support your story, you may want to hire a private investigator. You won’t know what type of evidence is available unless you have a professional investigate your case. Many lawyers often have criminal investigators that they routinely use, so your attorney may be able to recommend a good provider.

Ultimately, the decision to get a private investigator is up to you and your attorney. The cost can vary based on where you are located and the investigator, so it depends on if you need additional evidence for your legal case.

If you are dealing with a criminal case, you don’t want to navigate the legal system on your own. With the help of a skilled attorney, you can hire a private criminal investigator, build your legal defense, and gather witness testimony.

To learn more about the best approach to your legal case, reach out to Orange County’s top criminal defense firm today.