Your Guide to Hiring a Legit PI in Los Angeles

William Powell
ILLUMINATION
Published in
5 min readJul 22, 2024
A close-up of a detective’s board with a blank white sheet pinned in the center, ready to be filled with evidence and case details.
Uncover the best PI for your case, from building your search list to interviewing competitors. | Photo by Volodymyr Hryshchenko on Unsplash

Do you need to hire a private investigator in Los Angeles? L.A. is the second most populated city in the U.S. with more than 3.8 million people living in it, so tracking down a private investigator to help you crack a case shouldn’t present any problems. You will, however, need to locate a legit PI in Los Angeles rather than simply selecting the first option you can find.

Not sure where to look first? Check out our guide on how to hire a private investigator in Los Angeles below and begin searching for the best option of the bunch.

Create a List of Los Angeles Private Investigators

It’s difficult to determine how many private investigators there are working throughout the U.S. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says there are just over 38,000 private investigators, but other sources claim this number is closer to 100,000.

Whatever the case, you shouldn’t have any trouble generating a long list of options when you want to hire a private investigator in Los Angeles. Simply Google “private investigators Los Angeles” or even just “private investigators near me” and you should see a lot of different PIs in the area appear. Jot down their names, their websites, and their contact information to get your search off to a strong start.

See Which Services Private Investigators in L.A. Specialize In

Once you have a list of private investigators in L.A. assembled, visit their websites to see what each one is all about. When hiring a private investigator, it’s extremely important to find one who specializes in offering the specific services you need.

The top PIs in Los Angeles can investigate cases involving cheating spouses, fraud, missing persons, domestic issues, child support, service of process, and so much more. They’ll understand how to conduct a successful investigation and provide you with the information you need in the end.

Take a look at how much experience each private investigator on your list has, too. The last thing you want to do is enlist the services of a private investigator in L.A. who doesn’t have enough experience when there are so many options who have spent years investigating complex cases and cracking them.

Read Reviews for Private Investigators in Los Angeles

Something you’ll notice as you sift through the websites for private investigators in Los Angeles is that each one will likely claim to be the “best.” But would their previous clients agree with that assessment?

The only surefire way to find out is by reading through reviews for PIs who work on cases in the L.A. area. Read any testimonials that private investigators have on their websites before heading out to look for additional online reviews elsewhere. Make sure the PI you bring on board to investigate a person, a business, or another entity comes highly recommended by others who have invested in their services.

Reach Out to Noteworthy L.A. Private Investigators

When you reach this point in your search for L.A. private investigators, there should be at least a few options starting to stand out. Use their contact information to touch base with them so you can gather more information about what they can bring to the table.

Doing this can serve two purposes: First, it can provide an opportunity to get a good overview of what different private investigators in Los Angeles can do for you. But maybe more importantly, it can enable you to rule out certain options based solely on who does and doesn’t get back to you. If a PI doesn’t have a few minutes to respond to your initial inquiry, it may suggest you won’t enjoy a good experience with them when it’s time to get down to business.

Arrange for In-Person Interviews With Private Investigators in Los Angeles

You can learn a lot about different private investigators by chatting with them on the phone or even just exchanging emails. But if you want to hire a private investigator in Los Angeles because you’re, say, preparing for litigation in a civil case and need them to unearth evidence to support your claims, you’ll spend your fair share of time working side-by-side with a PI. You need to be completely sure they’re the right person for the job.

Don’t be afraid to set up in-person interviews with several of your top choices after narrowing down your original list of private investigators. It’ll give you a chance to dig deeper into each of their backgrounds while also seeing if they’re a good fit for you personality-wise.

See Which PIs in L.A. Sound Excited About Your Case

As you meet with different L.A.-based private investigators, pay close attention to how excited they are about potentially working on your case. The PIs that deliver the best results to their clients are often the ones who become obsessed with cracking the cases assigned to them.

The right private investigator in Los Angeles should analyze the specifics of your case and want to know more. If they don’t sound like they can’t wait to hit the ground running and investigate your case from every angle, you may want to consider a better option.

Hire and Begin Working With a Private Investigator in Los Angeles

You probably won’t be able to hire a private investigator in Los Angeles within just a few hours or even a few days. When done right, hiring a legit PI in L.A. will involve you conducting a thorough investigation on them to ensure their services check out. It’ll also involve you remaining patient so you don’t rush right into a final decision and pick the wrong option.

Keep each of the tips found here in mind as you set out to hire the best PI you can find in Los Angeles. The extra effort you put in on your part will prove to be well worth it once you start working with a PI and see how intense they are about getting to the bottom of your case.

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William Powell
ILLUMINATION

Writer & educator w/ a passion for marketing. Enjoys learning about the latest business trends & analyzing global events impact on international economies