Virginia consumers need to know and understand the difference between a licensed Private Security Services Businesses (PSSB) and a registered private investigator before purchasing investigative services.
Virginia Licensing and Registration Requirements
Consumers should always:
- Ask for the company's DCJS license number or request a copy of the DCJS license.
- Verify the validity of a DCJS license for their own protection. Verify License
- Be provided with a written agreement that includes scope and cost of services.
- Report possible unlicensed activity to DCJS. Anonymous complaints are accepted.
- Contact the DCJS to obtain complaint information @ http://www.dcjs.virginia.gov/privatesecurity
Reciprocity Agreements
As of April 2002, Virginia has entered into reciprocity agreements with six states. Under the terms of reciprocity agreements, investigations may be conducted by DCJS licensed businesses in the following states: North Carolina; Oklahoma; Tennessee; Georgia; Florida and Louisiana. The agreements can be inspected at: http://www.dcjs.virginia.gov/privatesecurity
CONSUMER ALERT!
Virginia consumers need to know that many businesses and individuals advertising under Virginia telephone directory headings of “Investigator” and/or “Detective” are not licensed to provide or conduct private investigations in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
PIAVA was responsible for bringing the widespread problem of these violations to the attention of DCJS. As a result, DCJS has undertaken the painstaking process of working with the publishers of telephone directories to rectify this serious problem.
Consumers are urged to always verify a company’s DCJS license before contracting for investigative services. Verify License
CONSUMER ALERT!
Consumers need to know that businesses conducting investigations in states outside the Commonwealth may be subject to licensing requirements.
The District of Columbia and Maryland are examples of states that require licensing before investigations can be legally conducted in those jurisdictions.
Consumers are urged to request a copy of a business's license for investigations that may occur outside Virginia’s jurisdiction.
As of April 2002, Virginia has entered into reciprocity agreements with six states. Under the terms of reciprocity agreements, investigations may be conducted by DCJS licensed businesses in the following states: North Carolina; Oklahoma; Tennessee; Georgia; Florida and Louisiana
Some states do not have licensing requirements for private investigations. For state-by-state licensing information please visit International Association of Security and Investigative Regulators
To obtain registration as a private investigator with the Department of Criminal Justice Services in the Commonwealth of Virginia, an individual must successfully complete a course of instruction proscribed by DCJS. To maintain his/her registration, an individual must regularly complete in-service training requirements established by DCJS. Training Schools which provide instruction in private security subjects are required to be certified and licensed by DCJS. Certified training schools licensed by DCJS are issued a DCJS business license number, which begins with 88-followed by a four-digit number (Example: 88-9999). You may verify that a business has a valid license as a DCJS Certified Training School in Virginia by visiting the DCJS website or by calling DCJS at (804) 786-4700.
The training school list is coming soon.
The Private Investigators Association of Virginia Inc, commonly known as PIAVA, is the only membership organization in the Commonwealth of Virginia focusing solely on service to the Private Investigator profession.
Our association traces its roots back to purely social gatherings of roughly a dozen or so private investigation firm owners, who had been meeting monthly at the Black Angus Restaurant in Springfield, Virginia for quite some time.
Eventually, an idea emerged from those get-togethers: Establish an association composed of private investigation firms with the purposes of:
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Promoting and maintaining the highest practices of the profession.
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Fostering a spirit of cooperation and developing trust, goodwill and friendship among its members, law enforcement and the citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
The association would be called the Private Investigators Association of Virginia.
During the summer of 1982, the vision was realized when our association was born as a corporation. Since then, PIAVA has withstood the tests of time, overcoming challenges and growing stronger than our founders could possibly have envisioned.
By October 1985 – year four of our existence – PIAVA members voted to break the glass ceiling by electing Ms. Joan Beach as president. Ms. Beach led our association for four years. During the summer of 2014, Ms. Beach was awarded Life Membership in the association and honored for her service to PIAVA and the industry.
From our humble beginnings to the present day, our membership has been composed largely of law enforcement from every level of government, national security and military alums. In their public lives, our members have served with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), US Secret Service (USSS), US Marshals Service (USMS), US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (US-ICE), US Department of Defense (US-DoD), US Military Special Operations Forces (US-SOF), United Nations (UN), State Police Departments, Municipal Police Departments, Sheriffs Offices and other organizations.
Our members have been lawyers, doctors, journalists, authors, war crimes investigators, homicide detectives, financial crimes investigators, crime scene specialists, aviation incident investigators, terrorism experts, technical countermeasure specialists and so on. And we have had any number of civilians turned private investigators, who benefited from the breadth and depth of investigative expertise within our ranks to develop rewarding careers.
Many members are credentialed in one jurisdiction or more other than Virginia, some work internationally, any number are multilingual. Members have represented the private investigations industry by serving on the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services (VA DCJS) Private Security Services Advisory Board (PSSAB). One member has served as president of the Council of International Investigators (CII).
In the Commonwealth of Virginia, as in the overwhelming majority of United States jurisdictions, private investigators (PIs) and private investigations businesses (PIBs) are regulated. Initially, Virginia PIs and PIBs were overseen by the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR). Next, we were regulated by the Department of Commerce (DoC), which was followed by the Department of Criminal Justice Services – Private Security Services (DCJS – PSS) and then the Division of Regulatory Affairs. Presently, we are overseen by the Department of Criminal Justice Services – Division of Law Enforcement and Private Security Services (DCJS – DLE/ PSS).
PIAVA is strong, accomplished and focused. Our members are skilled, experienced and dedicated. We pledge to operate within a Code of Ethics and strive to operate in the spirit of our Preamble, helping one another with camaraderie. By so doing, our profession is strengthened and the public good is upheld.
We are the Private Investigators Association of Virginia Inc – PIAVA.