EXPERIENCE PAYS!!
1. If you were to single out one trait in an investigator that is most important what would it be? Many people, particularly attorneys, feel that the most important thing to find in an investigator is his ability to present well and testify in-front of a court. I do agree this is extremely important, however I would disagree with that being the most important. I honestly feel that an even more important trait or skill that a great investigator should possess is his ability to write a comprehensive, articulate, convincing and bullet-proof report. After all isn't an attorney's objective to settle a case before it goes to trial? I personally have prepared countless, highly detailed reports that are so convincing and accurate, that many cases have settled prior to even going to arbitration or mediation, let alone going to trial. If you're looking for a great investigator ask him for a copy of one of his reports, or try him out on a rather simple case, have him prepare a report and then assess how well he prepared it.
2. Does the investigator appear to show specialized, expert experience in the field in which you are seeking? At DJC Investigations, I clearly state my area of expertise, accident investigation and personal injury, with 20 years of experience of uncovering the facts and truth; objectively.
3. What is a "Technical Accident Investigator"? this refers to the 3rd tier in vehicle collision/accident investigations. In order of training for accident investigators, the most basic is taught to all police officers attending a police academy and is thus called the "Collision Investigation Basic" training level. The next level is an additional 65 hours training called "Collision Investigation Advanced". This next level is followed by an additional 103 hour course called "Collision Investigation Technical". At this level, Technical Investigators typically oversee, coordinate, supervise, and analyze complex vehicle collisions involving serious injury and death. They are considered experts in the field of vehicle accident investigation and can testify in a court as such. The final tier in accident investigation is "Collision Investigation Reconstruction". This level is typically reserved for police detectives assigned to investigate felony accident collisions and multiple fatality collisions.
4. Do you know specifically who will be working your case?
Many private investigation agencies have more than one partner or may have a number of associates working under their title. You should know specifically who will be working on your case, what their background is and what their area of expertise is. With DJC Investigations, I make this very simple for you as I am a sole proprietor and I conduct all the case work personally. On very rare occasions, work such as out of state criminal checks, they may be sub-contracted out to get you only the very best product for your money.
To go along with hiring a sole proprietor such as myself, as apposed to a large agency, is that I take calls 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so I am there when that all important witness calls to give me the information that makes your case. I can also adjust my work schedule to reach people after hours.
5. Why should I hire you to interview a person, witness or party, as apposed to doing it myself or having a paralegal do it?
It has been my experience that most people are more willing to talk to an independent investigator such as myself, because I am just that...Independent and not directly representing a particular person. A good many of people don't want to be involved with anyone from an attorney's office or an insurance company and thus are more reluctant to return a phone call from someone who has left a message identifying themselves calling on behalf of a law office or insurance company.
I have also found cases, which I personally have worked, where a paralegal or claims adjuster claimed to have contacted all parties associated with a case, such as witnesses, but in fact they were never even contacted. I could only assume there is a difference between two people who can do the same task, but one gets paid a monthly salary no matter what they do, or don't do, and the other gets paid on a hourly basis for only what they accomplish.
6. Is the investigator willing to provide you with a resume to substantiate his area of expertise? I chroniclize my career background, training and experience to make it easy on you in making a decision of hiring only the best. I can further provide you any other documentation to support my resume. Just ask!
7. Does the investigator appear to be professional yet friendly and engaging when you interview the investigator for the first time? I do hope that you are making a personal phone call the first time you decide to utilize the services of any independent contractor. Talk about the case, ask questions to find out about the person who will be doing work for you and then you should be able to get a good idea what type of person this is and if they are the right one for your particular assignment. If I were hiring someone for a particular job, I’d want to make certain this person comes across as a true professional, but at the same time, a friendly and engaging person. I’m very proud of my abilities to communicate effectively to an extremely wide range of people from varying ethnic, social, financial and age groups. I make it a point that the person I am interviewing is never looked at but anything less than my equal.
8. What sets one investigator apart from all the others out there? Hopefully it is not simply the investigator’s hourly rate for services that sets them apart. But if you are looking for an accident investigator, I can personally guarantee you that it will be very difficult to find anyone better than DJC Investigations. As a prior Washington State Trooper, my specialty was vehicle accidents. The Washington State Patrol is widely recognized as training the best accident investigators in their field and additionally the WSP was nominated the Best Law Enforcement Agency in the Nation for 2007 by the International Association of Chiefs of Police. Furthermore, as a prior insurance claims adjuster with an emphasis in auto, premise and product liability, DJC Investigations knows injuries and injured persons.
9. What is the best training or experience for a good private investigator? I actually feel that anyone can be an amazing investigator with the right drive, an ability to adapt to the person or environment and possessing some good common street-sense. Just look at the story made into a movie “Erin Brockovich”. I however, certainly would not want to hire someone as my investigator simply because they attended a course in the subject, however small or great the program is, then they paid a few hundred dollars to the state to get their P.I. license, but had absolutely nothing else to back up their claimed expertise. Likewise, it is commonly known that a large percentage of private investigators were prior law enforcement officers. Once again I would not recommend hiring a prior police officer solely on this background. In fact, it is my impression, that the majority of police officers do in fact have a great wealth of knowledge and training, but they generally lack enthusiasm to get out there and do things on their own simply because most police officers act in response to something happening as apposed to being proactive.
YOU WANT A PROACTIVE INVESTIGATOR!
Daniel J. Cencak Investigations is Proactive at initiating and completing the assignment.