Even though the justice system has a lot of checks and balance in place, mistakes can still be made. Police officers tend to have a very heavy workload and they are under a lot of stress, which means that sometimes, they make simple errors that can have a big impact on the outcome of a case.
In some circumstances, self interest has a role to play. Although the majority of officers and legal officials are honest people, there are times when a desire to get a certain outcome in order to further their own career can lead to a harsher sentence for the defendant. Sometimes, this can mean the difference between being acquitted and getting a long jail sentence, which is why involving an impartial party can be very important.
Private detectives can be that impartial third-party and they have a very important role to play in criminal defense cases.
What Is The Role Of A Private Investigator In A Criminal Defense Case?
Private investigators are independent and not linked to the police force in any way. They’re not reliant on salaries and pensions paid by the state, and their career is not directly affected by the outcome of the case. This allows them to be completely impartial as there is no conflict of interest there at all.
The other big benefit of using a private detective is that they are not burdened by all of the other work that police officers are, so they can dedicate their full attention to the case without having to navigate departmental bureaucracy. They earn their living by staying impartial and working their client’s case, without the need to get approval for superiors or change their approach due to outside factors.
A criminal defense investigator will go through all of the available evidence, keeping their defendants’ story in mind as they do so, but they will not be biased towards them. Most private investigators are former law enforcement agents, so they have the necessary investigation and evidence analysis skills.
They understand the law, so they can review things like arrest records and evidence logs to make sure that everything was done in accordance with the law. Any uncovering of wrongdoing, like unlawful arrest and planted evidence, can lead to an acquittal for the defendant.
Private investigators are often better equipped to interview witnesses. People can be intimidated by police and their nervous disposition causes them to miss details, even if they don’t intentionally hide things. But a private investigator doesn’t carry a badge and a gun, so witnesses tend to be more relaxed around them. This means that, in a second interview, private investigators may uncover vital evidence that was missed the first time around.
Once they have gathered all of the necessary evidence, a criminal defense investigator has time to review it in full. They are only dedicated to one case at a time, so they will be very thorough and may pick up on things that have been overlooked by others. In many cases, they look at evidence from a different angle and bring valuable new insights to the case.
Attorney services can carry out some of these tasks, but they already have a heavy workload. They don’t have the same investigative skills that a private investigator does either, so they are not well suited to things like interviewing witnesses.
Can Private Investigators Testify In Court?
A private detective absolutely can testify in court and, in most cases, it is very beneficial to the defense. They are able to testify on recorded evidence, including witness statements.
In cases where witnesses no longer want to testify or the defense feels that them taking the stand could potentially harm the defense, the private detective can be called upon instead. They will provide evidence of the interviews that they had with witnesses, which is often better than putting the witness themselves on the stand because a private investigator is skilled in delivering evidence.
Private investigators can testify on a range of evidence including crime scene re-examinations, witness accounts, CCTV footage, and photos relevant to the case.
A private detective can assist attorney services with a wide range of cases, including robbery, murder, kidnapping, domestic disputes, intellectual property disputes, and so much more. They will always dedicate their full time and attention to your case and go through all of the evidence in meticulous detail to uncover the truth and boost your defense. In many cases, hiring a private investigator can be the difference between winning and losing.
