Is It Legal to Hire a Private Detective?

Here at the Prattville Community Church, we are all about building and nurturing relationships. An interconnectedness with God and with one another builds up our faith and nourishes our very lives. However, there are times when it is necessary to hire a third-party service provider to get answers to privacy concerns or to get to the bottom of facts surrounding a particular situation or individual. While we do not need to have answers to everything, we do believe that in some cases, the hiring of a detective may be the only option to protect ourselves and our church community.

The question is: is it legal to hire a private detective? This is not as cut and dry as you might think. It really depends on what the detective is being hired to do and whether the information it is seeking is ethical and legal. Often, some people worry about invasion of privacy. However, the truth is that sometimes, the only legal way of getting out of a tight spot is to hire an investigator.

Many churches these days do believe it is important to know what is going on among its members and congregants. With different and frequent activities, there is the likelihood of mixing of a large number of people and thus a likelihood of unwanted or secretive behavior. The goal is to monitor the community of believers and keep the flock on the right path. However, for some congregations, extra effort is needed to ensure that no bad apples are present within their ranks.

So how is this hiring a private detective legal? Well, it is legal only if the objective is not unethical or illegal in itself. Religious leaders are often called upon to advise congregants when there are issues of divorce, domestic abuse and violence and other problems. If those issues are a threat to the safety of the church community, the question arises as to whether it is ethical to hire a detective who can then dig deeper into the private lives of congregants. When could this be acceptable?

In general, any investigation that is conducted for reasons in the service of the greater good should not be ethically questionable. There are times when looking into the private lives of people is justified. For example, when evidence points to child abuse, or perhaps the possibility of rape or other violence, surveillance is not just legal but can also be necessary to ensure the health and safety of the entire community.

However, where there is no evidence of illegal or unethical behavior, detectives should not be used to spy on regular congregants. For example, where there is no evidence of infidelity, churches should not seek the services of detectives to monitor the activities of people to catch them unfaithing or doing other acts that could damage their reputation and relationship with others.

In addition, the age of the people being investigated also plays a very important role in whether such oversight is legal or ethical. For example, hiring detectives to get evidence of minor drug use among teenagers is distinct from monitoring a fellow adult’s drug use, even if it is causing issues within the community. Here, it is important to ask yourself whether the problem is worth more damage to the person being investigated! Faith comes the old saying, “you shall know a tree by its fruit.”

Catholic priests and others have been known to use surveillance equipment to catch people who are abusing young children within their congregations. Once the evidence is obtained legally, it can be used to alert law enforcement and get the allegedly abusive person out of the church and boots on the ground to prevent further abuses within the community. However, if surveilled individuals are alerted to being watched, they may be able to move quietly and avoid detection.

The person being watched might even adjust their behavior. In such cases, it may be necessary to retain the services of a detective to meaningfully get the evidence that is needed to protect your community.