In Dallas, Texas, the private investigation industry has changed significantly in the past few decades. Before, the industry was dominated by large investigative agencies. These days, says Wes Bearden, the owner of Bearden Investigative Agency, there are a lot of one-man investigation operations, run and executed by a single private investigator. Bearden thinks this is generally a good thing—for investigators to feel confident in their own small operations. But the trend means there aren’t many “true agencies” left that employ full-time investigators. That’s where his outfit stands out. Bearden’s operation is a bona fide agency, and his private investigators are all working in-house, collaborating together with lawyers on cases. It lets Bearden take on some bigger investigations that the little guy can’t.
If Bearden’s investigative tasks involve simply watching someone—basic individual surveillance—he can commit more than one person to the task if the investigation is important enough. The size of Bearden’s team allows him to take really large cases and “divvy ‘em up” until the end goal—verifiable evidence—is achieved.
Lately, Bearden cites increases in legal and corporate clients. More and more, Bearden finds his Dallas private detective services are needed to locate and establish evidence that will be used in court, in front of a jury, with a committee, or at a hearing. As advertised, Bearden’s investigations include “attorney-managed” operations, and that’s very attractive especially in the legal community, where a barrister’s legal expertise is often what makes a case legitimate in terms of public perception. “It’s the natural evolution of our company, putting investigators and lawyers together to achieve the end goal,” explains Bearden. It’s a source of pride for him, since he believes that in the investigative industry, lawyers and detectives don’t always know how to work together. They should, because the results are so much more powerful.
Another popular reason, Bearden observes, that clients contact his Dallas private investigator group is suspected infidelity—“particularly when dealing with divorce and custody,” he says. The moment that drives clients to pick up the phone and call him, says Bearden, is when the individual is thinking of their spouse, “what the heck’s going on? Why are they acting so weird?” After reflection, these clients will tell Bearden they knew deep down that their spouse wasn’t behaving appropriately in some manner. “Clients will say, ‘I have kids; I have a successful business, how do I take what’s going on out there and parlay it into evidence?’” says Bearden. Because his agency employees teams of investigators and lawyers, Bearden sees clients with family issues feel particularly comfortable with his outfit.
Barden says it’s the legal backing that seems to enhance clients’ trust—whether they’re corporate, or just a frustrated husband trying to get to the bottom of things.