Shelby County · West Tennessee
Private Investigator in Memphis, TN, Across the Tri-State Line
Delator Group deploys licensed investigators to Memphis and throughout Shelby County for surveillance, infidelity and custody cases, background checks, locates, attorney support and process service. Cases that cross into Mississippi or Arkansas stay under one chain of command, with transparent pricing set before work begins and reports prepared for court from the first day.
- Shelby County work, statewide backing
- Cases that cross state lines
- Direct line to leadership
- 95Tennessee counties covered
- 75+Designated investigative specialties
- 24/7Availability for active matters
- 5.0Google rating (18 reviews)
Quick answer
What does a private investigator in Memphis, TN do?
A Memphis PI collects lawful, documented facts for individuals, businesses and attorneys: surveillance, background research, locates, witness interviews and process service. Because Memphis sits where Tennessee meets Arkansas and Mississippi, many cases also require surveillance across state lines. All work in Tennessee must be done by a licensed investigator.
01Why local awareness matters
Why a Memphis case needs an investigator who reads Shelby County
Memphis is spread out. A subject can live in Cordova, work in Whitehaven and spend weekends in Midtown, and each area calls for a different surveillance approach. Our investigators plan routes around I-40 and I-55, account for river-crossing traffic, and choose vehicles that fit the neighborhood. That preparation is the difference between usable covert surveillance and a report that says the subject was lost at a light.
Clients hire a private investigator in Memphis, TN from Delator Group because the work is supervised centrally. Our leadership comes from military and federal law enforcement backgrounds, and every investigator works under one chain of command rather than as an anonymous contractor. You can review our transparent pricing before you commit and read about the leadership behind the firm before you call.
- Routes planned around I-40, I-55 and the river
- Neighborhood-appropriate vehicles and methods
- Central supervision of every assignment
- Pricing agreed in writing before fieldwork
02Family matters
Infidelity and custody investigations for Memphis families
An infidelity investigation in Memphis often starts with a detail that does not add up: a work trip to Southaven that runs late, or a phone that is always face down. We answer the question with lawful observation and research. For couples who are not married, non-marital relationship investigations follow the same careful standards. When a partner's travel takes them out of Tennessee, our out-of-state infidelity work keeps the file continuous.
Custody disputes in Shelby County frequently involve a parent who lives across a state line. We document exchanges, supervision and household conditions so your attorney has dated facts rather than impressions. If the other parent is ignoring an order, see our custody order violation investigations. Where a child's safety is in question, missing child investigations are handled with urgency and coordinated with law enforcement where appropriate.
- Surveillance that can continue into Mississippi or Arkansas
- Exchange-day and supervision documentation
- Household and associate background research
- Confidential reporting to you and your lawyer
03Litigation support
Support for Memphis attorneys in Shelby County and federal court
Shelby County's civil courts, including Circuit Court, Chancery Court, Probate Court and the civil division of General Sessions, are based in the Shelby County Courthouse at 140 Adams Avenue. Criminal Court and General Sessions criminal matters run through the Criminal Justice Center at 201 Poplar Avenue, and Juvenile Court sits on Adams Avenue. Federal cases are heard in the Western District of Tennessee at the Odell Horton Federal Building on North Main Street. Our investigations for law firms are organized around those venues.
Civil teams use us to find and interview witnesses, research parties and screen a jury pool where permitted. Defense counsel relies on our criminal defense investigation support for scene work, statement review and independent witness contact at 201 Poplar. Deliverables include source notes, organized exhibits and a clear chain of custody, so an investigator can testify to how each item was obtained.
- Witness location and recorded interviews
- Party, witness and juror background research
- Scene photography and measurements
- Testimony-ready investigator notes
04Business and insurance
Business and insurance investigations in a logistics city
Memphis built its economy on moving goods: river shipping, rail, trucking and air cargo, alongside a large financial services presence. Distribution centers and freight yards around the city handle high-value inventory, and losses can happen quietly. Our warehouse and workplace theft investigations look at who had access and when, while corporate collusion inquiries examine whether employees are working with drivers or vendors to divert product.
Injury claims are common in physically demanding warehouse and freight work. Our insurance claim surveillance documents a claimant's real activity using lawful public-view methods, and reports are prepared for adjusters, defense counsel and hearing officers. For companies expanding in Shelby County, M&A due diligence checks the people, litigation history and financial red flags behind a target before a deal closes.
- Inventory diversion and employee theft
- Driver and vendor collusion inquiries
- Workers' comp and liability claim checks
- Due diligence before acquisitions and leases
05Locates and service
Skip tracing and process service across Shelby County and beyond
Memphis residents move frequently between the city, suburbs such as Bartlett, Germantown and Collierville, and nearby counties in three states. A reliable locate accounts for that movement. Our skip tracing services combine records research with field confirmation, and evasive person skip tracing is available when someone is actively avoiding contact. Every result is confirmed before we report it as current.
After a location is confirmed, our team acts as your process server in Memphis, handling routine, rush and difficult service with dated attempts and a sworn affidavit. If a respondent has moved to Jackson or elsewhere in West Tennessee, the same management coordinates service there. Our guide to serving legal papers in Tennessee explains the basic rules for personal and substitute service.
06Legal limits
Tennessee law and what a Memphis PI can do
Every investigator we send to Memphis is licensed by the Tennessee Private Investigation and Polygraph Commission under the Private Investigators Licensing and Regulatory Act, Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-26-201 and following. A license is not a badge. Investigators generally cannot trespass, pretend to be police, or pull phone and bank records without legal process. Our plain-language summary of Tennessee investigator limits covers the common questions.
Recording rules deserve particular care in a tri-state city. Tennessee is generally a one-party consent state under Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-13-601, but Arkansas and Mississippi have their own statutes, and your attorney can advise before anyone records across a state line. Our guide on recording laws in Tennessee is a starting point. In most cases, GPS devices may only go on a vehicle the client has an ownership interest in.
07Only in Memphis
Working where Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas meet
Shelby County borders DeSoto and Marshall counties in Mississippi and Crittenden County in Arkansas, and people cross those lines every day to work, shop and live. A spouse may rent in Southaven, a debtor may register a business in West Memphis, and a witness may have moved to North Mississippi. We handle that reality directly, and our Mississippi investigation coverage keeps continuity on cases that head south.
Cross-border cases raise practical questions about licensing, service rules and which court has jurisdiction, so we plan them with your attorney from the start. Hidden money is a frequent example: assets moved out of state during a divorce can be traced through asset investigations and our guide to hidden assets in Tennessee divorces. The result is one report covering every state involved.
- Coverage toward Southaven and West Memphis
- Asset tracing across state lines
- Service planning for out-of-state respondents
- One report for multi-state cases
Services
Investigation services for Memphis and Shelby County
- SurveillanceMobile and stationary surveillance across Memphis and its suburbs, planned for local traffic patterns and documented with time-stamped video and detailed logs.Learn more
- Infidelity investigationsDiscreet relationship investigations for Memphis clients, including subjects who travel into Mississippi or Arkansas, handled lawfully and kept strictly confidential.Learn more
- Background checksBackground checks in Memphis on employees, tenants, business partners and new relationships, verified through court, property and corporate records in more than one state.Learn more
- Attorney servicesWitness work, claimant surveillance, records research and trial preparation for Memphis law firms practicing in Shelby County and the Western District.Learn more
- Criminal defenseIndependent investigation for defendants facing charges in Shelby County, from misdemeanors in General Sessions to felony cases in Criminal Court.Learn more
- Skip tracingFinding and confirming debtors, witnesses, heirs and missing relatives who have moved around Memphis or across the Mississippi and Arkansas borders.Learn more
- Process servingRoutine and rush service of legal papers throughout Memphis and Shelby County, with documented attempts and a notarized affidavit ready for filing.Learn more
- Corporate investigationsTheft, collusion, misconduct and due diligence inquiries for Memphis logistics, distribution, financial services and manufacturing employers, handled without disrupting daily operations.Learn more
- Insurance investigationsClaim verification for insurers and self-insured Memphis employers, with lawful activity checks and reports prepared for adjusters and defense counsel.Learn more
Every service
Investigations available in Memphis
Every service below is available in Memphis and the surrounding area, handled by the same licensed statewide team. Choose a service to read how it works.
Surveillance & infidelity
Background checks
Legal & criminal defense
Corporate & business
Insurance, audits & risk
Locates & skip tracing
How it works
How we run a Memphis investigation
- 01
Speak with leadership
Your first conversation is with a member of leadership, not a call center. We clarify what you need to prove, what is lawful, and whether an investigation is worth the cost.
- 02
Written scope and price
We confirm the plan, hours, states involved and deliverables in writing. Pricing is transparent and up front, with no retainer that disappears before you see results.
- 03
Investigation in the field
Licensed investigators work the case in Memphis and wherever it leads, including across state lines when needed, with scheduled updates so you can adjust direction.
- 04
Documented results
You receive an organized report with video, photos, sources and a timeline. If the matter goes to court, the assigned investigator can support your attorney with testimony.
Compare
Typical Memphis cases and how we approach them
| Memphis situation | Our approach | What you receive |
|---|---|---|
| Partner making unexplained trips to Southaven | Surveillance that continues across the state line | Video, timeline and location log |
| Pallets disappearing from a distribution center | Access review, interviews and covert observation | Findings report for management and counsel |
| Injury claimant seen working a second job | Lawful activity checks on selected days | Dated video and adjuster-ready report |
| Debtor relocated to West Memphis | Multi-state records research and field check | Confirmed address and asset leads |
| Defendant dodging service in Cordova | Rush and evasive process service | Sworn affidavit of service |
Local coverage
Memphis neighborhoods and nearby communities we cover
- Downtown Memphis
- Midtown
- Cooper-Young
- South Main Arts District
- Harbor Town
- East Memphis
- Orange Mound
- Whitehaven
- Raleigh
- Frayser
- Hickory Hill
- Cordova
- Germantown
- Bartlett
- Collierville
- Millington
Nearby
Serving Shelby County and the Mid-South
Our Memphis coverage includes the whole of Shelby County, including Arlington, Lakeland, Millington, Germantown, Bartlett and Collierville, and extends to neighboring Tipton and Fayette counties. Court work centers on 140 Adams Avenue, 201 Poplar Avenue and the federal building on North Main Street. When a case crosses into DeSoto or Marshall County, Mississippi, or Crittenden County, Arkansas, we keep it under one team. Nearby, clients also work with our Bartlett private investigators, our Collierville investigation team and investigators serving Jackson and Madison County, all under the same leadership.
Delator Field Services
Process serving in Memphis
Need papers served in Memphis or anywhere in Shelby County? Our process serving division, Delator Field Services, handles service with documented attempts and court-ready affidavits, and our investigators can locate an evasive party first.
- Process server for Memphis
- Tennessee process serving
- County-by-county price map
- How to serve legal papers in TN
- Locate an evasive party
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How much does a private investigator in Memphis, TN cost?
Pricing depends on the service, the hours involved and whether the case crosses state lines. Surveillance is generally hourly, while many background checks and serves are usually quoted per job in writing. We give you a written quote before any work begins. Our guide to Tennessee investigator costs explains what drives the numbers so you can budget realistically.
Do you have an office in Memphis?
Delator Group is headquartered in Nashville and deploys licensed investigators to Memphis and the rest of Shelby County. Investigators assigned to your case work the area regularly and report to the same leadership that manages every file statewide. You get local familiarity together with central supervision and one consistent reporting standard.
Can you follow someone into Mississippi or Arkansas?
Often, yes, but it depends on the facts and on each state's rules for investigators, so we plan cross-border work in advance and coordinate with your attorney. Many Memphis cases involve Southaven, West Memphis or other nearby border communities. Where a case is centered in Mississippi, our Mississippi private investigator page explains how we handle it.
Which Memphis courts do your reports support?
We regularly support cases in Shelby County Circuit, Chancery and Probate Court and the civil division of General Sessions at 140 Adams Avenue, Criminal Court and General Sessions criminal matters at 201 Poplar Avenue, and federal matters in the Western District of Tennessee. Reports are organized with sources and timelines so counsel can use them in discovery and at trial.
Can a private investigator find a missing family member in Memphis?
Yes. We combine records research, interviews and field work to locate adults who have lost contact with family, and we work alongside law enforcement where a report has been filed. Every located person's privacy and safety is considered before we share details. See our missing family member investigations for how those cases typically progress.
How long does a Memphis investigation take?
Simple background checks may take a few days, while surveillance cases depend on the subject's schedule and may need several sessions. Locates vary with how recently the person moved and whether they are avoiding contact. We give you an honest estimate at the start. Our article on how long investigations usually take covers the common variables.
Can you find criminal records on someone in Shelby County?
We can research public court records in Shelby County and other jurisdictions and verify what we find against identifiers such as date of birth. Some records are sealed or expunged and are not available to anyone without legal authority. Our guide on finding criminal records in Tennessee explains what is public and what is not.
Do you investigate scams targeting older adults in Memphis?
Yes. Families often contact us after a parent sends money to a stranger online or a caregiver's behavior changes. We trace where funds went, identify the people involved and document findings for law enforcement and your attorney. Learn more about our elder scam investigations and how quickly families should act.
Is a Memphis PI allowed to record phone calls?
Tennessee is generally a one-party consent state, so a participant in a conversation can usually record it, but investigators cannot secretly record conversations they are not part of. Mississippi and Arkansas have their own laws, which matters in a border city. Your attorney can advise on your specific situation before any recording is made.
Service areas
Private investigators across Tennessee
West Tennessee
Middle Tennessee
Beyond Tennessee
Photography: Joshua J. Cotten · Terrance Raper · Ran Berkovich (Unsplash License). Last reviewed .
Delator Group Private Investigators
Get answers in Memphis
Describe what is happening, whether it stays in Shelby County or crosses a state line. Leadership will outline your options, give you a written price, and assign a licensed investigator to the work.
