FAQs
- What advice would you give a customer looking to hire a provider in your area of work?
Security and investigations are highly regulated, in Texas. The regulatory body is the TX DPS Private Security Bureau. You can check all Texas security and investigation credentials on their website. Be sure your security and/or private investigations provider is licensed and insured. Unlicensed activities, whether you provide them or hire them, is a Class A misdemeanor with strong penalties of up to a $10,000 fine and/or a year in jail. Ask for references and verify the experience of your contractor. There are people that will sell you unlicensed services and there are licensed companies selling services that they have no verified experience (a legal requirement) to provide. For example, a PI firm may be licensed to provide investigations in general but not specifically arson investigations or computer forensics unless they have someone on file with the Private Security Bureau that has verified experiences in that field and acts as the supervisor or manager of those services. The same thing with security companies and personal protection services. Not everyone is qualified to provide these specialized services. I recently was made aware of a Houston-based security company that sells bodyguard services and neither of the managers have ever worked a protection detail in their entire lives... Would you want them running the operations that protect your loved ones?
- What questions should customers think through before talking to professionals about their project?
What services are desired? Why is it desired? What is the project schedule (including prep-time and deadlines, travel time, breaks, etc.)? What are some reasonable expectations and measurable goals/results?