Arizona Private Investigators - Investigating The Investigator, The Prospective Detective

There are many situations that require the use of a skilled, licensed private investigator. Arizona is a large place, and one of the places a detective can be of assistance is in surveillance. It can be dangerous and look bad for an interested party to be seen stalking an Ex, a business partner, an abusive care giver, etc... 
This type of work is best done by ex law enforcement, who has the ability to remain undetected while conducting these activities. Be careful who you select, as many of the PI's in Arizona are not ex-law enforcement, or have no experience in actual detective work. Selecting someone with a varied background should give you the best bang for your buck, and provide you with someone who is cognizant enough of Arizona law not to violate it while acting on your behalf, and technically capable enough to perform electronic surveillance and advanced investigative techniques. 
There are several categories of surveillance to be used. A good PI will use electronic surveillance, which would consist of video, GPS tracking, motion sensing cameras, etc... Be sure to ask your prospective detective what methods he employs. 
There are other avenues a good investigator must have at his disposal, which you need to question him on. Who does he use for his forensic accounting? What are their credentials? How many cases similar to yours has he handled? What would his approach be? Also be aware in Arizona that a verbal contract constitutes a binding contract, so do not make any commitments to them at this first meet, until you have interviewed several PI's. 
Here are some red flags to watch out for. Any private investigator that seems too cheap, probably is. If you are being quoted rates of 20 an hour, run in the other direction. There is a lot of expense and training that goes into doing a proper job, and low ball bidders will only get you in trouble. Remember that this person is acting on your behalf, so any wrongdoing on his part could open you up to civil and criminal liability. 
Another red flag would be a lack of detective and law enforcement background, and emphasis on military and paramilitary training. That will be great when hiring security people, but a good gumshoe needs to have an entirely different skill set. Ask what sources they use to investigate persons, whether they are able to run background checks, pull tax records, check corporate records, MVD records, etc... a good detective will be able to do all these things. If he is a poor communicator or not the sharpest tool in the shed, then you have to ask yourself how this individual will be able to piece together extraordinarily complex puzzles and create an entire