Surveillance Investigator Florida & North Carolina

Professional Surveillance Investigations

JRS Investigations conducts planned, lawful surveillance for attorneys, insurers, businesses, and private clients with a legitimate investigative purpose. Assignments may relate to infidelity, child custody, insurance or workers’ compensation claims, civil litigation, workplace misconduct, fraud, or verification of reported activity.

The objective is to observe and document relevant conduct from public places or authorized locations—not to provoke, manufacture, or interfere with events. Depending on the circumstances, an investigator may provide time-stamped field notes, photographs, video, location observations, and a written report.

Surveillance results depend on the schedule, location, weather, visibility, subject activity, and authorized investigation period. JRS Investigations cannot guarantee a particular observation, legal outcome, or admissibility ruling.

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Free Confidential Surveillance Investigation Consultation

How Surveillance Assignments Work

Confidential consultation: We identify the client’s concern, lawful purpose, relevant jurisdiction, deadlines, and any safety or court-order issues.
Planning: The client provides current photographs, vehicle details, known addresses, schedules, and other information they are legally entitled to share.
Field deployment: Investigators select appropriate observation locations and methods based on safety, access, traffic, visibility, and applicable law.
Objective documentation: Observations are recorded with dates, times, locations, and supporting photographs or video when lawfully obtainable.
Reporting: The client receives a clear account of what was observed, including relevant limitations and periods when the subject was not visible.

Surveillance Rules in Florida and North Carolina

Florida. Investigators must be licensed under Chapter 493, Florida Statutes; JRS works under Florida Agency License A 2400330. Florida is an all-party consent state for recording private conversations (section 934.03), section 934.425 restricts installing tracking devices on another person's property, and section 810.145 prohibits secretly filming people where they expect privacy. Surveillance therefore relies on observation and video from lawful vantage points.

North Carolina. Investigators are licensed by the Private Protective Services Board under Chapter 74C; JRS holds NC PI License 906236. North Carolina allows recording a conversation when one participant consents (N.C.G.S. 15A-287), and placing an electronic tracking device on someone's vehicle without consent can be cyberstalking under N.C.G.S. 14-196.3.

Common surveillance assignments include infidelity, child custody, workers' compensation and insurance fraud cases. Call (888) 737-7690 to plan one.

What Surveillance May Document

Arrivals, departures, routes, and time spent at locations
Public activities and interactions
Observable work, recreation, travel, or physical activity
Visits to residences, businesses, hotels, restaurants, or other public locations
Patterns occurring during the authorized investigation period

Surveillance does not establish motives, private conversations, or events that occur outside the observation period.

Why Clients Choose Professional Surveillance

Attempting to follow or confront a subject personally can create safety concerns, intensify conflict, and alert the person being observed. A licensed investigator can plan the assignment objectively and document relevant activity without unnecessary contact.

Focused planning: Deploy resources during the dates, times, and locations most relevant to the client’s stated concern.
Neutral reporting: Separate observed facts from assumptions, allegations, and interpretation.
Discretion: Minimize unnecessary exposure of the client, investigation, and sensitive case information.
Attorney and claims support: Coordinate the scope and reporting format with counsel, insurers, or authorized decision-makers when appropriate.
Safety-aware methods: Adjust or discontinue activity when conditions create unreasonable risk or legal concern.

JRS Investigations reports what is observed. We do not promise that surveillance will confirm a suspicion or produce evidence favoring one party.

Equipment and Evidence Handling

Investigators select cameras and other field equipment based on the assignment, observation distance, lighting, access, safety, and applicable law. Technology supports the investigation, but it does not replace sound planning, accurate notes, and objective reporting.

Time-stamped field notes, photographs, and video when lawfully obtainable
Equipment appropriate to the location and expected conditions
Secure handling and delivery of sensitive case materials
Clear reporting of observation periods, interruptions, and limitations
Coordination with counsel or authorized claims professionals when evidence-handling requirements are important

Drones, tracking devices, audio equipment, hidden cameras, and access to digital systems are subject to significant legal restrictions. They are not used unless the specific method is lawful, appropriate, and authorized for the assignment.

Lawful Surveillance Methods and Limits

Stationary surveillance: Observe an authorized location from a lawful vantage point and document relevant arrivals, departures, and public activity.
Mobile surveillance: Follow observable movement on public roads or through public places while prioritizing safety and applicable traffic laws.
Insurance and workplace surveillance: Document activity relevant to an authorized claim, litigation matter, or internal investigation.
Domestic and family-law surveillance: Gather objective observations for infidelity, custody, cohabitation, or related matters without confrontation.
Open-source research: Review publicly available online information connected to the authorized investigation. This is different from accessing private accounts or intercepting communications.

Methods JRS Investigations Will Not Use

Trespass or entry into private property without authorization
Unlawful GPS tracking or acquisition of private location data
Wiretapping, eavesdropping, or interception of private communications
Hacking, password use, spyware, or unauthorized access to accounts and devices
Hidden cameras in places where a person has a reasonable expectation of privacy
Impersonation of law enforcement, attorneys, financial institutions, or government officials
Harassment, threats, provocation, or manufactured encounters

Related JRS Investigation Services

The appropriate method depends on the client’s lawful purpose, location, facts, and applicable privacy, recording, tracking, licensing, and evidence rules.

Surveillance Coverage in Key West

Our surveillance investigations in Key West account for relevant schedules, Old Town destinations, resort and marina access, and travel involving Stock Island and the Lower Keys.

Surveillance Investigation FAQs

Can I put a GPS tracker on someone else’s car?

In Florida, installing a tracking device or tracking app on another person’s property without consent is generally a crime under Florida Statute 934.425. In North Carolina, knowingly placing or using an electronic tracking device to track someone without consent can be cyberstalking under N.C.G.S. 14-196.3, with narrow exceptions such as some vehicle owners. Speak with an attorney first; a licensed investigator documents activity through lawful surveillance instead.

Can I record someone’s phone calls or conversations?

Florida generally requires the consent of everyone in a private conversation before it is recorded (Florida Statute 934.03). North Carolina allows recording when at least one party to the conversation consents (N.C.G.S. 15A-287), so recording a conversation you are not part of is illegal in both states. Unlawfully gathered evidence can also damage your case.

How is the cost determined?

Every case is different. Cost depends on the hours, number of investigators, travel and reporting the assignment needs. JRS sets a retainer after an initial confidential phone consultation, and the scope is agreed in writing before any fieldwork begins.

JRS Investigations licensing: Florida Agency License A 2400330 and North Carolina PI License 906236.