Frequently Asked Questions

At LRI, we pride ourselves on being the best at what we do. Having said that, clients who are well-prepared almost always get better results than those who use a passive approach. You need our eyes in the field and our investigative expertise to analyze the evidence. What we need from you is as much information up-front as possible. Don’t underestimate the value of inside information. Whenever possible, gather as many relevant facts prior to the investigation. Such information includes vehicle info, pictures, addresses, names, dates of birth, social security numbers, and physical descriptions. We are certainly capable of obtaining these facts ourselves; however, when we begin an investigation armed with these facts, things move along much faster. Also, it always helps to do some general research on investigations.

It’s not a bad idea to check with the state licensing agency to verify that a PI’s credentials are valid and there has been no record of disciplinary action against the private investigator. It is also good to check with the Better Business Bureau to make sure no formal complaints of misconduct have been filed against the PI you are considering.

We generally have two types of clients: institutions and individuals. We perform a variety of services for institutions such as law firms, banks, and insurance companies. These services include process of service, special evasion cases, personal injury cases, employee theft, background checks, computer forensics, and asset discovery. We also have a large number of individual clients who hire us to do missing persons’ cases, infidelity, safety checks, process of service, background checks, private security, and a number of other services. Due to our broad client base, you are unlikely to find a service that we don’t perform well. Please see a more complete list of the services we offer here.

Private Investigators have limitations on the type of information they are able to get. Just as certain types of information are off-limits to law enforcement, such is the case with PI’s as well. Specifically, anything that law enforcement would require a warrant to access is out of reach for the rest of us. Such information includes cell phone call logs and texts, credit card activity, and other sensitive info. However, seasoned investigators know how to go about obtaining information relevant to these areas of interest without actually accessing the off-limits information directly. Be sure to hire a PI who knows the ins and outs of these techniques. (An idea for a possible link here would be to a government page that contains local laws relevant to the type of information that can’t be accessed without a warrant.)

PI’s bill by the hour. There are flat fees for certain services such as skip-traces and other types of reports or one-time actions, but the majority of billing is done at an hourly rate. Our hourly rates vary depending on the details of the work which require a consultation to determine. Contact us now for a free consultation.

LRI goes to great lengths to protect your privacy and ensure that everything is kept confidential. This process begins with our careful hiring process and continues throughout our company policy. When we answer the phone, you’ll never hear us use the company name in our greeting and you won’t hear it on our voicemails. You’ll also never see our company name or anything related to our field when you get a receipt for credit card transactions. Everything is kept anonymous and discreet. You have enough to worry about without dealing with an Illinois private investigator who doesn’t take the proper precautions to maintain your privacy and safeguard the investigation. Please refer to our Privacy Policy here.