3 Reporting

Study Unit
Reporting
By
James F. Kanavy
Contributing Reviewer
Leroy Cook
About the Author
James F. Kanavy received a bachelor’s degree and a master of arts
degree in political science from East Stroudsburg University, East
Stroudsburg, PA. He taught Organized Crime Investigations at East
Stroudsburg University and guest lectured at various universities
and numerous police training academies. He holds a certification
by the Pennsylvania Municipal Police Training Commission to
teach report writing, criminal investigation, and police firearms.
Before his retirement in 1994, Kanavy was a special agent-in-charge

of the Northeast and Central Pennsylvania regional offices of the
Pennsylvania Crime Commission, where he supervised and con-
ducted syndicated crime and related corruption investigations in
a 36-county area.
About the Contributing Reviewer

Leroy Cook is the founder and president of ION Incorporated. Prior
to founding ION in 1987, he operated his own investigation agency
for 15 years, served 8 ½ years as an all-lines adjuster and branch
manager with the General Adjustment Bureau, and spent 3 years
as a sales trainer for Field Enterprises Educational Corp. He has
lectured at investigative meetings across the United States and
around the world, including conferences of the World Association
of Detectives, National Council of Investigative and Security Services,
and the American Society of Industrial Security. He has been awarded
numerous investigative industry certifications including CLI (Certified
Legal Investigator), CII (Certified International Investigator), CFE
(Certified Fraud Examiner), and CPP (Certified Protection
Professional).
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Printed in the United States of America
In this study unit, you’ll learn the
basics of report writing and reporting
to clients. You’ll learn how to deliver
the type of investigative report your
Pr evi ew
client needs and wants. This unit
describes the various ways you can
report your investigative findings to
your client. You’ll learn the advantages
and disadvantages of various methods
you’ll use to provide your client with information. The private
investigation report is the product your client purchases. Your
report must reflect a professionally conducted investigation or
your client might not provide repeat business or recommend
you. You’ll also learn the importance of determining what
your client expects from you and how you can meet your
client’s reporting expectations.
When you complete this study unit, you’ll be able to

• Decide which type of report your client needs or wants
• Follow an organized format
• Know when to verbally advise a client
• Use intermediate reports and final reports appropriately
• Determine the best reporting format to use for each
type of case
• Determine the best way to prepare a report
iii
TERMINOLOGY 1
Con ten ts
REPORTING 2
Who Is Your Client? 5
Who? What? When? Where? Why? How? 6
The Need for Planning 8
Learning about Your Client and What Your
Client Wants 10
Other Considerations in Planning for Reporting 14
THE BASICS OF REPORTING AN

INVESTIGATION 17
Grammar, Punctuation, and Spelling 17
Confirmation of Assignment 19
Status (Interim) Reports 20
Continuity between Reports 21
THE REPORTING MEDIUM 28

Factors to Be Considered in Selecting a Medium 28
Verbal Reports 29
Telephonic Reports 29
When to Report 30
Elements of Telephone Reports 31
Encryption 35
ALTERNATIVE MEDIA 37
Problems with Fax Machine Security 38
Advantages of Fax Machines and E-mail 39
Impress for Success 39
MAIL 42
Surface Mail (“Snail Mail”) 42
Western Union and Other Couriers 43
E-Mail 44
Voice Mail 46
Final Report and Invoice for Services 46
Double-Checking a Final Report 47
v
The Invoice for Services 48
THE MECHANICS OF REPORTING 52

Word Processing 52
Anatomy of a Final Report 52
Reporting on Complex Investigations 54
Confidentiality of Reports 54
Attorney Work Product 55
SUMMARY 57
SELF-CHECK ANSWERS 59
EXAMINATION 63
vi Contents
Reporting
TERMINOLOGY
academic Having to do with learning in school.
attorney work product Material or information gathered by
an attorney in anticipation of litigation; protected by the
attorney-client privilege.
caption A title or text at the head of an area of print or
under a picture.
compromise To make less dependable.
diary date A scheduled time a file must be reported on.
documentation Backup material with a report to support
the facts reported.
font A typeface or size and style of type (letters).
form A sheet or paper or page in a computer with blanks to
be filled in.
grammar Manner of speech or writing with reference to
common usage.
hard copy Printed material as opposed to digital.
interim report Any report except a first or last.
medium (Singular of media). Something through which
something else can be communicated.
opinion What a person thinks about something; not
necessarily proven.
preemployment Before someone is hired.
proofreader Something who reads materials and notes or
corrects errors in grammar, punctuation, or spelling.
snail mail Slang term among e-mail users for postal
service-delivered mail.
software A set of programmed instructions.
template A page in a computer with blanks to be filled in.
1
REPORTING
A report is an account of something seen, heard, read, done,
or considered. Reporting is the act of giving or providing a
report. Although reporting is one of the most important keys
to your success as a private investigator, it needs to be kept
in perspective. Reporting is nothing new. You’re faced with
the task of reporting every day. Every time you communicate
with another person—as long as you consider what you com-
municate—reporting takes place (Figure 1). Every considered
answer to a question is a report.
FIGURE 1—Every time you com-

municate with another person,
you’re reporting.
Although children can “report” to mom on their guilt or inno-

cence with a glance, a teacher in school wouldn’t be satisfied
with just a glance when a report or a project is due. Different
circumstances call for different kinds of reports. In this unit,
you’ll consider different types of clients you might have as
a private investigator and how each type of client might
influence your report.
2 Reporting
For example, if you’re hired to determine an address for a
debtor, the report needs to include either the requested
address or the detailed reasons why you couldn’t find the
address. The question that remains is, does this report need
to be in writing, verbal, by phone, in person, by mail, by
e-mail, or by fax? By determining more information about
the circumstances of the report, you can make a decision
about how you’ll present it.
If the assignment is one of many routine assignments from the
same client, each to find a different debtor, the report would
most likely need to be in writing (Figure 2). Reporting verbally
by telephone or in person would be very inappropriate when
the client may have hundreds of similar cases open and no
reason to remember your particular case. On the other hand,
if it’s a “one of a kind” assignment from a client who’s per-
sonally involved with the case, and your instructions are to
let the client know as soon as you obtain the address, a verbal
report by telephone would be appropriate (Figure 3). When
you provide the requested information, clients in such cases
sometimes say “Just send me your bill.” In these situations,
a verbal report finalizes the case.
FIGURE 2—Some clients will require a

written report.
FIGURE 3—A verbal report, such as a telephone call,
is appropriate for some clients.
Reporting 3
Situations differ between cases; however, the type of reporting
you should use can generally be determined by the category
of client—except in the case of special circumstances.
Insurance claim professionals have standard procedures
they must follow. They handle hundreds of files every month
and consequently must receive written reports.
The instructions from the individual client would probably
determine whether the written report should be delivered
by fax, mail, or e-mail. Another category of clients, attorneys,
can generally be divided into two subcategories—plaintiff and
defense. Plaintiff attorneys generally work on a contingency—
they’re paid only if they win. As a result, they’re results
oriented. Defense attorneys, on the other hand, are paid by
the hour. As a result, they must justify everything they do
or pay for. If they pay a large investigation bill, they must
produce a large investigation report. By the end of this study
unit, you’ll be able to ascertain when a quick verbal message
versus a long report is appropriate.
The purpose of reporting is to furnish a record of activities
and information. A private investigator must maintain
accurate and complete records of all investigative activities.
In addition to keeping the client informed of the results of
your investigation, reports help you manage the investigation
by forcing you to organize and analyze your work periodically.
Reports are used internally in an investigation agency to
monitor the activities of undercover operations; however, in
this section you’ll learn about reporting to clients. Special
types of reports such as reporting on high-volume cases like
preemployment checks will be discussed in the unit on
pre-employment investigations.
Reports can be a source for testimony or for questions
at depositions or hearings. Reports can be used as evidence
of prior statements during prosecution or litigation. In
the much-publicized O. J. Simpson trial, it was the report
of a private investigator that helped Attorney F. Lee Bailey
cross-examine Los Angeles Police Detective Mark Fuhrman
about his use of racial slurs. This line of questioning later
affected the outcome of the trial by bringing into question
Fuhrman’s credibility.
4 Reporting
The ABCs of good report writing are
• Accuracy. Reports should contain only facts.
Observations, quotations, rumors, hearsay, opinions,
abbreviations, or allegations should be plainly identified
as such. Be exact as to names, addresses, times, and
amounts.
• Brevity. Be clear and concise; however, not at the

expense of completeness. Avoid nonessential and
irrelevant information and details, as well as repetition.
• Completeness. A report must include all relevant

information.
When you begin an investigation, you’ll first meet or

communicate with your client to determine what information
your client wants and how and when your client wants the
information. As you interview your client, you’ll develop your
investigative plan. The process of developing the investigative
plan helps you focus your investigative efforts. Who? What?
When? Where? Why? How? are basic questions for every
interview you conduct—even an interview with your client.
Your first job is to find out what your client needs to know.
Your client might not have a clear picture of what he or she
needs. Your client may or may not know what he or she
wants. Finding out is part of the challenge.
Who Is Your Client?

Your client is the individual who purchases your service. Who
the actual client is may at times be confusing. For example,
in a divorce proceeding, an attorney could contract the services
of a private investigator. Even though the attorney’s client
benefits from your work and is the person who will ultimately
pay you for it, your client is still the attorney—not the attorney’s
client. If you perform the investigation in a competent, efficient
manner, you’ll get more business from the attorney. If you
get confused about who the client is and deal directly with
the attorney’s client instead of the attorney—without the
attorney advising you to—it can have serious consequences.
You could adversely affect the outcome of the case by turning
up information that falls outside of the attorney-client privilege.
Even if nothing so serious happens, the attorney won’t like
the lack of professionalism you’ll show by not clearing the
contact with his or her client first.
Reporting 5
As a private investigator, you must elicit the following
information from your client:
• What your client suspects or believes
• What your client wants to know
• What your client expects to learn
• What your client needs to know
For example, the information desired by your client may

involve a lawsuit. Litigation preparation requires the private
investigator to carefully document each contact as possible
evidence to be presented in a court of law or legal proceedings,
such as a deposition or an administrative hearing. In another
case, your client could desire a pre-employment background
investigation or a public record search to uncover assets.
Background investigations and record searches require careful
documentation of your investigative steps. However, they don’t
usually involve as much work as litigation preparation.
Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?

Conduct an in-depth interview to determine who your client
is and what your client wants and needs (Figure 4). Direct
the following questions to your client:
• What is your position relevant to this matter?
• Who is the subject (the person you’ll investigate) of the

investigation? Your client should provide the subject’s
name, date of birth, place of birth, physical description,
Social Security/Social Insurance number, residences,
and employment and criminal histories.
• What does your client want to find out or expect you to

be able to prove? For example, your client might own a
business that has an inventory loss problem and suspects
an employee of stealing. When did your client discover
the loss? Find out what was stolen. How? Who had access
to the inventory? When did the subject take the action
or inaction? Where did the action or inaction occur? Why
does the client suspect a particular individual? How does
your client think the subject acted?
6 Reporting
FIGURE 4—It’s important to con-
duct an in-depth interview to
determine your client’s needs.
As you can see from the questions, each bit of information

prompts a whole new set of questions. When your client
answers the questions to the best of his or her ability, you’ll
evaluate the information. Your evaluation will lead you to
the point where you’ll need to get answers to the next set of
similar questions:
• Whom will you need to contact?
• What do you need to learn?
• When do you begin your investigation?
• When will you need to report?
• Where do you begin?
• How do you begin?
• How are you going to be paid?
Reporting 7
Never forget you conduct investigations for clients, not for
yourself or to “solve a case.” The consumer of the private
investigator’s work product is the client. The private investi-
gator’s work product is an investigative report. Tailor your
report to the needs of your client—the client is the one paying
the bill.
The Need for Planning

Essential to your successful career as a private investigator
is the five p’s rule—Proper planning prevents poor performance.
Successful private investigators expand this rule to add a
sixth p for perseverance. After you conduct a thorough interview
with your client and obtain all of the available information,
it’s time to review the data and plan your investigation.
You’re familiar with planning; you do it every day. When
you run errands to the grocery store, the bank, and the dry
cleaners, you plan your itinerary. As you plan
your trip, other factors come into play that
influence your plan. If you need cash or have
to make a deposit, you’ll go to the bank first,
shop for groceries, and then pick up your dry
cleaning. If your car needs gas, you’ll alter your
original plan. If the grocery store and cleaners
are on the way to the bank, you might decide to
write checks for the groceries and dry cleaning
and then either deposit or transfer the funds at
the bank. Your investigative steps are similar to
everyday planning; however, they’re often more
elaborate. When referring to a case, most inves-
tigators say that a case develops a life of its own.
Investigation is dynamic. An investigator gath-
ers new information daily—even hourly. A good
investigator remains flexible, examining new data,
evaluating how it fits with known information,
and deciding the next course of action (Figure 5).
You may decide to recontact your client for
clarification or additional information to resolve
conflicting data. You’re constantly reacting to
FIGURE 5—As a private investigator, it’s important to
remain flexible—you have to be ready to change your
new information by evaluating it and making
schedule at the last minute. any necessary changes to your plan.
8 Reporting
Part of your investigative planning involves identifying leads
(potential sources of information) and deciding what information
you need and the order in which you’ll collect it. You may
decide you need to conduct interviews and perform a public
records check. If you don’t need the public record information
for the interviews, then you’ll conduct the interviews first.
It’s best not to delay interviews. Question the people you
interview while they’re still willing to talk. The information
already recorded and in public domain won’t change. On the
other hand, there may be times when you’ll have only one
opportunity to obtain needed documentation, so obtaining
the records should come first. You need to remain flexible.
Once you’re aware of the critical role of reporting to your
success as a private investigator, you’ll understand that all
planning for an investigation must include consideration of
reporting factors. Some inexperienced investigators are so
wrapped up in the excitement of a case that they work night
and day for two weeks developing information. If investigations
were as simple as “solving cases,” as most fiction writers
portray them, the overly enthusiastic approach described
above might work. However, the fact is that the majority of
cases worked by a professional private investigator don’t
involve “solving” anything. When the final report and invoice
for services are submitted, very little is usually solved. If
solving cases determined when and how much private
investigators got paid, very few would be in business for more
than a few weeks. It’s the report of an investigation and not
“solving the case” for which a private investigator is paid. If
an inexperienced investigator finally realizes the case isn’t
going to be “solved” as fast as the cases are solved on television,
and decides to send the client a report at the end of two
weeks, there would be little of value to put in the report—
unless the report had been requested. Enough time must
be allocated for writing notes, rewriting the notes, and then
for creating a report with the information in the notes.
Professional private investigators must not only plan the
investigation, but also plan for the reporting process.
Reporting 9
Learning about Your Client
and What Your Client Wants
You can’t plan your investigation until you know what your
client wants. Consider the following:
• Are your client’s wants or expectations realistic, legal,
and obtainable?
• When does your client need the information?
• Where does your client want to use your product?
• Why does your client want to use your product?
• How does your client expect to use your product?
Answering these questions will help you to focus your

investigative efforts. Many private investigators learned
their investigative skills in law enforcement, private security,
military police, and intelligence services. They know how to
conduct investigations. However, these private investigators
were trained to start their investigations at a crime scene,
with a criminal complaint, or an allegation of a criminal
violation. Then they were trained to investigate to prove the
elements of the crime as defined in statutes and redefined
by court decisions. Private investigation isn’t always so struc-
tured or defined. The following example shows the chain
of events in interviewing your client and planning your
investigation.
A local businessperson contacts you to conduct a
preemployment background investigation. Initially, you
must elicit information from your client that may help you
focus your investigation. Normally, every request for a
pre-employment background investigation should come to
the investigator with an employment application signed by
the subject. In the initial client interview, you verify who
the applicant is and verify or obtain all the appropriate
identifying data. This data should include a description of
the applicant (a photograph would be helpful), the applicant’s
date of birth, Social Security number (Social Insurance
number in some foreign countries), and relevant background
information. Much of the information is often on the employ-
ment application (Figure 6). Previous employers, previous
residences, arrests (if applicable), military service, education,
10 Reporting
and the applicant’s response to questions, such as whether
or not the applicant was ever arrested or investigated by
a grand jury or commission, can also be included on
applications.
FIGURE 6—A Typical Employment Application
Reporting 11
You should determine what information your client wants to
learn through your background investigation. Perhaps your
client wants to know if the applicant lied or provided false or
misleading information on the application. Your client might
want to know if the applicant can work well without direct
supervision or if he or she has a poor work history. Ask
your client which items are critical to the job. Consider the
following:
• Does the job require a bachelor’s degree or any other
advanced degree or technical training? Then you can
decide if you need to contact the applicant’s schools to
verify this information.
• Does your client want to know if the applicant has ever

been arrested or suspected of a crime?
• Will any adverse information affect security clearances

or contracts that your client holds?
• Where has the applicant resided?
• Has the applicant been out of the area for military

service?
You need this type of information in directing your search.

Does your client request very limited information? Does your
client merely want to verify the applicant’s residence, previous
employment, and criminal record? If so, it’s not necessary
for you to do an exhaustive investigation. Many times a client
wants to know if a prior employer terminated an employee
and the reason for termination; if the applicant had poor job
performance in previous positions; or if the applicant has a
history of workers’ compensation claims. Your client may
not articulate this information to you. It’s your responsibility
to ask enough questions to determine ahead of time what
your client already knows, and what additional information
is desired. It’s very frustrating to have done a good job of
gathering information for clients and then to have them say
they don’t want to pay your bill because they already know
the information in your report.
In the initial interview, you’ll also need to determine the
time needed to complete the work and the steps necessary
to conduct the investigation. If you promise a client a final
report in an insufficient time frame for completing the
12 Reporting
investigation, you’ll have failed to properly plan for the
reporting process. The investigation steps might include
contacting witnesses, reviewing records, and using specialized
investigative techniques, such as physical or electronic
surveillance. During physical surveillance, the investigator
observes an activity, carefully records when, where, and what
time any activity takes place, and carefully notes what’s
observed and who’s involved. For example, suppose a client
contracts you to observe suspicious activity at a warehouse.
During your observation, you see a truck pull up to the
warehouse and two men load five bags marked “sugar” from
the warehouse into the truck. If you don’t take good notes
while observing the activity, your report may be of no value
to the client. You’ll report you observed the two men loading
five bags marked “sugar” into the truck. You can’t say the
two men were loading five bags of sugar because you didn’t
see inside the bags. You don’t know the content of the bags. To
refer to what was loaded as “bags of sugar” is speculation on
your part. You also don’t know if the two men had authorization
to do what they did, so never say anything about anyone doing
anything “wrong or illegal” in a report. Stick with reporting
exactly what you observe. Your report will need to include
accurate descriptions, license numbers, times, and anything
else that will make it possible for the client to make a good
decision.
Physical surveillance can also involve electronic surveillance.
Electronic surveillance involves the use of electronic devices
to capture activity. The most frequent type of electronic
surveillance used by private investigators is videotaping. If
necessary, you could subcontract for some of the specialized
investigative techniques, such as the use of a time-delay
camera or of a video camera that sends pictures to a remote
location. If you use equipment or personnel other than your
own, you should advise the client in your report.
In a case involving video, your report might contain a written
summary of what’s on the videos, a cut version of the video,
or a complete copy of the video. If your client wants a written
summary and you send the whole tape, you’ll have failed in
planning for reporting procedures.
Reporting 13
Your reputation depends upon your ability to complete an
investigative assignment on time. This may sound simple
enough; however, when you conduct several investigations,
how you plan and focus each investigation to maximize the
use of your time will be crucial to the success of your business.
It’s crucial for you to ask the clients when you take the
assignment what time factors they’re faced with. A wonderful
report provided to a client a week after a jury has decided the
case will most likely result in the nonpayment of your bill.
Other Considerations in
Planning for Reporting
• How soon does your client need the information?
• How are you most comfortable reporting your findings?
• How does your client want reports and how often?
Avoid the pitfall of giving your client information you haven’t

corroborated (confirmed), unless the client is advised that’s
the case. You may want to verbally report or update your
client via telephone, followed by a written report. Telephone
your client if you obtain information you think your client
should know right away (Figure 7). If the case is open for some
time, you might submit interim or status reports. When you
complete the investigation, you’ll issue a final report. Your
client may want a written report sooner than is practical, and
you must address that ahead of time, instead of being late
with a requested report. You must decide if your client should
receive verbal progress reports, followed by written interim
reports and a final report. You and your client should agree
on a reporting timetable. Progress reports can be written or
verbal and are usually supplied either by telephone, mail,
e-mail, or in person. Your planning and investigation some-
times determine the method you use. Travel time and distance
or the need for confidentiality might make personal briefings
either necessary or impractical. Telephone, e-mail, and fax,
while convenient, have security problems. You could be
overheard, intercepted, or misunderstood.
14 Reporting
FIGURE 7—Telephone or
contact your client if you
obtain information you think
your client should know right
away.
Reporting 15
Self-Check 1
At the end of each section of Reporting, you’ll be asked to pause and check your understanding of
what you’ve just read by completing a “Self-Check” exercise. Answering these questions will
help you review what you’ve studied so far. Please complete Self-Check 1 now.
1. How do you determine what your client wants from your investigation?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
2. In addition to financial details, what information should you get from your
client in your client interview?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
3. What six, one-word questions should you cover with your client?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
4. Which report can be considered “your product”?

__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
5. Name two types of reports you can provide.

__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
6. Name four ways to delivering reports to clients.

__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
Check your answers with those on page 61.
16 Reporting
THE BASICS OF REPORTING
AN INVESTIGATION
All of the basics discussed here won’t be required or necessary
for every case. It’s up to you to determine which ones to use
through a good client interview and proper planning. Reporting
is more than “submitting a report.” It’s a process that begins
informally with the way you respond to the client when you
receive a case. If you create an unreasonable or high expecta-
tion in the mind of your client when you accept an assignment
and you’re unable to get all of what the client wants, providing
an acceptable report will be very difficult. If, on the other hand,
your client has reasonable expectations, a report detailing
what was done to try to get the required information has a
much better chance of being acceptable to the client.
Grammar, Punctuation, and Spelling
The Problem
Few of us are professional writers, and only a small number
of those who finish high school or even college use correct
grammar, punctuation, and spelling all the time. For an
investigation report to be professional, however, it must be
free of grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors. The good
news is that if the only private investigators able to succeed
were those who have an excellent grasp of grammar, punctu-
ation, and spelling, there would be fewer successful private
investigators. One doesn’t have to have perfect academic skills
to be a successful private investigator; however, academic
skills are important. There are ways around poor academic
skills. However, it would be dangerous to minimize their
importance. If more licensed private investigators in the
United States were aware of the importance of grammar,
punctuation, and spelling, many more of them would be
financially successful.
Reporting 17
Possible Solutions
This problem can be solved like many others: Find out what
the problem or weakness is and do what you have to do to
solve or fix it. Consider some of the following options for
someone who wants to be a private investigator, but lacks
good academic skills.
1. The first and most obvious solution is to get additional
training in the areas where improvement you need. It’s
amazing how much more interesting an English class is
when the student has a goal that depends on learning
“good English.” Every community has places where people
who want to better themselves academically can get help
without spending a lot of money. The way to find these
places is to act as if a client has hired you to find out.
Call school officials and ask them. Ask people at the
social services department of your town or state. As an
aspiring private investigator, you should be your first
and most important client.
2. Another possible solution is self-study. This doesn’t
necessarily mean take a course; however, it may mean
watching less television. You can obtain a good dictionary
at a used bookstore or a garage sale. By making a habit
of looking words up in a dictionary, you can improve
your vocabulary and spelling abilities almost immediately.
Reading books that can be bought for 25 cents at garage
sales or checked out at the library will improve your
grammar, use of punctuation, and—if you look new words
up—spelling and vocabulary. These two habits, looking
words up and reading books, can change a person’s life
for the better in many ways. In general, better jobs are
available to people who use correct grammar, spelling,
and punctuation and have a good vocabulary.
3. Thank goodness for spelling and grammar checking
software in computers! As you’re typing a document,
hardly a paragraph will go by on the screen without
the spell check or grammar-checking feature of your
word processing program highlighting a word or phrase
for reconsideration. The computer isn’t always correct;
however, don’t make the mistake of thinking just because
something didn’t show up as wrong that it’s okay.
18 Reporting
4. A fourth option is to enlist the assistance of a proofreader.
This could be an employee; however, a friend or relative
is preferable. Frequently, even if proofreaders’ spelling,
punctuation, and grammar skills aren’t perfect, they
can still catch most of the errors in your writing. Even
experienced and competent investigators and writers use
proofreaders before submitting written material to others.
5. Some investigative agencies use an employee in the
position of report writer. A person hired for this position
would need good writing skills and an understanding of
or a willingness to learn about the investigation business.
Using the assignment sheet and field notes, the report
writer creates a professional report of work done by others.
A report writer is a specialist who fills an important need,
just as an accountant or bookkeeper or attorney is hired
when needed. This might not be practical for a one-person
operation; however, this shows that even a lack of
academic skills doesn’t have to keep a person with
resourcefulness and drive from becoming a successful
private investigator.
Confirmation of Assignment
After the initial client contact, the next step in reporting
should be sending a confirmation of the assignment. In some
cases, time doesn’t permit this step, as the case would be
done by the time a written confirmation reached the client.
When possible, providing a written confirmation of the
assignment to the client is good procedure. A written confir-
mation would include the following:
• Date and time received
• Name and contact information for the person from whom

the assignment was received
• Name and contact information of the person to report to

if different
• The client’s case identifying information, such as a file

number
• A brief recap of the specifics of the assignment
Reporting 19
• A reminder of any limitations that might be encountered
• An indication of when the client can expect action

and/or a report
• Financial arrangements, agreements, or limitations
Because confirmations of assignment are routine, and generally

cover the same details, you can be effectively perform them
by filling out and sending the client a preprepared form. If you
receive the assignment by letter, an easy way to confirm the
assignment is to write a short note accepting the assignment
on the bottom of the client’s letter, sign it, and return it to
the client. It’s important to get into the habit of using confir-
mations of assignments. As you fill out the confirmation form
or write the letter, you’ll be reminded if you failed to discuss
financial arrangements with the client. Investing your time and
expenses in an investigation without discussing a mutually
acceptable fee with the client is like taking off in an airplane
without checking to see if there’s fuel in the tanks. Covering
the financial details of an assignment before starting the work
— especially with a new client—is one of the most important
business requirements for being a successful private
investigator.
Status (Interim) Reports

When you receive a nonroutine assignment, it isn’t always
possible to know how long the investigation will take. You
can, however, remove the client’s uncertainty about when
something will be known or reported. To solve this dilemma,
you can decide on a reporting date with the client. This can be
15, 30, or more days from when the assignment is received.
Failure to keep the client informed of the progress of the
investigation causes more problems for investigators than
anything else. A case might seem routine to the investigator;
however, to a private client who might never have hired a
private investigator before, it’s anything but routine. Even
regular clients who hire many investigators have reasons
to get upset if they don’t receive reports when promised.
Attorneys and business clients sometimes have strategy
decisions to make and meetings scheduled in anticipation
of having the report from the investigator. Claims people live
20 Reporting
their working life guided by diary dates. Every claim file, when
it’s put away while still open, is given a diary date. This is a
date—usually about 30 days in the future—when the person
with the file is expected to provide a status report to a super-
visor. If the claims person who hired the investigator doesn’t
have the investigator’s report when the diary date arrives, he
or she will look incompetent and may even risk job loss. Even
a report saying nothing has been done is better than nothing
because it lets them off the hook by letting them pass on a
“nothing has been done” from someone else.
Status reports might contain all the elements of a final report
except a final bill for services, or may contain only one line.
Even if the report contains only the line “I haven’t been able
to start on this matter yet,” and information on when action
can be anticipated, it’s crucial to keeping your reputation and
clients. Before discussing final reports, you’ll consider some
other important factors.
Continuity between Reports

Figure 8 includes a set of sample captions. Reports should
be divided up into sections and paragraphs. The sections
should have headings or captions to help the reader follow
the organization of the report. Before discussing the use of
captions, we’ll consider how to tie reports together. Many of
the commercial clients you’ll work for will have dozens—if
not hundreds—of files open at any one time. To ensure that
clients continue to use your services, you must do whatever
you can to make their lives easier. Helping them avoid having
to search through a file to see what you’re talking about is a
good way to stay on their approved list of vendors.
Assignment Photographs
Synopsis Recap
FIGURE 8—Sample Report
Details Opinions Captions
Special Note Recommendations
Supporting Notes Decision Request
Exhibits Follow-up
Reporting 21
Once you decide on the format you’ll use for reporting, stick
with the same format as closely as possible in all reports. This
makes your reports easier to find in a thick file. If you have
a file open a long time and, several interim or status reports
send, be sure each one contains enough information about
what has been previously reported before reporting new infor-
mation. You must bring clients up to speed before expecting
them to understand the significance of new information or
to be prepared to respond to a question. At the end of every
status report, tell the client when the next report can be
expected.
The Report Header

After your letterhead information, which can either be already
printed on the paper or included in the template in your word
processing software, the first part of your report will be the
report heading. It should immediately tell readers everything
they need to know to match it up with the right person and
the right file. Figure 9 is an example of what a report heading
might look like on a report to an insurance claims person.
Your report heading might not look exactly like this Figure 9;
however, you need to design a report heading that will make
it easy for the report to get routed to the right place without
delay.
FIRST REPORT OF INVESTIGATION

Your claim #: 334 2003-F2234 Date of Report: October 22, 20xx
Insured: Leon John Subject: Sara Wright
Requested by: Maria Lopez By: George Investigator
FIGURE 9—Sample Report Header
22 Reporting
Reporting Captions
The list in Figure 8 of sample captions for use in reports is
meant to be a resource. Every investigator should cover all
the needed basics in a report in their own way. When private
investigation becomes too standardized, it loses much of its
effectiveness.
Depending on your understanding of the various headings
and the type of case and investigation, your reports could
need as few as three or four of these headings or nearly all
of them. Once you’ve decided which headings you’ll use as
the standard for your reports, it’s worthwhile to set up a
template in the word processing program on your computer.
The template (form) eliminates the need to set margins and
enter headings every time you prepare a report. As part of
the organizing and/or analyzing steps of reporting, you can
delete the captions in your report writing form or template
that you won’t be need a specific report.
Include the same information that is or would have been
contained in the confirmation of assignment letter—other
than what’s included in the report heading—in the first
paragraph of the first report under the caption “Assignment”
or “Confirmation of Assignment.” If a confirmation letter wasn’t
sent, the assignment paragraph is critical, and even if one was
sent, it’s important. Covering what’s requested and what and
how the client is willing to pay in the assignment paragraph
will do more to eliminate billing and collection problems than
almost anything else. Doing so in both an assignment confir-
mation letter and the first report strengthens your position
even more.
Although it can be shorter after the first report, you might
want to include an assignment paragraph in all reports. To
make it easy for the client to match it up with the file and
previous reports, you might include
• The client’s case identifying information such as a file

number
• Name and contact information of whom the assignment

was received from
Reporting 23
• Name and contact information of whom to report to
if different
• Number of previous report and date sent
Synopsis Paragraph
This paragraph of each report—first, status, or final—should
include a summary of the facts being transmitted in the report.
It should be brief, clear, and never more than a paragraph or
two in length. It should be written in the same way an executive
summary is prepared for a business plan. Providing details or
a blow-by-blow explanation of what was done or what people
in the paragraph said would be counterproductive.
Details
This section, which can include many paragraphs, is the
bulk of the report. It’s where you give clients what they’re
paying for. Photos and statements are listed in the details
section with a recap of what they show or include. If the
photographs have explanations of what’s in them included
on the mounting sheet or a separate sheet, don’t repeat all
of that information in the details section. Rather, tell the
client where to look for it. Don’t repeat everything said in
a statement. Rather, give clients a recap of what’s covered
and highlight the important things said and where they can
look for them in the statement—if they desire.
Be sure to keep the information in the details section factual
and clear. The details section isn’t the place for opinions or
excuses about why something happened or failed to happen.
Every report doesn’t need to include special notes, supporting
notes, exhibits, photographs, recaps, opinions, recommenda-
tions, or decision request paragraphs—unless appropriate.
Special Note
A special note paragraph includes something you want to call
the client’s attention to. It follows the details section or you
can include multiple special note paragraphs interspersed
throughout a long report.
24 Reporting
Supporting Notes
A supporting notes paragraph is used to introduce and
explain the inclusion of field notes with the report. Most
private investigators don’t submit field notes unless they’re
requested; however, it’s important to keep them in the file
when it’s closed.
Exhibits or Enclosures
An exhibits or enclosures paragraph or section is used when
exhibits are submitted with the report. Some investigators
use the word “enclosures” instead of exhibits. You should
use the suggestions received in your training to develop your
own way of communicating effectively with clients.
Photographs
If photographs are being submitted with a report, a paragraph
describing what they’re about is needed—unless an index with
appropriate captions is a part of the photograph presentation.
In that case, mentioning the photographs in the details section
is adequate.
Recap
A recap paragraph is appropriate at the end of a long,
complicated report; however, it isn’t needed in short reports.
When reporting on a complex and lengthy investigation, a
good way to think of the report organization is to tell clients
what you’re going say, say it, and then tell them what you
just said.
Opinions
Opinions, especially the opinions of an investigator about
what might or might not have happened or what something
means are better left out of reports. When there’s a good
reason for including your opinion or the opinions of others
you’re reporting on, an opinion section or paragraph is a good
way to keep them from getting confused with the factual
content of your report. It’s a good rule to never include
opinions unless the client has agreed to have you do so.
Reporting 25
Recommendations about what might be done—although one
could argue a proposed course of action is someone’s opinion—
do have a place in a good investigation status report.
Recommendations
A recommendations paragraph is part of a first report and/or
of status reports. In this paragraph, the investigator lays out
plans for further investigation. If there’s any question about
what the client will want done, the report is followed up with
a phone call in a few days to be sure the client is in agree-
ment with the investigator’s recommendations. Another way
of avoiding potential authority problems is to include the
following phrase in the recommendations paragraph: “I will
undertake the investigation activities outlined above and report
again in thirty days unless I receive instructions to the contrary
from your office.” The goal is to avoid the painful situation
that occurs when a client says “I didn’t expect or want you
to do all of that” after a lengthy investigation.
Decision Request
A decision request paragraph can be used to reinforce a
request for approval of the recommendations outlined in the
report. Some clients establish a pattern of encouraging hours
and hours of investigative activity without clear instructions
and then complaining about the size of the bill. Using a
decision request paragraph is one way of protecting yourself
from having to cut your bill for services. Whenever possible
in business or life, anticipating potential problems before
they come up is wise.
Follow-up
A follow-up paragraph is used with a client whom the
investigator has worked with enough to know what’s
expected. It’s similar to the recommendations paragraph.
Remember, all the captions discussed above aren’t needed for
every report. If you have them built into a form in your word
processor or printed on a list to work from when preparing
reports, you can pick and choose to provide the most
professional-looking and useful report for every kind of
investigation.
26 Reporting
Self-Check 2
1. What is the objective of the report heading?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
2. How will setting up a report template on your computer save you time?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
3. Name four things a confirmation of assignment letter should include.

__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
4. List four possible ways of dealing with an inadequate amount of grammar,

punctuation, and spelling skills.
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
5. When should details about paying for your services be covered with the
client?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
Reporting 27
THE REPORTING MEDIUM
Two ways of conveying information to your client are verbal
and written. You give verbal reports in person or by telephone.
You can supply written reports in person or by using a
traditional postal service, a courier service, a facsimile\(fax)
machine, Western Union, or e-mail. Establish reporting
ground rules early in your relationship with your client. Once
you’ve collected information, you have to decide how you’re
going to report the information to your client. The method of
communication you choose will partially be determined by
what you’ll report. In investigations involving adversarial
matters, you shouldn’t put evidence supportive of the other
side’s position be put into a written report unless you’re
instructed to do so by the client. Most clients will want
verbal updates via the telephone. However, when possible—
especially in complex matters—face to face is best.
Factors to Be Considered
in Selecting a Medium
There are four basic types of telephones:
1. The typical telephone system that uses traditional
telephone lines
2. A cordless telephone that’s wireless between the handset
and the rest of the telephone, which is connected to
traditional telephone lines
3. The cellular (analog) phone that uses wireless communi-
cation techniques
4. Digital telephones
Each of these systems has security problems. In this section,
you’ll learn about some telephone security problems and how
they affect what you say when reporting to your client by
telephone.
28 Reporting
Verbal Reports
As you learned in the previous section, your client often
wants verbal reports or updates. Verbal reports are necessary
if timing is a critical factor in your investigation. For example,
suppose your client needs information quickly for a next-day
court appearance or administrative proceeding. This would
require you to locate the information and get it to your client
by the next morning. You might also use verbal reports as a
courtesy and to show your client that you’re working on the
case. How will you give updates to your client and what will
you say? What are some common pitfalls to avoid?
Telephonic Reports
You can verbally report to your client by telephone.
Telephones are commonplace in homes and businesses,
on street corners, and at shopping malls. Today, cordless
telephones let us walk freely around our home or business
while we talk on the phone. Cellular phones, based on
advanced satellite technology, can be used in our cars and
carried in our pocket or briefcase. Today, cellular phones are
being increasingly replaced by digital telephones. Digital
phones appear to be the same as cellular phones to the user,
except that coverage may be better (or worse) in some areas.
Cordless, digital, and cellular phones transmit voice commu-
nications through the air. Cordless phones transmit without
wires for a only few feet to the main telephone, whereas digital
and cellular phones transmit signals thousands of miles from
tower to tower, tower to landlines, or tower to satellite to tower.
Given of the convenience of modern telephone devices and
our dependence on their availability, it’s easy to forget about
their inherent problems. Therefore, they must be used
cautiously.
Reporting 29
Someone could tap your telephone or your client’s telephone
and record your conversation without your knowledge. Also,
someone could overhear or intercept your conversation and
compromise your investigation.
Another problem with telephones is that, unless coordinated
with other media, they allow your client only one form of
communication without backup documentation. Your client
could misunderstand or misinterpret your report over the
phone. Also, the convenience of the telephone could lead you
to report information before you’ve fully verified it. You’ll
cover these problems in more detail a little later in the unit.
When to Report
Your client might want daily, weekly, or monthly updates,
or he or she might not have indicated when or how often
reports are desired. A basic rule to remember for reporting
is that you should report when you have pertinent information
or when a report is promised—whichever comes first. What
pertinent information you’ve learned determines the frequency
of the reports. One factor that dictates how often you should
provide updates is how soon your client needs to learn of
your progress. When your client needs the information, you
might have nothing pertinent to report. For example, suppose
you conduct a courthouse record check and you don’t locate
any references to the subject of your investigation. A negative
report could satisfy your clients’ peace of mind if they’re
worried about criminal records; however, if your client wants
to locate assets, learning that there aren’t any where you
looked wouldn’t be helpful or require immediate reporting.
A factor that dictates the frequency and advisability of verbal
updates is how much detail the client needs. In the previous
example, if you were reporting verbally, you could tell your
client where you checked records, the type of records you
examined, and that you found nothing. On the other hand, if
you plan to tell your client that you checked the records at a
particular county courthouse for property bought or sold; civil
and criminal records; the spelling variations of the subject’s
name; and aliases, you should probably put it in writing.
Whether verbally or in writing, if you locate information, your
30 Reporting
job is to disclose your findings. If you don’t find any informa-
tion in the records you’ve searched, stating you haven’t is
also part of what you’re paid for as a private investigator.
Elements of Telephone Reports

As you learned, when you use the telephone to convey
information to your client, you should be aware of the
shortcomings of the telephone system. Potential problems
exist for private investigators who use the telephone for
confidential communication. One potential problem is
security. Another problem is that the other party could
misunderstand the information communicated. How many
times have you heard a story repeated that didn’t resemble
the original story? People have a natural desire to hear only
what they want to hear, and to add to or read into the
information they heard when repeating it.
If your investigation dictates that you use a telephone to
convey information to your client, then report only what you
know, not what you believe you know. For example, a deed
check at a local courthouse may show a sale of land where
the subject of your investigation signed as an officer of a
corporation. You report this finding to your client. Your client
could misunderstand or misinterpret what you say if you don’t
explain to your client that through corporate resolutions some-
one could be made an officer one day and removed the next.
You continue that you found a connection and a snapshot
of what existed only when those involved signed the deed.
Additional checks may show that the corporation dissolved
or filed a change of officers, therefore removing your subject.
Don’t report your findings as more than what they are, and
explain the source of your information. Avoid the pitfall of
giving your client false expectations based on incomplete and
uncorroborated information because you could dissatisfy your
client with your final findings. Being able to convey your
exact findings will make you a better investigator. Be accurate,
precise, honest, and concise in your verbal reports. Don’t be
afraid to give disappointing information to your client. Your
credibility is your biggest asset. Avoid giving false hopes.
Reporting 31
Reports should be building blocks. Tell your client whom you
interviewed, why you interviewed them, what they told you,
and how that information could help the investigation. Don’t
read into or embellish the information. If you checked a
record, explain what record you examined, where it was
located, what you learned, and what other record searches
or interviews you need to conduct. Don’t tell your client what
you’ll find out in other contacts and record checks. You can
say what you hope to find; however, don’t promise results.
Be aware that while you’re giving a report over the telephone
someone other than your client could be listening. Your
client could be recording your conversation. It’s a felony in
some states for anyone to record a conversation without the
knowledge and permission of both parties in the conversation;
however, some states allow you to record conversations when
only one of the parties (obviously the one doing the recording)
gives consent.
Some telephones have speakerphones attached to them. A
roomful of people could hear a phone conversation with a
speakerphone. Always guard what you say when the person
you’re talking to is using a speakerphone. Speakerphones have
a hollow sound quality or echo effect, so be aware that when
you hear this type of sound you might be on a speakerphone.
Never forget that you can be inadvertently overheard, or some-
one on an extension phone might be listening. Eavesdropping
on a conversation on an extension can also be a felony in some
states; however, it’s not against the law in others.
Always use a telephone that you’re sure is private. For privacy,
a hard-wired phone system is superior to a cordless or cellular
phone. Digital phones aren’t as easy to intercept as cellular
phones; however, nothing is impossible when it comes to
electronics. An FM radio station or another cordless phone
nearby could intercept a cordless phone signal. A neighbor
could overhear your conversation on his or her phone or
over the radio. Cellular phones also offer a threat to phone
conversation privacy.
Cellular phones transmit to a cell site before they interface
with hard phone lines. Someone nearby with another cellular
phone tuned to the same frequency could overhear your
conversation. Figure 10 is a typical cellular telephone system.
32 Reporting
Cellular
Phone Cellular Office
Cell Site
Destination
Telephone
FIGURE 10—A Cellular Telephone System
The cellular phone system transmits a voice through an

antenna using radio frequencies to another antenna at a
cell site. When you transmit from your cellular phone, the
communication is sent over the first available frequency
to the nearest available cell site. The communication is
transferred to a traditional telephone system.
The cellular phone is really a cellular radio telecommunication
system. It uses the concept of low-power radio frequency (RF)
channels as a method of transmission and concentrates on
reuse of those channels for a specified geographical area. The
area is a cell containing a number of base stations. Cells are
spaced about 15 miles apart. Each base station has several
voice frequency pairs that aren’t in use at adjacent bases.
When someone uses a cellular telephone, a mobile telephone
switch office (MTSO) processes the call and assigns a channel.
Cellular telephone intercepts take place at the MTSO. Mobile
to landline and landline to mobile signals are routed through
the local telephone company to complete the call. When you
talk into your cellular telephone, the MTSO sends a message,
Reporting 33
called a page, to all bases. The page contains the unique
identification number of the person you’re calling. When the
person receives the call, the MTSO assigns a voice channel
to complete the call. When you or the person you’re talking
to moves away from the base station, the RF signal weakens.
When the RF signal drops to a predetermined level, the base
station notifies the MTSO. Using a new frequency channel,
the MTSO sends your signal to an adjacent or stronger base.
This process is called a handoff and it takes place in a short
time. You can hear a handoff as a click sound in the line.
Digital phones operate in a similar manner from the point
of view of the user. A private investigator doesn’t need to
know how telephones work. You do need to know, however,
if very sensitive information is going to be communicated.
Consideration must be given to potential security weaknesses
of the communication medium you’re using (Figure 11).
MTSO Telephone Company
Base Station Base Station
Base Station Base Station Base Station
Base Station Base Station
FIGURE 11—Processing a Handoff
34 Reporting
You should be aware that someone could intercept your
conversation or communication while it moves through the
airwaves or through telephone lines. A number of devices
can accomplish the interception, such as an induction coil,
headphones, or a tape recorder. Keep your telephonic reports
short and limit them to only proven and nonconfidential
information.
Encryption
Encryption is the process of scrambling or encoding electronic
signals. Encryption provides meaningless garble to anyone
intercepting the conversation who doesn’t have equipment
with the special code required to unscramble the message.
The military has been using this technology for many years.
The technology is available for encrypting and decrypting
telephone conversations; however, unless a private investigator
has an extremely sensitive case with a very generous budget,
encryption isn’t usually a part of the private investigation
business.
You can also use a laptop computer or a portable personal
computer connected to a cellular phone for communication.
The computer sends nonvoice, or digital, communication
through the cellular phone. Computer communications are
discussed in another unit. You can’t use a voice monitor
to intercept digital communications from a laptop. Even
with proper precautions, someone could still intercept or
inadvertently overhear a message. When sensitive information
is involved, caution is always advised. Just as you take good
notes during your interviews, surveillance, or record checks,
you should take good notes of your verbal updates to your
client. At the very minimum, write down the date, time, and
how you contacted your client. If by telephone, record the
phone number called, the phone number called from, whom
you spoke with, and what you discussed. A typical hard-wired
telephone is preferable to a cordless or cellular phone because
the chance of interception is decreased.
Reporting 35
Self-Check 3
1. What type of report would you use to convey important information needed
immediately by the client?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
2. How often should you report to your client?

__________________________________________________________
3. What two factors determine how often you should report to your client?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
4. Which telephone system provides the most privacy?

__________________________________________________________
5. What is a disadvantage of a cordless phone?

__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
6. What is a disadvantage of a cellular phone?

__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
7. What device allows a roomful of people to hear a phone conversation?

__________________________________________________________
36 Reporting
ALTERNATIVE MEDIA
Fax, e-mail, the U.S. Postal Service, and delivery services are
some, but not all, of the alternative media for reporting. You
usually send a fax with an identifying message as the first
page called a cover sheet. The cover sheet gives minimal
information. It can include—but isn’t limited to—the date,
name, and address you’re sending to, the name and address
sent from, a logo or letterhead, a memo block, and a brief
disclaimer. Figure 12 shows a typical fax cover sheet.
FAX TRANSMITTAL FORM

Date: _______________ Number of Pages: _______________ (including this one)
To: (PERSON’S NAME HERE) __________________________________________
(OFFICE) ______________________________________________________
FAX #) ________________________________________________________
From: (PERSON’S NAME HERE) __________________________________________
(OFFICE) ______________________________________________________
(FAX #) ______________________________________________________
Memo: ____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
This message is intended only for the use of the individual or entity to which it is
addressed and may contain information that’s privileged, confidential, and exempt
from disclosure under applicable law. If the reader of this message isn’t the intended
recipient, you’re hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution, or copying of
this communication is strictly prohibited. If you’ve received this communication in
error, please notify us immediately by telephone and return the original message to
us at the above address via the mail.
If you encounter any problems during transmission, please call 570-555-5555.
FIGURE 12—Typical Fax Cover Sheet
Reporting 37
Problems with Fax Machine Security
As previously discussed, a facsimile machine sends data,
either printed or graphic, over a telephone system. Fax
messages reduce the risk of misunderstandings. Even though
a faxed written report is better in ways, there are also security
weaknesses in the fax system, which create the potential to
compromise or reveal your investigation and your findings
at several points. First, someone could intercept data at the
originating phone, anywhere along the lines to the central
office, in the central office, or anywhere along the lines to
the receiving phone. Second, someone for whom it wasn’t
intended could see the fax. For example, you could send the
fax to the wrong person by misdialing or using an incorrect
phone number. Or, the wrong person could be at the receiving
fax machine and read or copy the fax. When information is
sensitive, it’s a good idea to call the person you’re faxing to
be sure he or she is at the receiving location.
The fax contains information on who sent it, which could
divulge the existence of your investigation even if the data
being sent doesn’t. For example, you obtain a copy of a deed
or civil suit from a local courthouse. The information is public
record and doesn’t disclose an investigation. However, the
faxed copy discloses the identification and phone number of
an investigative agency. Beware of information getting into
the wrong hands. Fax machines are convenient and a great
help to your investigation; however, convenience isn’t without
its risks.
One way to use a fax and still protect the confidentiality of
the data is to send your message to a fax machine that has
a confidential mailbox. The mailbox ensures that only those
persons with the password can print the document. However,
using the fax mailbox eliminates only one potential for com-
promising your investigation. Once the receiving fax machine
prints the fax, you have no control over who sees it and where
it might go. If someone refaxes the document, your identifying
information is still in the header of the document.
38 Reporting
Advantages of Fax Machines and E-mail
Fax machines have been a main and necessary component
of businesses for several years. In addition, e-mail is an
accepted practice by nearly all businesses. You can send
most documents anywhere in the world over a fax, by e-mail,
or as an attachment to an e-mail message. Fax machines are
fast and require no knowledge of how to use a computer or
e-mail. Saving time or, more importantly, making the best use
of your time renders your business more efficient. Using fax
or e-mail, you can provide prompt and accurate information
to your client. Your client can have a copy of your report or
a document within minutes. You and your client can then
discuss your findings while you both have a copy of the
information. Having a hard copy of the information helps
prevent misunderstanding or misinterpreting between you
and your client. In return, your client can fax or e-mail you
information, comments, or documents.
Impress for Success

You may be your client’s first experience with a private
investigator. He or she may have preconceived notions about
private investigators, which probably aren’t accurate. You
might have to overcome such notions to reach an agreement
for your services. If you portray your business as an old-
fashioned organization with limited capabilities that’soperating
out of a one-room office without sophisticated equipment,
you’ll have a difficult time negotiating a fair fee.
If you present a professional appearance or impression and
use modern, effective equipment, you’ll go a long way to
overcoming any preconceived notions with a positive first
impression (Figure 13). In reality, a private investigation firm
is a diversified business providing a wide range of investigative
services, just like any other professional business. You need
to market yourself as high tech and modern to be competitive
and flourish in the crowded private investigation field. Having
a fax machine, e-mail, and a personal computer are ways
to let your client know you’re keeping pace with current
technological advances and that you’re familiar with modern
communication equipment.
Reporting 39
FIGURE 13—It’s important to pres-
ent a professional appearance and
to use modern, effective technol-
ogy to make a good first
impression.
40 Reporting
Self-Check 4
1. What is the function of a facsimile machine?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
2. What are the three steps facsimile machines use to send and receive
information?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
3. Through what medium is facsimile information transmitted?

__________________________________________________________
4. How does the performance of facsimile machines differ from one machine
to another?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
5. What feature of some facsimile machines helps keep information confidential?

__________________________________________________________
6. What are two of the disadvantages of faxing confidential information?

__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
7. What are two advantages of a fax over regular mail or phone?

__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
Reporting 41
MAIL
Surface Mail (“Snail Mail”)

Besides using the telephone and the fax machine, you can
mail reports. Even with the speed and convenience of fax
and e-mail, most insurance company clients and corporate
clients have continued to prefer printed reports (hard copy)
sent by mail. With improvements in e-mail and more and
more corporations becoming e-mail users, hard-copy reports
will continue to lose ground as the most popular. In this
section, we’ll examine the use of the postal service, courier
services (such as Federal Express), Western Union, and
electronic mail (e-mail). Voice mail will be discussed briefly even
though voice mail isn’t typically thought of as a communication
medium. In this section, you’ll compare the various methods
of sending your investigative report to your client and why
you might want to choose one method over the other.
Clearly, time isn’t always the determining factor in determining
how you’ll report to your client. Why would one use surface
mail services when you can telephone, e-mail, or fax the data
to your client? The mail is generally thought of as affording
more confidentiality than either the telephone or the fax.
However, in reality, once an envelope arrives, someone other
than whom it was addressed to will possibly open it. Mailrooms
are great places for information leaks to develop.
Printed reports sent via the postal service and its equivalent
courier competitors offer several advantages over telephone
reports. First, your communication is written, not verbal.
Successful verbal communications depend on the listener to
accurately receive, understand, and interpret the information
being conveyed. It’s often a lot to ask of someone with a
personal stake in the outcome of your investigation to fully
understand verbal communications. Sometimes emotional
involvement causes confused thinking and the inability to
comprehend details.
42 Reporting
The postal or courier services allow you to send
your client an original document, seen only by you
when you place it in an envelope with no other
copies (Figure 14). With the envelope addressed
to only your client and marked personal or confi-
dential, presumably only your client will open it.
Your investigation can remain confidential by either
not using a return address or by using an address
that doesn’t disclose the investigation. The original
document goes to your client without a header,
as on a fax transmission that contains information
about the sender. Your client can breach the
security of your investigation by allowing someone
else to open the correspondence (either intentionally
or inadvertently) or by leaving the document where
others could observe it. Some factors are out of
your control. Printed reports sent through the
postal or courier services are extremely valuable
and offer more confidentiality and less room for FIGURE 14—The postal or courier services
misinterpretation than the telephone; however, allow you to send your client an original
the mail doesn’t move fast. You have to send most document, seen only by you when you place it
in an envelope with no other copies.
letters by early afternoon to guarantee next-day
delivery, and early delivery is costly. If your client
doesn’t need the information immediately, you can give a
brief verbal description of your activities over the telephone,
by fax, or e-mail without divulging confidential information,
noting that you’ll send a written report through the mail.
Western Union and Other Couriers

A well-known optional method of communication is Western
Union. You can send money or messages through Western
Union with the identities of both parties remaining truly con-
fidential. In the private investigation business, it’s sometimes
necessary to be anonymous or to help your clients do things
anonymously. The sender of the money or message selects
a password known only to the party who is to pick up the
message. No other identification is necessary to pick up the
message or money. You won’t leave a paper trail using Western
Union. Except through personal observations or identifications
made by witnesses, both the sender and the person receiving
Reporting 43
the message or currency remain anonymous. While Western
Union uses telephone lines, the chances of interception are
minimal unless a third party has prior knowledge of either
where the message will originate or where it will be received.
Besides, without the names and/or addresses or phone
numbers of the sender and receiver, intercepting the message
wouldn’t compromise any investigation. The Western Union
employees will see your messages; however, they’re not likely
to know of your investigative subject. Western Union is costly
and inconvenient, but does offer an alternative that’s effective
when needed. The ability to send currency anonymously is
helpful if your client needs to send you a retainer or expense
money fast and doesn’t want the expenditure to show up on
a check register or credit card statement.
There are also many other courier services that can be used
to send reports when strict control of who sees the report is
important.
E-mail
E-mail stands for electronic mail. It has been mentioned in
other parts of this course and will be explained a bit more
here. E-mail is electronic data sent from one computer to
another computer over telephone lines or in some cases using
wireless technology. You can connect your computer to a
regular telephone line through a device called a modem. Using
traditional phone lines, the modem converts information in
your computer language into voice or oral (analog) communi-
cation. The information is then sent through your telephone
system to another computer connected to the telephone lines
through a modem. Both computers have a specific e-mail
address. Broadband access to the Internet and e-mail don’t
require the same kind of modem a dial-up connection uses.
The following is a list of requirements for using e-mail.
1. You must have or have access to a personal computer.
2. The computer must be equipped with a modem
connected to a telephone system or be connected
to a broadband service.
3. You must type your information into the computer.
44 Reporting
4. Your client or the recipient of the e-mail must also have
access to a computer capable of reading your e-mail.
Figure 15 shows a typical e-mail message.
FIGURE 15—If you and a client

have the capabilities, you can
communicate with
e-mail.
It’s important to point out that e-mail isn’t necessarily private.

Someone who knows how to trace e-mail addresses can trace
your real identity. For businesses whose communications are
routine and aren’t confidential in any way, e-mail has become
one of the fastest-growing areas of communication. Besides
the e-mail sent over long distances which has been discussed
mostly here, there’s also e-mail used internally in companies.
Many computers in a business office connect to each other
through a LAN (local area network). Other kinds of networks
consist of one or more computers connected to each other in
a single room, a building, or worldwide, as in the case of the
Internet. For the following reasons, e-mail is popular with
businesses that are embracing new technology.
1. Your message gets to its destination fast, almost
instantaneously.
2. It’s easy to use—just type in your message and send.
3. It’s timesaving. E-mail eliminates the time-consuming
business letter that you write or dictate, have typed or
type, revise, sign, and send by regular mail, overnight
mail, or fax.
Reporting 45
It’s important to note that e-mail isn’t without some
disadvantages. Someone else connected to your office or
worldwide network might see your e-mail. An investigator
without typing skills or a computer must use others to
access e-mail. This is another potential security leak. Also,
short of using encryption software, you can’t secure the
privacy of e-mail. Anyone connected to your network can
see, read, print, and send your confidential communication
anywhere.
Voice Mail
It’s a stretch to refer to voice mail as a medium of
communication; however, used properly, it’s better than
no communication at all. When the person you’re attempting
to call by telephone isn’t available to answer the phone
or—as many people do—chooses not to answer the phone,
the caller can leave a voice mail message. With voice mail,
you can leave a telephone message that’s accessible only by
the party called or from the called party’s actual telephone
extension. Voice mail is a 24-hour automated telephone
answering and message storage service that’s set up with
a phone company or installed as part of the telephone
system in a company. When a telephone line is either busy
or nobody answers it, incoming calls are forwarded to a voice
mail box where messages are stored electronically. Voice mail
isn’t much more private than an in-office or in-home answering
machine because—whether they have the access code or
not—others might be able to hear the message by picking
up the intended receiver’s phone and hitting a speeddial
code button to retrieve voice mail.
Final Report and Invoice for Services

The result of your skills, proficiency, and professionalism as
an investigator is your final report to your client. Think of
your final report not only as the end of your investigation,
but also as your final exam. Your client won’t literally grade
your final report, but your client will be left with a lasting
impression of you and your work from your final report. Your
report must stand on its own. It must be complete, accurate,
46 Reporting
well documented, and easy to understand. Your final report
may be your only report to your client, as is the case in most
small assignments, or it may follow several interim reports.
Although an invoice for services is not an investigative report,
it should always accompany the final report, so it’s also
discussed here.
Whether your final report is one page or a hundred pages, it
and your invoice for services will determine if you get repeat
business from your client. It’s how you showcase your
investigation. Gaps in your material will lead your client to
believe there are gaps in your investigation and to question
your investigative ability. You may have conducted a thorough
investigation, but your client won’t know so if you don’t
present your findings properly. Where appropriate, you
should try to use the same captions in your final report
and use them in the same way as they were used in the
first and interim reports.
Rather than restate the purpose of the various headings,
the final report will be examined in a different way here.
Your final report should briefly describe the reason for the
investigation and then present your findings. When a lot
of information needs to be presented in a report, such as
in the details section, the organizational format is usually
chronological. You can also subdivide it by subject matter
or any other logical category using subheadings.
Double-Checking a Final Report

The following are five elements that can be used in reviewing
a final report for completeness:
1. Brief background of the reason for your investigation
2. Your findings, divided by subject matter and/or
chronologically
3. Brief synopsis or conclusion
4. Related findings
5. Exhibits or enclosures
Reporting 47
The Invoice for Services
As mentioned above, an invoice isn’t part of an investigative
report. However, its importance to your success can’t be
overemphasized (Figure 16). There’s no single “right way” to
prepare an invoice. Many investigators provide an itemized
breakdown of time and expense with only one line showing the
number of hours. Some investigators detail the investigative
activity by the day with a description of what was done on
each day.
Sample Invoice 1:
37 hours investigation @ $50 per hour $1,850
Sample Invoice 2:
5/12/xx 3.5 hours investigation @ $50 per hour
5/13/xx 7 hours investigation @ $50 per hour
Total hours: 25.5 @ $50 per hour
Amount due: $1,275
Sample Invoice 3:
One surveillance as requested $900 flat fee
FIGURE 16—Sample Invoices
Some investigators charge by the day or a flat fee for certain

kinds of investigation.
Expenses are also handled in many different ways. Some
investigators list lump sum totals, others list them chronolog-
ically, and others incorporate them into their hourly rate and
don’t show anything for expenses.
The bottom line about invoices is that you should send them
earlier rather than later and more often rather than less often.
If a case drags on for more than two months and you’ve spent
a substantial number of hours, an interim bill for service
should be sent. The client shouldn’t expect you to work and
pay expenses for long periods without getting paid. A final
report should always be accompanied by a final invoice in
48 Reporting
the same package or sent at the same time. A danger of
enclosing an invoice with a report—especially to a law firm
or insurance company client—is that the invoice might be
buried instead of paid. The invoice should be clearly separated
from the report in the envelope, and it should be mentioned
in the cover letter accompanying the report.
Reporting 49
Self-Check 5
1. Name two advantages that the postal service or courier mail has over a
telephone conversation.
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
2. Name two nonverbal types of communication that offer speed.

__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
3. What are two advantages that postal or courier mail has over a fax?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
4. What are three advantages of Western Union?

__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
5. What are two disadvantages of Western Union?

__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
6. What is e-mail?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
(Continued)
50 Reporting
Self-Check 5
7. What are two disadvantages of e-mail?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
8. What is an advantage of e-mail?

__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
9. How can e-mail be made more secure?

__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
10. What is voice mail?

__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
Reporting 51
THE MECHANICS OF REPORTING
In this section, we’ll discuss the mechanics of preparing
reports. We’ll briefly review word processing, and how the
enhancements built into word processing software can save
you time and produce a first-quality report.
Word Processing
Word processing is a basic type of application software. Before
the advent of word processing, reports were typed, page by
page, on a typewriter. If you needed to make a change at the
beginning of the document, you had to retype the following
pages to fit the new information. With word processing you
can change, add, or replace text anywhere in a document,
and the remainder of the text automatically adjusts.
An advantage of word processing is the ability to view the
documents on the monitor before you print them. Therefore,
you can make composing and editing corrections to a docu-
ment without a lot of retyping. Other advantages built into
the software are preset margins, page numbering, different
types of print (fonts), underlining, tab settings, and a spell
check. Thesaurus and grammar checking features provide
optional word and phrase choices. The use of different fonts
or typefaces allows you to customize your document. The
software supports many printers, allowing you to print Greek
letters and trademark symbols. You can create mailing labels,
witness lists, and mass mailing lists. You can use color
graphics if you have access to a color printer. You can
include spreadsheets and charts, giving your final report
the look of a professionally published document.
Anatomy of a Final Report

Let’s discuss the steps taken in preparing a final report. The
same steps are used for all reports. However, because final
reports are so crucial to success, they’ll be covered in depth
here. Reporting can be described as a six-step process, with
the sixth step being communicating the finished product to
the client.
52 Reporting
The first step is the collection of the data. This is another way
of saying “doing the investigation.” As previously discussed,
your initial and subsequent contacts with your client provide
the direction for what’s needed and focuses your investigation.
Collecting data can take one day or several months. When
preparing a report, you review the collected material and
produce a rough outline. In the case of a small investigation,
especially one you’ve done yourself, collecting the information
to be reported is a simple matter of reviewing all your notes
and exhibits. In larger, more extensive investigations, the
collection process could involve not only getting all the field
notes together, but also copying the typed recaps from the
computers of other investigators into your computer.
The second step involves the evaluation of the information
gathered. This is a critical step in reaching a quality finished
product. If you find you lack data, you may have to return
to the collection phase. You then compare the new data with
the previously known information and the process repeats
itself. When the investigative information is saved in a com-
puter, you can highlight the pertinent data from each report
and then move it to the final report draft. The consolidated
information is then reviewed for completeness and examined
critically to ensure nothing has been left out.
The third step is collating the data, which is determining how
one piece interacts with another. Collating can take place as
part of the evaluation process.
The next step is organizing the data, which you can do
chronologically or by specific types of activities, methods of
operation, geographical location, etc. If patterns of activity
emerge, then you might need further analysis.
Once you analyze the data, the fifth step is to compile it into
the report format for dissemination to your client.
The last, and most important step if you want to get paid,
is communicating the report to your client. Turning a report
over to the typing pool or a secretarial service to make it look
good and mail isn’t enough. An investigator who really cares
about keeping clients happy won’t relax until the report is
either in the mail or on the client’s desk. For very important
cases, a phone call to the client a couple of days after a
report was mailed to ensure it arrived is good procedure.
Reporting 53
Reporting on Complex Investigations
In addition to the headings and elements discussed above,
complex investigation reports might include additional parts,
such as a table of contents, appendices, footnotes, tables,
and spreadsheets. Beginners in the private investigation
business don’t start out being responsible for complex
investigations, so reporting on complex investigations won’t
be covered here. A good rule to follow is to limit the amount
of graphics, tables, spreadsheets, and other nontext parts of
a report. Too many nontext items tend to make a report hard
to follow. There are many additional skills and pieces of
knowledge about reporting you’ll gain every day you work as
a private investigator.
Confidentiality of Reports
There’s more to keeping something confidential than stamping
it with the word “CONFIDENTIAL.” A private investigator
needs to be aware of what a report might be used for and
where it might eventually end up. An investigation usually
involves finding information relative to a dispute between
people. If there was no dispute, the person wanting the
information could just ask the one believed to have it. Since
disputes are usually involved, the likelihood of what’s reported
being used by one side in the dispute against the other in
court always exists. When something is used in a court
proceeding, such as a lawsuit, it becomes part of the public
record and is available for anyone who desires to read it. At
this point, any expectation the investigator or anyone else
had of the report being confidential disappears. This, of
course, is a good reason why the content of reports should
always be nothing but the facts. However, there are times
when even facts aren’t appropriate to expose to the world. For
example, facts used to win a civil case by becoming public
record could subject the winner of the civil action to criminal
prosecution, or facts used to defend a criminal charge could
cause the client to lose a civil suit. When information is put
into a written report, it develops a life of its own and the use
of the report might go far beyond their original purpose.
54 Reporting
Attorney Work Product
If an investigator is working for a nonattorney client and
provides a written report to the client, someone with interests
adverse to the client could subpoena that report. It could end
up the client paid the investigator to make someone else’s
case. If, on the other hand, an investigator is hired by an
attorney, anything the investigator reports to the attorney
is protected from discovery because the court considers it
part of the attorney’s work product. A professional investigator
knows when to use the protection of attorney-client privilege.
If information adverse to an attorney client’s interests is turned
up, a professional investigator reports the information to
the client verbally and gets instructions. Whenever a private
client considers hiring you for any kind of dispute or litigation
preparation, find out if he or she has an attorney. If yes, you
might want to discuss the possibility of having their attorney
hire you to protect the results of the investigation from
unfriendly eyes. If the client doesn’t have an attorney, a
professional investigator will sometimes suggest he or she
consult with one before undertaking an investigation.
Reporting 55
Self-Check 6
1. You can think of your final report as a _______.
2. Name four qualities a final report can be measured by.

__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
3. Name four of the five elements that can be used in reviewing a final report
for completeness.
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
4. What is one advantage that word processing has over using a typewriter?
__________________________________________________________
5. Name three features of word processing software that make your job easier.
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
6. What are six steps needed for a final report to be complete?

__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
56 Reporting
SUMMARY
You’ve just completed the reporting unit of this course. This
unit dealt with basic methods of reporting to your client and
ways to enhance reports, save time, and streamline your
investigations. You’ve learned in this study unit how to deter-
mine what information your client wants, how to make
reports to your client, and the advantages and disadvantages
of verbal and written reporting mediums. You’ve also learned
the basics of word processing and why a personal computer
is an essential piece of equipment in creating your final
report. The importance of providing a professional report free
of typing, spelling, and grammatical errors has been stressed,
as well as the importance of integrating billing for your time
and expenses as a part of the reporting process.
Reporting 57
NOTES
58 Reporting
Self-Check 1
1. Conduct an extensive initial interview of your client.
2. Find out what information your client hopes to learn,
An swer s
needs to know, and when.
3. Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?
4. The final report
5. Verbal and written
6. Any four of telephone, fax, courier, personal contact,
and e-mail
Self-Check 2
1. To be sure the report can be routed to the right place
without delay
2. It eliminates the need to set margins and enter headings
repeatedly.
3. Any four of the following:
• Name and contact information for the person who

gave you the assignment
• Name and contact information of whom to report to

if different
• The client’s case identifying information, such as a

file number
• A recap of the specifics of the assignment
• A reminder of any limitations that might be

encountered
• An indication of when the client can expect action

and/or a report
• Financial arrangements, agreements, or limitations
59
• Additional training
• Self-study
• Spelling and grammar checking software
• A proofreader
5. At the time the assignment is taken, before the work

is done
Self-Check 3
1. Verbal report
2. You should report when you have information pertinent
to the investigation or when promised, whichever comes
first.
3. The two factors include when your client needs the
information and how often you have progress to report.
4. The typical hard-wire telephone system
5. A neighbor’s FM radio can pick up a cordless telephone
signal.
6. Someone can intercept a cellular phone conversation.
7. A speakerphone
Self-Check 4
1. A facsimile machine sends printed or graphic information
from one location to another by producing a copy of that
information at another location.
2. Scanning, transmitting, and receiving
3. The data is sent through telephone lines.
4. The speed of fax machines differs.
5. Some fax machines can store incoming information
in a mailbox protected by a password.
60 Self-Check Answers
6. Individuals who aren’t part of the investigation might
see the fax. The fax often contains information about
the sender, which risks confidentiality.
7. The fax machine provides speed in sending data to
and receiving data from your client. The fax machine
provides your client with an up-to-date hard copy of
your information.
Self-Check 5
1. With the postal service or courier mail, there’s less
chance of being overheard and less chance of being
misunderstood.
2. Two fast nonverbal types of communication are fax
and e-mail.
3. Postal and courier services send the originals and are
more private.
4. Western Union is confidential, anonymous, and sends
money.
5. Western Union is costly and inconvenient.
6. E-mail is electronic data sent over telephone lines from
one computer to another.
7. You can’t secure the privacy of e-mail and you have to
type the message into the computer.
8. E-mail is fast.
9. You can better secure the privacy of e-mail by using a
password. However, this is only minimal protection.
10. Voice mail is an automated telephone message service.
Self-Check Answers 61
Self-Check 6
1. final exam
2. Complete, accurate, well documented, and easy to
understand
• Brief background of the reason for the investigation
• Your findings
• Brief synopsis or conclusion
• Related findings
• Exhibits
4. Using word processing, you can move, add, and remove

text without having to retype pages.
5. Any three of the following:
• Thesaurus
• Spell check
• Underline
• Italic or bold type
• Fonts
• Margins
• Tab settings
6. • Collect data.
• Evaluate data.
• Collate data.
• Organize data.
• Prepare the report.
• Communicate (deliver) the report to the client.
62 Self-Check Answers
Exa m i n a ti on
Reporting
EXAMINATION NUMBER:
05803300
Whichever method you use in submitting your exam
answers to the school, you must use the number above.
For the quickest test results, go to
http://www.pennfoster.edu
When you feel confident that you have mastered the material in this
study unit, complete the following examination. Then submit only
your answers to the school for grading, using one of the examination
answer options described in your “Test Materials” envelope. Send
your answers for this examination as soon as you complete it. Do not
wait until another examination is ready.
Questions 1–20: Select the one best answer to each question.
1. Using the fax machine lessens the risk of miscommunication

because
A. the fax is faster.
B. the recipient receives written or graphic data.
C. telephones aren’t conveniently located.
D. you can secure the privacy of the fax.
2. The best way to report to your client is

A. determined by the category of client.
B. in writing.
C. weekly.
D. with the final report.
3. What should you do with information adverse to the side your
63
attorney client represents?
A. Discard the information.
B. Report the information to your client verbally and get instructions.
C. Include the information in the body of your final report.
D. Include the information in an addendum to your final report.
4. The five p’s of private investigation represent

A. proper planning prevents poor performance.
B. the hardware installed on most computers.
C. the questions asked of your client.
D. perseverance prohibits proper planning and performance.
5. Two potential problems with telephone reports to your client are that
A. telephones are expensive and not always available.
B. your notes could be unclear, causing a bad impression, and you wouldn’t
get repeat business.
C. you could be overheard or misunderstood.
D. telephones are fast and there’s no chance for misunderstanding.
6. Which of the following is not a requirement for using e-mail?

A. You must own or have access to a personal computer.
B. The computer must be equipped with a modem connected to a telephone
system or be connected to a broadband service.
C. Your client or the recipient of the e-mail must also have access to a computer
capable of reading your e-mail.
D. You must be able to type at least 60 words per minute.
7. Cellular phone conversations may be intercepted

A. through encryption.
B. between the handset and the hard-wired base station.
C. while changing base stations.
D. by someone with another cellular phone.
8. At the beginning of any investigation the private investigator should

A. ask for the retainer in cash.
B. conduct an in-depth interview with the client’s spouse.
C. avoid talking with the client.
D. determine the client’s reporting expectations.
9. What software helps save time and provide a professional-looking report?

A. DOS C. Spreadsheet and CD-ROM
B. Word processing D. Database
64 Examination
10. What advantage does Western Union have over other methods of communication?
A. Western Union is the least expensive method.
B. Western Union allows you to send or receive money or data anonymously.
C. Western Union guarantees privacy.
D. Western Union is the fastest method.
11. How are personal computers typically connected to a telephone line?

A. Through the fax machine C. Through a telephone hookup
B. With application software D. With a modem
12. You can send written reports to your client using a

A. fax machine, postal mail, or radio.
B. fax machine, e-mail, postal mail, or voice mail.
C. fax machine, e-mail, postal mail, Western Union, or courier service.
D. courier service, postal mail, or voice mail.
13. Which of the following is not true about overcoming poor academic skills?
A. A report writer can be used.
B. Most communities have places where anyone who wants to improve their academic
skills can get help.
C. It’s not a good idea to let anyone except a grammar whiz proofread reports.
D. Reading and looking words up are good ways to improve vocabulary.
14. The correct definition of software is

A. the brain of the computer.
B. a disk used in your computer.
C. a set of program instructions for a computer.
D. all computer system parts.
15. Which of the following is true about an invoice?

A. It should always show charges chronologically.
B. One should be sent only when a case is open over 30 days.
C. One should never be sent with a final report.
D. It’s a good idea to clearly separate it from the report when sent in the same envelope.
16. What are some of the security problems with e-mail?

A. Someone else connected to your office or worldwide network might see your e-mail.
B. Locating an e-mail address is difficult.
C. Not many people have e-mail.
D. Someone could overhear your conversation.
Examination 65
17. Your reports should be divided
A. by captions.
B. by exhibits.
C. chronologically.
D. by specific type of activity or chronology.
18. Which of the following is not true about a word processing program?
A. It’s the best software option for doing a financial analysis.
B. It can be used to store settings and captions for reporting.
C. It can catch spelling errors.
D. It can make suggestions for improving grammar.
19. What are the steps you take to complete your final report?
A. Collect data, evaluate data, organize data, and deliver the final report to the client.
B. Analyze data, copy exhibits, scan testimony, and fax the final report to the client.
C. Collect data, evaluate data, collate data, organize data, prepare and deliver the final
report to the client.
D. Copy data, word process court testimony, organize data, collate data, and deliver the
final report to the client.
20. If working a case were compared to taking a training course,

A. most investigators would fail.
B. it would be more difficult than high school.
C. the final report would be the final exam.
D. the training course would cost a million dollars.
66 Examination

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Study Unit

Before his retirement in 1994, Kanavy was a special agent-in-charge

About the Contributing Reviewer

Copyright © 2015 by Penn Foster, Inc.

When you complete this study unit, you’ll be able to

THE BASICS OF REPORTING AN

THE REPORTING MEDIUM 28

THE MECHANICS OF REPORTING 52

FIGURE 1—Every time you com-

Although children can “report” to mom on their guilt or inno-

FIGURE 2—Some clients will require a

• Brevity. Be clear and concise; however, not at the

• Completeness. A report must include all relevant

When you begin an investigation, you’ll first meet or

Who Is Your Client?

• What your client wants to know

• What your client expects to learn

• What your client needs to know

For example, the information desired by your client may

Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?

• Who is the subject (the person you’ll investigate) of the

• What does your client want to find out or expect you to

As you can see from the questions, each bit of information

• What do you need to learn?

• When do you begin your investigation?

• When will you need to report?

• Where do you begin?

• How do you begin?

• How are you going to be paid?

The Need for Planning

• When does your client need the information?

• Where does your client want to use your product?

• Why does your client want to use your product?

• How does your client expect to use your product?

Answering these questions will help you to focus your

FIGURE 6—A Typical Employment Application

• Does your client want to know if the applicant has ever

• Will any adverse information affect security clearances

• Where has the applicant resided?

• Has the applicant been out of the area for military

You need this type of information in directing your search.

• How are you most comfortable reporting your findings?

• How does your client want reports and how often?

Avoid the pitfall of giving your client information you haven’t

4. Which report can be considered “your product”?

5. Name two types of reports you can provide.

6. Name four ways to delivering reports to clients.

Check your answers with those on page 61.

Grammar, Punctuation, and Spelling

• Name and contact information for the person from whom

• Name and contact information of the person to report to

• The client’s case identifying information, such as a file

• A brief recap of the specifics of the assignment

• An indication of when the client can expect action

• Financial arrangements, agreements, or limitations

Because confirmations of assignment are routine, and generally

Status (Interim) Reports

Continuity between Reports

Special Note Recommendations

Supporting Notes Decision Request

The Report Header

FIRST REPORT OF INVESTIGATION

Insured: Leon John Subject: Sara Wright