ABSTRACT
Records, files, documentary evidence, and other written and oral forms of information are the “stock in trade” of the good investigator. In order to track clues in a typical investigative pattern, some form of documentary, testimonial, or physical evidence is necessary. The investigator must depend upon facts more than opinion or rumor. Critical to the success of any investigation are the integrity and substantiality of information gathered. For example, a security firm that is hired to determine the character of a potential employee may attach any or all of the following to its written report:
Past character references• Offense reports• Military reports• Litigation documents• Credit history reports• Deeds, titles, or insurance documents• Arrest reports•
The mere assertion that a person’s character is flawed will not cut it. The documents posed here flesh out the claim of bad character and corroborate the conclusion.
