California Private Investigator

With offices throughout California, Martin Investigative services can help you when you need an experienced private investigator.

Sometimes special problems arise where you will need an experienced private investigator, with local experience and local contacts, but more importantly, a healthy knowledge of California law.

Martin Investigative Services has over 40 years of professional private investigator experience in California. We employ a network of experienced private investigators who are former Federal agents, and can perform your investigation professionally and discreetely.

Martin Investigative Services has local offices throughout Southern California. We have two local offices in Orange County (in Newport Beach and Mission Viejo), as well as field offices in Los Angeles and San Diego.

Licensed private investigators in the State of California.

Martin Investigative Services (State License # PI 9077) is a licensed private investigation agency. Whether you choose us or another firm, always make sure your firm is licensed and legitimate.

Not all private investigators in California are the same.

At Martin Investigative Services, we know that we can provide the best possible services for you. As former supervisory Federal agents of the US Departments of Justice and Treasury, you will not find another firm in the county that has the level of surveillance and interrogation expertise that we do.

We strongly encourage that you contact us for a free, confidential consultation.

However, we realize there are many choices out there. If you're going to look around, the following guidelines will assist you as you search for a talented private investigator, and help you avoid the many scams that are out there.

How to find a good private investigator in California:

There are many private investigators in California but there are really only a handful of talented, experienced and ethical ones. If you don’t ask some basic questions, you may end up hiring someone who is out to rip you off.

The best way to hire a private investigator is by referral. Begin by asking trusted friends or colleagues if they have ever hired a private investigator, and more importantly, if they were satisfied with the services they received.

Given the personal nature of many cases, it might be difficult to find someone that has personal experience with a local private investigator. In that case, you may want to go beyond a basic Google search and try some of the following methods:

The duty agent at your local FBI, police department or sheriff’s department. Your local law enforcement agencies will often have experience working with some of the more professional private investigators in California and, based on their experience, they may be able to recommend a few to you. Also, hiring a private investigator with good contacts in law enforcement certainly can’t hurt!
Investigators working at the District Attorney's office and criminal defense lawyers. Attorneys in California know full well the importance of working with private investigators can provide court-admissible evidence. Only experienced private investigators can provide this.
The California Association of Licensed Investigators. This is a good starting point, however most associations like this will only list paying members. Private investigators are not required to join these associations and many of the talented ones, including us, do not.

What private investigators in California typically do:

Private investigators may produce proof that demonstrates the truth behind a situation.
A good private investigator provides evidence that stands up in California courts.
Providing proof that also stands up in court is very important.

California is one of the most litigious states in the country. At Martin Investigative Services, the most common thing we do on a daily basis with our investigations is gather evidence that is also court-admissible. If need be, we also testify in court. We also have two corporate attorneys on retainer that will provide us legal guidance on any issues relative to our civil and criminal cases.

Here are some of the most common things we do:

Cheating spouse investigations:

Private investigators often surveil and provide evidence of a cheating spouse California is a “no-fault” State. This means you can get a divorce if you don’t like your husband’s tie or the way your wife brushes her teeth. Here are some facts based on over 30,000 California surveillances.

The main reason people hire us to do surveillance on their mate is finality. When someone picks up the phone and calls one of our four offices in California, they already know there is a problem. With cheating spouse surveillance, 80% of our clients are women, 20% men.

We catch the mate cheating 97% of the time. When we catch the husband cheating, a third of the wives will agree to counseling, a third want a divorce and a third don’t know what to do. When we catch the wife, the man gets divorced 99% of the time.

We offer a no-fee consultation for our clients. This is critical to the eventual outcome of the surveillance. We glean important information and offer specific strategies to enhance the success of our efforts. This is why we have four offices to serve clients in California. Be aware of surveillance “experts” who are working out of their apartment or who encourage you to meet them in a local gin mill.

All our surveillance vehicles are equipped with digital photo and video cameras. Often the evidence is placed on the breakfast table the next morning. Others choose to forward the evidence to their attorney, using the evidence to encourage settlement of custody, alimony and asset issues. The evidence rarely falls upon the judge’s eyes but can prove to be a valuable negotiating tool.

Background checks, research and surveillance:

Private investigators provide background checks and surveillance in California so the facts come to light. With almost any investigation, a private investigator will do some sort of background check or investigation of people. This often includes lovers and potential business partners or companies.

We back these findings up with surveillance. The results from these investigations help people make better decisions based on facts.

Private investigation of companies and potential investments:

Private investigation of California companies and potential investment fraud California is ripe with investment fraud. Unfortunately, 85% of the clients that retain our services to investigate people or companies do so after they have written a check. They often feel concerned and want us to make their investment feel “warm and fuzzy.”

In California, about 90% of our private investigations, either before or after a client turns over their hard earned money, result in the person or company being illegitimate and engaged in perpetrating a fraudulent scheme. Always investigate before you invest.

Our agency has our own in-house state-of-the-art computer system. We access our system to perform background and asset searches on people, corporations and businesses throughout the United States.

Verification of employee claims / worker's compensation claims:

Private investigators are often hired to find proof of false workers comp claims Insurance companies and business owners often hire us to follow employees who are claiming on-the-job injuries. This is like shooting fish in a barrel. It is very important to avail yourselves of our no-fee consultation.

There are certain days of the week where the odds of catching someone increase dramatically. Having caught thousands of subjects faking injuries, we have an almost fool-proof method for success.

Often we take the case to the insurance commissioner or the fraud division and make every attempt to prosecute them criminally. The most critical element is to catch the person performing an action that negates the alleged injury on three different days.

Assisting law enforcement and reviewing cold cases:

Private investigators are often used to help with both ongoing criminal cases and cold cases. California’s law enforcement system is often stretched thin for resources and manpower. We review cold cases in order to help research crimes that have long been forgotten. We can research the cause of fires, murder, accidents and help find the persons responsible. We also often locate and recover lost or stolen property. In addition, we can investigate a crime scene or interview witnesses.

Our expertise is unsurpassed within the current investigative establishment. We have worked numerous high-profile murder cases where our client has been found not guilty. We have successfully completed hundreds of cold cases where we have solved the crime or turned a previously stated murder or suicide in the opposite direction. We have worked criminal cases in all fifty States and numerous foreign countries. Our staff is composed of former supervisory Federal agents of the U.S. Departments of Justice and Treasury.

Recently in California, we followed a subject wherein the evidence collected resulted in both the subject and his girlfriend being arrested for statutory rape.

We were successful in getting a wife arrested who shot and killed her husband but was previously never prosecuted. We have been successful hundreds of times in corporate America through our expertise in the art of interview and interrogation. We have successfully gathered evidence where an employee has stolen money, time or products, which results in their arrest and prison time. All our private investigators are experts, not only in California, but all fifty states in Federal, State and local courts.

Corporate security and bug sweeps:

Corporations and companies in California often use private investigators to ensure the privacy of corporate board rooms and equipment Over the past 20 years, corporate espionage and internal leaks of information have become more and more common with the advancement of technology and the Internet. We regularly provide bug sweeps (debugging) of homes and businesses. We also work with companies and corporations to safeguard offices, computers, property, people and information.

Our staff is very comfortable working on corporate fraud and espionage cases. We provide proactive guidelines to prevent such damage and are fully prepared when a company, not using our advice, is attacked. We have computer technicians that can evaluate any system.

Our offices are fully equipped to perform electronic eavesdropping detection sweeps on homes, businesses and vehicles. During the past five years, we have seen a dramatic increase in illegal monitoring devices being imported from foreign countries. This, coupled with the people who want an unfair advantage, has increased the number of devices found from 4% in 2006 to 16% currently.

Finding missing people:

Private investigators help find people. Our own in-house computer system finds people about 99% of the time.

The system is driven by four factors. You must have either (1) an uncommon name, (2) a date of birth, (3) a social security number, or (4) a last known address within ten years.

Unless your subject is a drug addict or is simply living on someone’s couch, they will be located. If we can’t find them, they won’t be found.

A missing person is often someone who has been disconnected from family and friends. They generally fall in the same category as a straight-forward locate.

A runaway is a totally different matter than a simple locate case. Our private investigators have recovered numerous runaways through our expertise in profiling the subject. Each case and person that “runs” can be traced using many of our proven methods. Never let more than 4 hours pass before you contact law enforcement. Don’t feel you are bothering them. Never let more than 48 hours go by before you contact a competent private investigator.

What to ask when talking to a California private investigator

When you interview a potential private investigator, ask a number of questions.

Make sure the private investigator is licensed.

California is one of the more demanding states with regard to the requirements for private investigators. Currently California requires the following to become a private investigator: A criminal history background check through the California Department of Justice (DOJ), 6,000 hours of field work and the passing of a California administered test.

Martin Investigative Services operates under state license # PI 9077.

Make sure the private investigator is experienced.

A good private investigator in California will have a background in some sort of law enforcement and have many years of professional private investigation experience. Find out.

Martin Investigative Services has over 40 years investigative experience and our private investigators are former supervisory Federal agents.

Can the private investigator testify in a California court of law?

A good private investigator will know how to testify in support of his/her evidence in a California Court of Law.

In the litigious state of California, a good private investigator will know the system and how to work within it. Investigations should not only yield court-admissible evidence but your investigator should also be able and ready to testify in support of this evidence. Many private investigators do not have this experience or background.

The private investigators at Martin Investigative Services have years of experience gathering court-admissible evidence and are ready to supply expert testimony in California courts.

Does the private investigator have an office?

A professional private investigator will always have an office, if not many offices. It is especially common in California for private investigators to not have offices, preferring instead to meet at restaurants or communicate by phone or email only. These investigators should be eliminated from consideration as you need to know you'll be able to locate this person again once you’ve handed over a payment.

Martin Investigative Services has local offices throughout California: two local offices in Orange County (in Newport Beach and Mission Viejo), as well as field offices in Los Angeles and San Diego.

Does the private investigator clearly define the fees involved?

A professional private investigator will provide an accurate estimate and will not exceed the quote without your approval.

When you contact a private investigator, explain the service you would like performed and ask how much it will cost. Just ask. A professional private investigator will provide an accurate estimate and will not exceed the quote without your approval.

Martin Investigative Services will always provide you with an estimate upon our first conversation.

Do you have a good gut-feeling about the private investigator?

When you speak to a private investigator for the first time, ask yourself if you feel a good about it.

Private investigators know that very often your intuition is correct. When you speak for the first time, ask yourself if you feel a good about it. What is your immediate gut reaction?

Make sure the private investigator thoroughly understands your situation and that you feel comfortable. You should feel he/she is looking out for your best interests. Your needs should always come before money.

Martin Investigative Services has over 40 years experience helping people. Your situation may seem difficult or hopeless but we have probably seen something similar before. Life is too short, let us help you.

Your first conversation with any reputable private investigator should always be at no charge. This removed any pressure out of the situation for you, and it also allows the private investigator to decide whether or not to take your case.

Martin Investigative Services is sensitive to you and your situation. All consultations remain free and confidential.