As a private investigation service, we are proud to be part of a long tradition of investigative service units that have been invaluable in delivering justice to the public. However, the history of investigative units can be confusing. Fortunately, we’re here to provide a brief history. At Harris Investigations, we boast over 20 years of experience in the crime field. Our passion is helping criminal defense attorneys uncover the truth and evidence to deliver justice to their clients. While we specialize in legal defense, we can handle all cases.
Here’s a brief history of investigative services units:
Early investigators
The history of investigative services units dates back to the 1600s. Before this point, few municipal police departments existed.
The first department was created in Paris in 1667. The formation of the first municipal police department is important because this was the first time investigative services were organized and consolidated beneath a singular title.
Before this, police and detective work was conducted by volunteers. This signaled a shift from appointees who got whatever help they could from volunteers to professionals. Still, the first reported official detectives were established in 1749 in the UK: the Bow Street Runners.
Before the Bow Street Runners, England did not have an official policing system or entity backed by the state. The state paid the Bow Street Runners a retainer to investigate and handle the post-war crime wave.
Further development
Investigative services units continued to develop. The Bow Street Runners are not typically regarded as the first investigative services unit.
Eugène François Vidocq, a French soldier, criminal, and privateer, is commonly regarded as the first official private investigator. He founded Le bureu des Renseignements in 1833, which was an amalgamation of a detective agency and a private police service.
Moreover, Vidocq predominantly hired ex-convicts, and this was who constituted one of the first investigative services units. Unsurprisingly, this squad was in constant contention with the police and state. Because it was a new entity, many perceived them as questionable and illegal.
In what would be a critical precedent, the police executed a search and seizure on Vidocq’s property and confiscated over 3,500 files. Afterward, he was arrested and charged with:
- Acquisition of money by deception
- Corruption of civil servants
- The pretension of public functions
However, after several witnesses testified on Vidocq’s behalf, the judge dismissed the charges, and Vidocq was free. This ruling was a watershed moment in establishing the legitimacy of investigative services units everywhere.
Later years in America
In the United States, however, the first investigative services unit was formed in Boston in 1846. 20 years after its incorporation, the city was unprepared to manage its population.
Boston employed only 30 officers and 150 patrolmen. In the city, crime was abundant. Following a scandal that saw a man charged with murdering his mistress exonerated, Boston imposed a take-all-prisoners rule that was an adaptation of London’s police force.
London famously established a branch of police dedicated solely to investigating complicated cases and the underbelly of society, the Bow Street Runners. Utilizing deductive reasoning, persuasion, and coercion, this became America’s first police detective unit.
Early public skepticism quickly subsided as successes piled up. Since then, the field has continued to grow, and now it is unquestionably an indispensable apparatus of the law.
Get in touch now for PI services!
Whether you’re a lawyer who needs PI services to assist you in your case or simply someone who needs to get to the truth of a situation, at Harris Investigations, we are the premier solution. With over 20 years of industry experience, we are a proud asset to attorneys looking for meticulous investigative services to support their cases. Get in touch now to get started!