It’s All on the Internet, Isn’t It?

The popular mythology is that everything is now available via the computer, so why bother with

field investigations? As with most myths, there is a kernel of truth here. There is a wealth of

information available on both the Internet and the many commercial available databases. These,

in addition to the huge number of free Internet sites available, are enormously helpful in focusing

and targeting field investigations so that they are vastly more efficient, but they are not a

substitute for good fieldwork. Computer based information needs to be seen as a vital tool, not

an end product.

Amassing volumes of data associated with a subject’s name and then trying to sift through it all

is not the most efficient or cost effective way of working. This “shotgun” approach will generate

heaps of data, but much of it will be inaccurate, out of date, or just plain wrong. You have no

idea whether the person who input the data was a conscientious professional operating on a full

night’s sleep, or a gum-popping teenager doing community service to work off a traffic ticket.

Even the commercial data vendors themselves can prove to part of the problem. They do not

have time to properly analyze all the data that comes their way so, if they cannot distinguish

between two people with the same name and who have a shared a common address (for example,

a father and son), they will simply attribute all the information to one or both of them. Another

big frustration is that these companies often report information obtained from a computer. As a

result, it is possible that the same erroneous data can appear in reports from multiple sources. It

takes skill and experience to separate the wheat from the chaff.

Most private investigators have become adept at analyzing the raw information available via

computer. The better detective agencies have investigators who have specialized as full time

research analysts. They use commercial databases, the Internet, and their own in-house

resources to target their research. First, they will access those databases best suited to

identifying all the possible candidates, then progressively select those that will narrow the field

until they identify the correct “John Smith” out of the many that show up in the raw data. As the

subject’s life comes into better focus, they use their experience to select those information

sources that will help them build an accurate profile.

Often, the picture that starts to develop will cause the analyst to expand his or her horizons and

look for new sources of information. This is where creativity becomes invaluable and has led to

the discovery of such things as databases containing information about foreign born subjects in

their native county, veterans’ information kept by both the U.S. government and non-

governmental groups, and a host of sites dedicated to professional and special interest groups.

Today, we are very lucky that technology can give us a head start on almost any investigation.

The challenge is in understanding the true meaning and value of the data that technology can

generate. When it’s all said and done though, even the best database report is limited in its

scope. It cannot, for example, tell you much about what is contained within a court case file it

identities, Are the issues relevant? Are there other important individuals identified such as

family members, business partners, or health providers? Are there questions raised that could be

resolved then and there, without making another trip to the courthouse? Does it contain

information that opens up new avenues of investigation? Only a trained professional reviewing

the actual documents can answer these questions and take full advantage of the information

found.

Individually, onsite investigations and computer work each have a unique value. Standing alone

each can generate a wealth of information. However, it is only when excellent data analysis is

combined with skilled fieldwork that a truly comprehensive, accurate and useful investigative

report can be produced.