"So I completed the training programs, passed the physical agility and written tests on the Firm’s Policies and Procedures, labor law, criminal law, rules of evidence, and wrapped with learning basic and advanced private investigations tradecraft."

~ Miss Anderson

"The second and most important thing to consider before even thinking of starting a PI firm is this: one Must Know How to Run a Small Business—the below listed requirements don’t mention that most PI firms don’t make it very long with folks who have no experience in the private sector.”  ~ Quote by this Firm’s Owner.

CALIFORNIA PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR LICENSING REQUIREMENTS

Copyright 2004  RV Detective Agency

Area of Operations by California Counties

Sacramento

San Joaquin

Stanislaus

Merced

Fresno

Kern

Alameda

Santa Clara

Coming Soon

Los Angeles

Orange

Ventura

Riverside

San Diego

HOW TO BECOME A CALIFORNIA PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR

Opinion Editorial – Scroll Down for BSIS Requirements

By San Francisco Bay Area Regional Manager, Miss Anderson

Working as a successful private investigator in California who can close cases to a client’s satisfaction is not a matter of just knowing how to investigate, but knowing how to investigate is where it starts.

I have seen reality television shows about a wide variety of subjects and with many interesting people being profiled.  Sometimes they look really cool and other times not.  Well, for a while there it seemed like every single character on most reality TV shows were made to look like or behaved like someone I would not hire as a new investigator for this Firm.

In any case, I watched “Cops,” bounty hunting shows that came and went, and maybe one or two involving private investigation firms.  I hadn’t thought about those shows much until acquiring an Administration of Justice Degree.

My travels and prior jobs exposed me to many people and who work in many fields.  I’ve met bounty hunters, bail bondsmen, bouncers, people who work in “loss prevention,” and most recently saw an ad for open positions with this private investigations Firm.

I followed the instructions on the virtual flyer, made myself available 24-7 to respond to the sudden interview calls, rushed off for said interviews with different people in the organization and began to wonder why it couldn’t all be done in one sit down interview.

I finally met with the Firm’s owner who surprised me at what I thought was my hidden home when he called unexpectedly for a meeting at a restaurant a couple of miles from where I live.  He was waiting outside with one of the Firm’s managers that I had met a week earlier.  This freaked me out a bit, but I quickly learned what all the “jumping through hoops” was about.

The ability to “respond and not react” to a “change in conditions” is a mindset that people who work in the private sector private investigations field must accept if one is to be successful.  The owner apologized for showing up unexpectedly, but he was trying to make a point.  He also showed up because I wasn’t being considered for a field investigators position but, rather, I was being considered for a managerial position.

My background included more than just a degree in theories, but I am also practiced and experienced in a variety of jobs that taught me how to respond to a “change in conditions” that one just can’t get with the more common types of education and various jobs.

We all drove separately to the restaurant, and learned more.

I was being tested the whole time.  I was being tested for two weeks and didn't realize it.

If my home life was “out of balance” then I could not have been so available and with little to no notice.

If I needed a few days to respond to anything then the work I will be doing isn’t for me.

If I gave up out of frustration then the work I will be doing isn’t for me.

If I was thinking of going into other fields then I’d be wasting the Firm’s time.

So I completed the training programs, passed the physical agility and written tests on the Firm’s Policies and Procedures, labor law, criminal law, rules of evidence, and wrapped up with learning basic and advanced private investigations tradecraft.

The kicker in this story is that the owner was very clear.  He said to me, “Stay with the Firm for three years, and I will gladly sign you off to start your own private investigations firm.”

So what are the requirements to start one’s own private investigations firm?

“First, a ‘qualified manager’ of a private investigations firm ‘PI’ cannot legally just ‘sign off’ on someone’s hours who did not meet the required experience WHILE ON THE PAYROLL.  This opportunity can only be done with EMPLOYEES who are ON THE PAYROLL; hence, after meeting the below requirements, the employee will then be free to go solo.

The second and most important thing to consider before even thinking of starting a PI firm is this: one Must Know How to Run a Small Business—the below listed requirements don’t mention that most PI firms don’t make it very long with folks who have no experience in the private sector.” 

~ Quote by this Firm’s Owner.

While it is true that my degree chops some time off, I shall work to complete the three years as promised and be ready to "respond" to any "change in conditions."

From the California Department of Consumer Affairs Bureau of Security and Investigative Services Website

“A private investigator is an individual who amongst other duties (1) investigates crimes, (2) investigates the identity, business, occupation, character, etc., of a person, (3) investigates the location of lost or stolen property, (4) investigates the cause of fires, losses, accidents, damage or injury, or (5) secures evidence for use in court. Private investigators may protect persons only if such services are incidental to an investigation; they may not protect property. An individual, partnership, or corporation licensed as a private investigator may employ a qualified manager to manage the business on a day-to-day basis. To be eligible to apply for licensure as a private investigator/qualified manager, you must meet the following requirements:

Experience must be certified by your employer and have been received while you were employed as a sworn law enforcement officer, military police officer, insurance adjuster, employee of a licensed PI or licensed repossessor, arson investigator for a public fire suppression agency, or an investigator for the public defender's office.

(Work as a process server, public records researcher, custodial attendant for a law enforcement agency, bailiff, agent who collects debts in writing or by telephone after the debtor has been located, or person who repossesses property after it has been located is not considered qualifying experience.)

Pass a two-hour multiple-choice examination covering laws and regulations, terminology, civil and criminal liability, evidence handling, undercover investigations and surveillance. A copy of the Private Investigator Act will be sent to you; and

Upon notification that you have passed the examination, you must submit a licensing fee of $175 to the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services, P.O. Box 989002, West Sacramento, CA 95798-9002.”