CA P.I. License (rain, working, hiring)

[NORTY FLATZ]

Pretty sure Jim Rockford didn't have a PI license, nor a CCW. Then again, he lived on a secluded beach in a land of 30 million people.

Wait...what?

This was all Hollywood fictional crap?

Say it ain't so!

(But, Jim COULD really drive a car.)

Wonder where that POS gold Camaro is now....

[Matt518]

Originally Posted by NORTY FLATZ

Wonder where that POS gold Camaro is now....

No idea. It was a Firebird.

[NORTY FLATZ]

Originally Posted by Matt518

No idea. It was a Firebird.

A Firebird is a Camaro, with air-conditioning! LOL!

[Matt518]

Originally Posted by joosoon

There doesn't seem to be a distinction in the licensing requirement between "qualified manager" and "PI" itself.

There doesn't but I would imagine it is like Florida which has similar licensing; the manager runs the day to day operations, and the investigator performs the field work. Neither address my inquiry.

Originally Posted by joosoon

Why not just call?

Because I was already here, and you guys are so smart.


And with a three hour time difference it is not very convenient.

[Matt518]

Originally Posted by 1200RT

Yes, you must be licensed regardelss.

7521.
A private investigator within the meaning of this chapter is a person, other than an insurance adjuster subject to the provisions of Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 14000) of Division 5 of the Insurance Code, who, for any consideration whatsoever engages in business or accepts employment to furnish or agrees to furnish any person to protect persons pursuant to Section 7521.5, or engages in business or accepts employment to furnish, or agrees to make, or makes, any investigation for the purpose of obtaining, information with reference to:

(a) Crime or wrongs done or threatened against the United States of America or any state or territory of the United States of America.

(b) The identity, habits, conduct, business, occupation, honesty, integrity, credibility, knowledge, trustworthiness, efficiency, loyalty, activity, movement, whereabouts, affiliations, associations, transactions, acts, reputation, or character of any person.

(c) The location, disposition, or recovery of lost or stolen property.

(d) The cause or responsibility for fires, libels, losses, accidents, or damage or injury to persons or to property.

(e) Securing evidence to be used before any court, board, officer, or investigating committee.

For the purposes of this section, a private investigator is any person, as defined in Section 7512.3, acting for the purpose of investigating, obtaining, and reporting to any employer, or an agent designated by the employer, information concerning the employer’s employees involving questions of integrity, honesty, breach of rules, or other standards of performance of job duties.

This section does not apply to a public utility regulated by the Public Utilities Commission, or its employees.

(Amended by Stats. 2018, Ch. 92, Sec. 6. (SB 1289) Effective January 1, 2019.)

Yep, read all that multiple times. It doesn't address working as an employee of a licensed agency/investigator. If every employee working as an investigator is required to be licensed, and the license has requirements to be qualified, it begs the question how people get the experience to meet the qualification for the license to be able to be employed by an agency/investigator. At least here in Florida it addresses that issue by offering an 'Intern' license where you have to complete training and be sponsored by a licensed investigator/manager for a period of time before being qualified to be fully licensed. That's what I am inquiring about, since CA statutes don't mention any 'Intern' type of licensing.

[Matt518]

Originally Posted by HereOnMars

In CA, you need a license for everything so being a PI would require the same. That's not to say you can't do investigative work yourself or on behalf of someone else. In that case, you aren't really a PI. You're a snoop.

I believe doing investigative work on behalf of someone else is exactly the definition of a private investigator

[Matt518]

Originally Posted by Losfrisco

The way I understand this is, at the time you pass the California P.I. exam, you incorporate with a business name as part of the certification process.

Not what I am asking

[joosoon]

Originally Posted by Matt518

There doesn't but I would imagine it is like Florida which has similar licensing; the manager runs the day to day operations, and the investigator performs the field work. Neither address my inquiry.

Your inquiry was who is required to have the license. The answer is anybody attempting to engage in that business. It says it very clearly in BSIS's faq that I linked originally, along with the business & professions code linked by another poster.


"No person may engage in the business of a Private Investigator in California without obtaining the
proper license from this Bureau"

[5thgenSF]

so i'm not sure i am following this thread. a lot of nonsense in there and what exactly is the question/answer is not necessarily there. here's the deal. i'm trying to find out if somebody is actually a licensed PI, as opposed to LYING and saying they are. IMPLYING they are when they are not. you can call your biz name any flipping thing you want. so here is google's first response:

The person who will be in active charge of the business for a Private Investigator is referred to as the qualified manager or qualified certificate holder.

so the person i am asking about has a business. his biz is CALLED private investigation. my keyboard is broken so this is really hard to type. his business says he is the MANAGER.

google also says this in 2012:

When taking the California private investigator examination, you must know the different terms used in the exam—if not, you will be confused when approaching different fact patterns.

The term “Private Investigator” is misleading. When you think of the term Private Investigator, what comes to mind? Does someone licensed by the state to perform private investigative services come to mind? If so, then you are not alone. The Bureau of Security and Investigative Services (BSIS) has the wonderful idea of making no distinction between a corporation, partnership, or sole proprietor when it comes to naming license holders. Basically, a corporation who is a private investigative agency is called “Private Investigator.” Two people (or even two corporations) who own a private investigative agency are also known as Private Investigator—not even Private InvestigatorS! At least states such as Washington have the practical-mindset and refer to licensed investigative agencies as a “Private Investigator Agency.”

Someone who has no experience as a private investigator, detective, or with other relevant qualifying experience can be the Private Investigator.

How does this happen? Remember, Private Investigator just refers to the ownership of the investigative business; it doesn’t refer to an actual person. Every Private Investigator is also known as the licensee. BSIS mandates every Private Investigator needs to be managed by a Qualified Manager (QM) in order for the Private Investigator to conduct business. So in a nutshell, two people or fictitious owners (i.e. corporation or partnership) of the Private Investigator can conduct business as long as a QM manages the day-to-day operations of the business.

so MY question is... HOW CAN I TELL if this person is actually a licensed PI OR JUST A LIAR? THE LICENSE NUMBER HE PROVIDES DOES NOT BRING UP AN ACTUAL LICENSE.

[JGC97]

Originally Posted by 5thgenSF

HOW CAN I TELL if this person is actually a licensed PI OR JUST A LIAR? THE LICENSE NUMBER HE PROVIDES DOES NOT BRING UP AN ACTUAL LICENSE.

To check this person's license, you used this site? https://www.bsis.ca.gov/forms_pubs/o..._license.shtml

This site is different that the one used to check a contractor's license. If the license number you've been given isn't coming up on that site, I'd venture to say it's not real.