ABSTRACT
I. Investigation Terminology A. Investigation Defined According to the website www.Word-Origins.com, etymologically, to investigate something is to look for traces or vestiges of it. The word can be traced to the Latin word investīgāre, meaning “search into,” a compound verb based on vestīgāre, meaning track or trace, which was a derivative from vestīgium, meaning footprint.2 Ergo, the silly and terribly overused human footprint as a component of the business logos used by many private investigators. However, today, the noun version of the word, investigation, is used for many purposes and means different things to different organizations. For our purposes we will consider the following definition: “An investigation is the systematic and thorough examination and inquiry into something or someone, and the recording of this examination or inquiry in a report.”3 Good, but consider instead: “An investigation is the examination, study, searching, tracking, and gathering of factual information that answers questions or solves problems.”4 Better yet might be my definition: “An investigation is the logical and intelligent collection of information through inquiry and examination for the purpose of developing evidence so as to solve a problem.”
