Special Investigations Unit

PSI’s surveillance investigators operate across Columbus and Central Ohio using the latest field technology — high-resolution digital cameras, HD video, covert cameras, and GPS tracking systems — to document activity that holds up in court and protects your interests.

We conduct surveillance for a wide range of situations: suspected infidelity, employee NDA and non-compete violations, insurance fraud, child neglect, drug abuse, probation infractions, and illegal dumping. Each operation is built around a custom strategy designed to minimize cost while maximizing documented results.

Ohio’s updated stalking and menacing statutes make it illegal for unlicensed individuals — including spouses, family members, and employees — to conduct surveillance. Hiring PSI protects you from civil and criminal exposure while ensuring the evidence gathered is admissible.

Workers’ compensation fraud and exaggerated injury claims are a persistent and costly problem for Ohio employers and insurance carriers. Every fraudulent or inflated claim that goes unchallenged drives up your premiums, strains your HR team, and sets a precedent that invites more abuse. PSI’s SIU investigators have extensive experience conducting workers’ comp surveillance and insurance fraud investigations for employers, self-insured companies, and insurance carriers across Ohio.

We document claimant activity through covert surveillance, activity verification, and social media monitoring — building a factual, court-ready evidentiary record. If you suspect a claim is exaggerated or fraudulent and feel the Ohio BWC investigation has not gone far enough, PSI can conduct an independent investigation on your behalf.

Workplace violence is one of the most underreported and underinvestigated risks facing Ohio businesses. Physical assaults, threats, harassment, and intimidation affect millions of American workers annually — and the majority of incidents send warning signals well before they escalate. The problem is that most companies don’t have the investigative resources to recognize and act on those signals.

PSI’s SIU works with proactive Ohio employers to develop workplace violence prevention plans and conduct behavioral intelligence investigations when a specific employee is flagged as a potential threat. We gather social, behavioral, and physical surveillance intelligence to assess the genuine risk level — giving your HR team, legal counsel, and executive leadership the evidence needed to act decisively and defensibly.

A single employee’s misconduct — a leaked trade secret, a violated non-compete, an executive’s compromising off-hours behavior — can unravel years of brand equity and investor confidence. PSI’s corporate investigation team conducts discreet, evidence-based investigations for Ohio businesses that suspect internal threats before those threats become public crises.

We investigate NDA and non-compete violations, trade secret theft, corporate espionage, executive misconduct, and employee fraud. Every investigation is conducted with strict confidentiality and produces documented, legally defensible evidence — the kind that holds up with employment attorneys, in arbitration, and in court.

County deputies operate on fixed schedules and within jurisdictional limits — which means evasive subjects can simply wait them out. PSI’s process servers operate statewide, around the clock, and with the investigative resources to locate subjects who are actively avoiding service. We serve subpoenas, summonses, complaints, and all legal documentation for attorneys, law firms, and individuals across Ohio.

When a subject is difficult to locate, our skip-tracing capability kicks in — combining database research, field investigation, and surveillance to find even the most elusive individuals and complete service efficiently and documentably. Every serve is documented with a signed affidavit of service for your legal record.

Online scams have grown dramatically in sophistication. Today’s fraud schemes go far beyond fake Craigslist listings — they include romance fraud, cryptocurrency investment scams, fake rental deposits, identity theft through fake job postings, social media impersonation, and AI-assisted phishing operations that fool even cautious people. Ohio residents and businesses lose millions to online fraud annually.

PSI’s investigators work with victims of online fraud to collect admissible digital evidence, identify perpetrators, and coordinate with appropriate law enforcement agencies to initiate recovery. If you suspect you are being targeted by a scam — or have already been victimized — contact PSI before destroying any communications. The evidence in your inbox may be exactly what investigators need.

Suspecting a partner of infidelity is one of the most emotionally difficult situations a person can face. Acting on suspicion without evidence can damage a relationship irreparably — or leave you vulnerable in a divorce proceeding. PSI’s investigators provide the objective, documented surveillance you need to confirm or rule out infidelity, so that whatever comes next is built on facts, not assumptions.

Our investigators conduct discreet, professional surveillance across the Columbus area and deliver photo and video documentation, activity timelines, and a formal report. When infidelity evidence is relevant to divorce, asset protection, or custody proceedings, our reports are prepared to support your attorney’s case.

Whether you’re searching for a lost family member, a bail jumper, a debtor, a runaway, or an heir to an estate, PSI’s investigators combine advanced database research with traditional field investigation to locate individuals across Ohio and beyond. Our skip-tracing team has decades of combined experience and access to investigative resources unavailable to the general public.

We locate a wide range of subjects — including lost relatives, biological parents, adult runaways, child support debtors, and individuals evading legal process. When technology reaches its limit, our investigators go into the field. We’ve located individuals that law enforcement, creditors, and other PI firms could not find — and we document every step of the process.

Custody disputes are among the most emotionally charged and legally consequential situations a family faces — and the outcome directly affects your child’s safety and wellbeing. When you suspect your child is being exposed to neglect, substance abuse, domestic violence, or other unfit parenting conditions, your attorney needs evidence, not allegations. PSI’s investigators document what is happening when you are not there.

We conduct covert surveillance of custody exchanges and visitation environments, document parenting behavior and living conditions, verify compliance with custody orders, and produce detailed reports and video evidence suitable for family court proceedings in Franklin County and throughout Ohio.

Watching a family member struggle with suspected addiction — drugs, alcohol, gambling, or other destructive behaviors — is one of the most painful and isolating experiences a family can face. Confronting them without evidence often leads to denial, damaged relationships, and no resolution. PSI’s investigators help Ohio families get the documented truth they need to make informed decisions and take meaningful action.

We conduct discreet behavioral surveillance, document activity and patterns, and deliver evidence that gives your family clarity. Beyond documentation, PSI maintains relationships with reputable rehabilitation and intervention organizations in the Columbus area — so that once you have the evidence, you also have a path forward.

Ohio’s adoption records laws give adoptees meaningful access to birth records and identifying information — but navigating the process, interpreting what you find, and actually locating biological relatives requires investigation skills that go well beyond records requests. PSI’s research investigators help Ohio adoptees, biological parents, and families searching for answers that official channels alone have not been able to provide.

We combine public record research, genealogical investigation, database tools, and field work to locate biological relatives, answer medical history questions, and reconstruct family connections with sensitivity and discretion.

Parents of teenagers and college students in Ohio face a uniquely difficult challenge: their children are old enough to resist oversight, but young enough to face serious risks — drug exposure, dangerous peer groups, online predators, and academic deception. PSI’s investigators provide discreet, professional welfare checks that give parents documented facts without damaging the parent-child relationship.

For teens still in the home, we monitor behaviors, document peer associations, and verify whereabouts. For college students at Ohio universities, we conduct discreet welfare checks and behavioral assessments that confirm they are safe and enrolled — without disrupting their independence or alerting them to the investigation.

Most mystery shopping programs tell you whether your staff smiled and offered the loyalty program. PSI’s mystery shopping service goes significantly further — because our investigators are trained to identify unauthorized product sales, policy violations, theft indicators, and compliance failures that standard shoppers miss entirely.

We work with Ohio retailers, hospitality operators, financial services companies, and franchise businesses to design brand-specific audit programs that document the real customer experience. When illegal activity is identified — theft, kickbacks, side transactions — our investigators gather video-documented, admissible evidence that supports disciplinary action, termination, and if necessary, prosecution. This is not a survey. It is a real investigation.