Employee Surveillance Investigations in Colorado

01Typical matters

The Employee Conduct Problems Colorado Employers Bring to Us

Most employee surveillance matters fall into a handful of patterns. A field technician bills eight hours but spends three at home. A route driver uses the company truck for a side business. A manager on medical leave is seen running a competing shop. A salesperson is meeting a rival's clients on the employer's time. Each involves one identified employee, a specific allegation and a pay period or schedule that can be tested. Our Colorado employee theft investigations handle the cases where money or goods are actually leaving the company.

What these matters share is a need for proof rather than suspicion. Disciplining or firing an employee on rumor invites grievances, agency complaints and lawsuits, while a documented record of observed conduct supports a fair decision. Sometimes the record clears the employee, which is equally useful. When the concern is broader than one person, such as a whole crew or location, our Colorado corporate investigations team can widen the scope with management's approval.

• Time theft and falsified timesheets
• Second jobs or competing work during leave
• Personal use of company vehicles or equipment
• Diversion of clients or confidential information
• Conduct that contradicts a reported injury

02Colorado law

Colorado's Off-Duty Conduct Statute Sets the Boundary for Employee Surveillance

Colorado is one of the states that protect employees' lawful off-duty activities. Under C.R.S. § 24-34-402.5, it is generally a discriminatory or unfair employment practice to terminate an employee for lawful activity off the employer's premises during nonworking hours. The statute allows restrictions tied to a bona fide occupational requirement, restrictions reasonably related to a particular employee's duties, and restrictions needed to avoid a conflict of interest or its appearance. Our Colorado wrongful termination investigations often turn on exactly these exceptions.

The remedy matters to employers. A successful employee can recover lost wages and benefits through the judgment date in a civil action, and the court awards costs and reasonable attorney fees, although that fee provision does not apply to businesses with 15 or fewer employees under the statute's count. Surveillance therefore has to be tied to the job or to a genuine conflict of interest, such as working for a competitor. We ask employers and counsel to put that reason in writing before any off-premises coverage. Our support for Colorado employment attorneys helps frame it.

03The work

How Employee Surveillance Investigations Gather Evidence Lawfully

Coverage is planned around the schedule the employee reports. If timesheets claim a technician was at a job site in Greeley from eight to four, an investigator checks the site and the employee's vehicle at intervals from public roads and logs what is seen. If an employee on leave is believed to be working at a competitor, we observe the business entrance and parking area at the claimed hours. Photographs are time-stamped, locations are recorded and every observation is tied to the allegation in the written plan. Our Colorado surveillance investigations team uses the same logging standard on every case.

Some methods are off limits. We do not place trackers on personal vehicles, which can raise stalking concerns under C.R.S. § 18-3-602, and we do not record conversations the investigator is not part of, which Colorado's eavesdropping law can make a crime. We do not enter homes, private property or posted land, and we do not pose as customers to extract admissions. Company-owned GPS and fleet data are different and can be reviewed with the employer's records. Our explanation of Colorado investigation law sets out the rules.

04Colorado workforces

Field Crews, Route Drivers and Remote Sites Across Colorado

Many Colorado employees work far from any supervisor. Oil and gas crews in Weld County move between well pads and field offices, construction crews follow growth into Douglas County and the northern suburbs, and service technicians cover routes up and down I-25 every day. Those jobs depend on trust, and when trust breaks down, documented observation is often the only way to confirm what happens between dispatch and the end of a shift. Our Greeley field investigators handle many Weld County matters.

Distance and weather shape the plan. A technician whose route runs over the I-70 mountain corridor may face chain-law conditions from September through May, and a delayed job may be weather, not misconduct. We note road conditions in the report so the employer can judge fairly. Western Slope and Eastern Plains routes involve long gaps between towns, so coverage is timed to specific stops rather than continuous following. Our Castle Rock private investigators and Colorado Springs investigators cover the southern I-25 routes.

05Leave and competition

Employees on Leave and Employees Working for a Competitor

Leave cases are sensitive and need careful scoping. An employee on medical leave who is seen working a second job, running a business or doing heavy physical work may be misusing the leave, but there may also be an innocent explanation, such as light duty the doctor approved. We document only what is relevant to the stated reason for leave and report it neutrally. If the leave is tied to a workplace injury claim, our Colorado workers' comp surveillance follows the specific rules of that system.

Competition cases usually involve a current employee helping a rival or preparing to leave with clients. Observation can show visits to a competitor's office, meetings with customers during paid time or company equipment at another business. Documents and data are often the stronger evidence, and those are best handled with counsel. Our Colorado corporate espionage investigations cover suspected theft of confidential information, and our business partner background checks can look into the new venture.

06After the facts

Turning Observed Conduct Into a Fair Employment Decision

A report is only useful if a decision-maker can rely on it. Ours separate what the investigator saw from what anyone told us, list dates, times and locations, include photographs and note gaps honestly. That structure helps HR compare the observed conduct with timesheets, fleet data and policy, and it helps counsel evaluate risk before any discipline. If the employee contests the decision, the record shows that the employer acted on documented facts gathered lawfully. Our Colorado compliance audits can then address the policies that allowed the problem.

Some matters go further. An employee who stole from the company may face a police report or a civil claim, and an investigator may need to testify about what they observed. Colorado district courts hear civil cases above the $25,000 county court limit, and we prepare notes and files with that possibility in mind. When a former employee needs to be served with a complaint, Delator Field Services process serving can handle it, and the Colorado skip tracing team can locate someone who has moved.

07Vetting and price

Choosing a Firm and Pricing Employee Surveillance Investigations

Because Colorado no longer licenses private investigators at the state level, employers must judge a firm's methods for themselves. Ask how it documents surveillance, how it handles off-duty limits and whether its investigators have testified. Delator Group is a licensed Tennessee private investigation firm, insured, with leadership from military and federal law-enforcement backgrounds, and it applies Tennessee's standard to Colorado work. Our Colorado guide to vetting an investigator lists more questions, and our about page introduces the team.

Employee surveillance is billed at $100 per hour, the same rate we use in Tennessee, with mileage and travel to rural, plains or mountain sites disclosed before work begins. Most matters start with a defined set of shifts timed to the employee's reported schedule, so costs are predictable. Background research, if needed, starts at $102. See the Colorado service pricing page for every standard rate, or contact Delator leadership to scope a specific concern.

Services

Employee Surveillance Services in Colorado

• Timesheet and job-site verificationObservation of field employees at the times and places their timesheets report, logged with photographs so HR can compare claimed hours with what actually happened.Learn more
• Leave misuse documentationJob-related observation of employees on leave who may be working elsewhere or acting inconsistently with the stated reason, reported neutrally for HR and counsel.Learn more
• Company vehicle and equipment useDocumentation of personal or unauthorized use of company trucks, tools and heavy machinery, combined with the fleet and GPS records the employer already keeps.Learn more
• Employee theft investigationsInvestigation of merchandise, cash or materials leaving the business through a specific employee, from observation through evidence organization for police or counsel.Learn more
• Workers' comp claim checksActivity surveillance of employees whose injury claims describe restrictions that may not match daily life, documented for adjusters and defense counsel.Learn more
• Competitor and client diversionInvestigation of employees suspected of working for a rival or steering customers away, coordinated with counsel when documents and data are involved.Learn more
• Business travel verificationCoverage of company-paid trips and lodging when expense reports or conference attendance may not reflect what an employee actually did while away.Learn more
• Pre-hire and promotion screeningBackground research on candidates and employees moving into sensitive roles, starting at $102 for a basic check, run within Colorado hiring rules.Learn more
• Counsel-directed employment mattersSurveillance and investigation directed by employment counsel, with reports and investigator notes prepared for possible agency proceedings, arbitration or Colorado court litigation.Learn more

How it works

How an Employee Surveillance Investigation Works

1. 01

   Allegation and business reason

   HR or counsel explains the allegation, the employee's reported schedule and the job-related reason for surveillance. We confirm that the planned coverage fits within Colorado's off-duty conduct limits before going further.

2. 02

   Written scope and schedule

   We set the shifts, locations, methods and total price in writing, timed to the employee's reported schedule, and begin only after the employer approves the full plan.

3. 03

   Lawful field observation

   Investigators observe from public places, log times and locations, photograph openly visible conduct and send concise updates to the designated contact, keeping the matter confidential inside the company.

4. 04

   Neutral report for decision

   The employer receives a dated report separating observation from hearsay, with photographs and timelines, ready for HR or counsel to compare against timesheets, fleet data and written company policy.

Compare

Typical Employee Surveillance Matters in Colorado

Statewide coverage

Employee Surveillance Investigations Across Colorado

We support employers in every region. Metro Denver matters go to the Denver investigators and the Westminster employee surveillance team, while Arapahoe County employers work with our Littleton investigators. Weld County field operations are handled from Greeley, and southern Front Range routes from Castle Rock and Colorado Springs. Our Boulder County investigators in Longmont cover the northwest. Mountain, plains and Western Slope sites are scheduled as planned field trips with travel quoted first, and every employer receives the same reporting standard regardless of location or industry.

• Denver
• Greeley
• Castle Rock
• Colorado Springs
• Littleton
• Longmont
• All of Colorado

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Every service

Investigations available in Colorado

Every service below is available in Colorado and across Colorado, run by the same Delator Group leadership that manages our Tennessee casework. Choose a service to read how it works in Colorado.

Service areas

Private investigators across Colorado