Investigative Consulting in Colorado for Decisions That Come Before Field Work

01The case for planning

Why a Colorado Investigation Should Start With a Plan

Most wasted investigative spending comes from starting in the wrong place. A client orders surveillance when a records search would have answered the question in a day, or a lawyer requests a broad background check when only one fact matters to the motion. Consulting reverses the order: we define the question, list what would prove or disprove it, and only then choose methods. Many Front Range clients meet with our Boulder consulting investigators or the Denver team before any field work.

Colorado's geography raises the stakes. A single surveillance shift in a mountain county may involve hours of driving, chain-law conditions from September through May, and a small town where an unfamiliar vehicle is noticed fast. A plan that accounts for those realities avoids paying for shifts that were never likely to succeed. When the plan shows field work is worthwhile, it moves straight into surveillance investigations in Colorado or another service with the scope already written.

02For counsel

Evidence Planning for Colorado Litigation

For attorneys, consulting starts with the theory of the case and the court. Colorado has 23 judicial districts, including the 23rd, which began on January 14, 2025 for Douglas, Elbert and Lincoln counties. Denver has four separate trial courts: County, District, Probate and Juvenile. County courts generally hear civil claims up to $25,000 and small claims up to $7,500. Each forum has its own pace, and the evidence plan should match it. Our litigation support for Colorado counsel build on that plan.

Deadlines shape the order of work. Under C.R.C.P. 4(m), a defendant generally must be served within 63 days after filing, and an answer is generally due 21 days after service, or 35 days when service is outside Colorado or by publication. Subpoenas under C.R.C.P. 45 generally need at least 48 hours' notice for a hearing, seven days for a deposition and 14 days for documents. We sequence locates, interviews and service so nothing collides with those dates, using our Colorado process serving team where papers are involved.

We also help counsel decide what not to investigate. A fact that is undisputed, already in discovery or irrelevant to the elements does not need an investigator. Saying so early keeps the budget for the facts that are genuinely in dispute. Defense lawyers use the same discipline before ordering criminal defense investigations in Colorado, and civil counsel before a Colorado asset search.

03Records

Records Strategy Under Colorado's Open Records Laws

Good records work is planned. The Colorado Open Records Act, C.R.S. § 24-72-201 and following, lets any person inspect public records, including out-of-state requesters, with a presumed response time of three working days that can generally be extended by up to seven more for large requests. Copies generally cost no more than 25 cents a page, the first hour of research is free, and custodians may charge a capped hourly fee after that under a published policy. Narrow requests come back faster and cheaper than broad ones.

Other sources follow different rules. Criminal justice records are governed by a separate statute; the Colorado Bureau of Investigation's Internet Criminal History Check covers Colorado records only, by name; and court records vary by county and court. We map which source answers which question, then decide what to request first. Clients who need a quick factual picture can then order a Colorado employee background check or a tenant background check based on that map.

04Quality control

Vetting Investigators and Reviewing Their Work

Colorado required private investigators to hold a state license from June 1, 2015 until 2020. The 2020 sunset bill, HB20-1207, passed the legislature but was vetoed by the Governor on July 11, 2020, and the Department of Regulatory Agencies repealed its investigator rules effective January 14, 2022. Some websites still describe the old license tiers and bond as current requirements; they are out of date. A Colorado client therefore has to judge a vendor on method, insurance and reporting, which our questions to ask before hiring an investigator cover.

We also review completed work. A client who already received a surveillance report or background check from another firm can ask us whether the methods were lawful, whether the conclusions follow from the evidence and what gaps remain. We give a plain written opinion and recommend whether more work is justified. When a method raises legal concerns, our summary of what Colorado investigators may lawfully do explains the issues, and counsel decides how to proceed.

• Method and legality review of prior work
• Gap analysis against the client's question
• Vendor questions on insurance and reporting
• Written opinion with a recommendation

05Families

Consulting for Colorado Families Facing Hard Questions

Families often call before they are sure they want an investigation. A parent worried about parenting time, an adult child concerned about a widowed parent's new friend, or someone who suspects a partner is hiding something may need an hour of honest advice more than a week of surveillance. Colorado courts decide parenting matters under C.R.S. § 14-10-124 with paramount consideration for the child's safety, and we explain which observable facts bear on those factors. Relationship questions sometimes resolve with a dating background check alone.

Safety issues come first. If someone is being followed, threatened or harassed online, we explain the difference between documentation a court can use and actions that could make things worse. Colorado's stalking statute, § 18-3-602, and harassment statute, § 18-9-111, describe conduct a protection order request may address, and counsel or a victim advocate can explain that process. Documentation is described on our stalking investigations and online harassment investigations pages.

06Companies

Security and Risk Consulting for Colorado Organizations

Companies use consulting to make proportionate decisions. Before ordering an internal investigation, a manager may want to know whether the facts justify one, who should conduct interviews and how to avoid recording conversations in a way that raises eavesdropping questions under C.R.S. § 18-9-304. We also review hiring and vendor screening, executive travel and public exposure. Ongoing advice is available as general risk management support for Colorado companies, and terminations at risk of litigation can be prepared with wrongful termination investigation planning.

Executives and public-facing staff often have more personal information online than they realize: home addresses on property records, family members on social media and phone numbers in data broker listings. We assess that exposure and recommend steps, and a remote personal data removal service costs $900 as a remote service. Colorado has no verified data broker registry, so removal relies on each source's own opt-out process, which we work through methodically.

07Delivery

How Investigative Consulting in Colorado Is Delivered and Priced

Consulting is billed at $100 per hour, the same rate as our investigative time, and the scope is written before the first hour is billed. A typical engagement is a call with leadership, a review of documents you share, and a written plan or opinion. Some clients need one hour; complex litigation plans take longer. The plan lists methods, sources, estimated hours and the order of work, so it can be handed to us or to another firm. Our specialized Colorado investigations list shows what the plan might lead to.

Delator Group is headquartered in Nashville and holds a Tennessee private investigation license, with leadership from military and federal law enforcement backgrounds. We have no Colorado office, and we say so. Consulting can be done entirely remotely, which makes it practical for clients on the Western Slope, the Eastern Plains or out of state, and our Grand Junction consulting coverage handles in-person meetings when they help.

Services

Investigative Consulting Services in Colorado

• Case assessmentA leadership review of your question, the facts you already have and whether investigation can realistically answer it before field hours are spent.Learn more
• Litigation evidence planA written plan matching locates, interviews, records and service to counsel's theory, the Colorado court and every rule-based deadline in the case.Learn more
• Second-opinion reviewAn independent review of another firm's surveillance, background or interview work, checking methods, legality and whether the conclusions follow from evidence.Learn more
• Investigator vettingQuestions and standards for comparing investigators in Colorado, where no state license exists, focused on method, insurance and reporting quality.Learn more
• Records strategyA map of which Colorado public records answer your question, how to request them under CORA and what each request is likely to cost.Learn more
• Custody fact planningGuidance on which observable facts relate to Colorado's parenting-time factors and how they can be documented without overstepping the law.Learn more
• Personal exposure reviewAn assessment of how much of your personal information is public online, followed by a removal plan or a $900 OSINT wipe.Learn more
• Business risk advisoryAdvice on hiring, vendor, travel and security risks for Colorado companies, sized to the business rather than to a standard package.Learn more
• Safety documentation advicePractical guidance for people being followed, watched or harassed on documenting each incident in a way counsel and Colorado courts can use.Learn more

How it works

How a Colorado Consulting Engagement Runs

1. 01

   Initial call

   Leadership listens to the situation, asks what decision you face and tells you honestly whether consulting, an investigation or neither is the right next step.

2. 02

   Written scope

   You receive a short written scope listing the documents to review, the questions to answer and the estimated hours at $100 per hour before billing begins.

3. 03

   Review and analysis

   We review your documents and any prior work, research the relevant Colorado rules and sources, and test each possible method against cost and legal limits.

4. 04

   Plan or opinion

   You receive a written plan or opinion with recommended methods, sources, order of work and estimated cost, ready to act on with us or anyone else.

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When Colorado Clients Use Investigative Consulting

Statewide coverage

Investigative Consulting Across Colorado

Consulting is delivered by phone and video anywhere in Colorado, with in-person meetings arranged where they help. Front Range clients meet with leadership through our Denver investigative consultants and Boulder team, while northern Colorado families and companies are served through our Fort Collins consulting investigators. Douglas County clients can work with our Castle Rock consultants. Western Slope matters are handled through Grand Junction, and southwest Colorado clients through our Durango consulting team, with plans that account for mountain travel and seasonal weather.

• Denver
• Boulder
• Fort Collins
• Castle Rock
• Grand Junction
• Durango
• 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