PI licensing
It’s official – As of June 1st, when the new Colorado law goes into effect, I will be a licensed private investigator in this state. Before now, there were no licensing requirements for private investigators, except for a brief time when it was voluntary – and the requirements so ridiculous, that very few could qualify.
The push for licensing was not without opposition within the industry. Some felt that it would become a financial burden or a barrier to entry into the profession. And others simply didn’t want the government intrusion. But the board of the Professional Private Investigators Association of Colorado (PPIAC) worked tirelessly with the Department of Regulatory Agencies to come up with a reasonable way to monitor private investigators. Think about it – do we really want to trust our Social Security numbers and the surveillance of our loved ones to just anyone?
So, what does this mean for me, and why did I go for this licensing? I’m not your typical PI, and I have no intention of handling any skip tracing, surveillance, messy encounters with perps, or other types of traditional PI work.
The law is quite clear, though:
“Private Investigation” means undertaking an investigation for the purpose of obtaining information for others pertaining to: …
…2. The identity, reputation, character, habits, conduct, business occupation, honesty, integrity, credibility, knowledge, trustworthiness, efficiency, loyalty, activity, movements, whereabouts, affiliations, associations, or transactions of a person, group of persons, or organization;
3. The credibility of witnesses or other persons; …
And that’s exactly what we do for our clients. They want to make sure that there’s nothing in the investment manager’s reputation, character, credibility, etc. that could affect their investment.
So, no, I won’t help your friend find her deadbeat husband. I’m not tracking down anyone’s birth parents. It’s still just me and my team, with our computers and telephones, keeping a few hedge fund managers honest. And now complying with state law.
