What is Surveillance?
From a civil litigation perspective, surveillance investigation in Connecticut predominantly involves mobile and stationary surveillance conducted by licensed Connecticut investigative specialists. Mobile surveillance is conducted by surveillance investigators who follow their subjects to maintain extended visual contact. This may be in a vehicle, by foot, on a train or plane, or by whatever means necessary to maintain visual contact with a subject. As it sounds, stationary surveillance involves remaining in a fixed location to determine activity. This might be at a residence, a company, a known meeting place, a sporting event, etc.
What Is the Goal?
Within the surveillance investigations we conduct for Connecticut law firms, the goal is always the same: to observe and obtain photographic and video evidence of a subject’s activities. Remember, having video and photographic evidence means everything in court – without it, the investigator’s verbal recollections can be deemed insufficient.
What Are the Typical Applications of Surveillance for Connecticut Lawsuits?
Private investigator surveillance has many applications. Here are some typical types of investigation:
- Personal Injury Surveillance – to identify fraudulent injury claims
- Custody and Family Surveillance – to identify activity in violation of family court orders, etc.
- Alcohol Surveillance – to identify prohibited or excessive alcohol use
- Corporate Surveillance – to identify company fraud or violation of employee agreements, etc.
- Subpoena Surveillance – to locate persons in preparation for service
- Matrimonial and Infidelity Surveillance – no explanation necessary!
Setting Up Your Private Investigator Surveillance Team
Providing effective surveillance services to Connecticut lawyers often requires multiple investigators working in teams. That’s because multiple surveillance investigators can switch out and alternate coverage to limit exposure, can get behind and even ahead of a subject simultaneously, can position vehicles ahead at known locations a subject will visit, can enter buildings to maintain visual contact with a subject while another investigator maintains visual contact with the subject’s vehicle, and can cover multiple areas exit routes at the same time. One investigator working alone can be very limited as to what he or she may be able to achieve.
Successful Surveillance Case Studies:
We’ve pretty much seen it all. Here are some recent examples of successful surveillance conducted by the private investigators at Artus Group:
- The financial services division of a national bank feared that its Greenwich CMO and its Director of Sales had left the bank to join a competing financial services provider. The extended surveillance services in Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, and Las Vegas revealed four former executives had systematically contacted and met with numerous bank clients in violation of their non-compete and non-solicitation agreements. Precision surveillance and extensive video evidence allowed our client to win injunctions and a significant judgment against the two executives.
- A married Westport, CT Fund Manager secretly purchased an apartment in New York for his younger girlfriend – who was also his employee. Ongoing surveillance proved he visited her there regularly on nights when he told his wife he had to entertain clients in the City, which also violated his company’s workplace relationships policy.
- Artus Group’s CT surveillance investigators were involved in the location surveillance of what ultimately resulted in the successful service of one of the largest judgments in legal history. A Connecticut billionaire had to be served the judgment within 120 days of its issue. Extensive, round-the-clock surveillance ultimately followed and identified the man at a high school basketball tournament in Boston, where he had flown in to watch his son’s game. Service was successful and was even caught on TV cameras.
- A Darien, CT Senior Executive denied his suspected affair with a client. A meticulously planned, Matrimonial and Infidelity surveillance service, through three states during a “business trip” from Connecticut to San Diego, found them checking into the same room in the same hotel, very much arm in arm.
- The court restricted the Madison ex-wife of our law firm’s client from drinking alcohol within 48 hours of any scheduled visitation with her children. The woman vehemently denied to the court that she was drinking alcohol at all. Extensive alcohol surveillance at a Connecticut nightclub gathered amazing video evidence that the woman was not only drinking alcohol but that one evening before a visit with her children, she ordered and consumed five Sea Breezes. The surveillance investigators’ video evidence, supported by affidavits and, ultimately, court testimony by the investigators, enabled our client to successfully petition the court for an ignition interlock to be placed in the woman’s vehicle.
- Extensive Connecticut surveillance of a retail trucking company revealed an elaborate scheme in which delivery trucks made unscheduled stops at various interstate service stations where organized teams would gain unauthorized access to merchandise while the truck driver went for lunch. Needless to say, he somehow always forgot to lock the doors.
- A married Cos Cob businessman developed an addiction to online gay sex websites. In time, this progressed to casual encounter sites and actual hookups. Exhaustive undercover work and international surveillance confirmed his meeting with a young male at a gay club while on a business trip in Barcelona.
- A wealthy, divorced Rowayton mother of three left her young children alone every night after she put them to bed, seemingly for hookups at highway service stations. Extended surveillance, however, revealed she had developed a $5,000-a-week scratch-off lottery ticket addiction and spent the hours alone in her car.
What Other CT Investigative Services Does Artus Group Provide?
Surveillance services are just one way in which Artus Group helps its Connecticut attorney and law firm clients find what they need. See our full range of litigation support services and explore all types of investigation options available.
What Are Lawyers Saying About Artus Group?
Artus Group’s Connecticut private investigators have decades of experience in all aspects of mobile and stationary surveillance. See what our law firm clients say about us.
Looking to Hire a Surveillance Investigator in CT?
When it comes to high-level, discreet surveillance investigator services in Connecticut, Artus Group’s work is second to none. Contact Rob Artus today to see how we can work together to help you find what you need.