Surveillance Investigations Built to Hold Up in Court

01Why It Matters

Evidence That Survives Cross-Examination

Surveillance only has value if the footage is clear, the timeline is accurate and the investigator can explain exactly how it was gathered. Too often, clients receive shaky clips with no context, missing timestamps or gaps nobody can account for. Our operations are planned around the end use: a deposition, a mediation, a claim decision or a custody hearing.

Delator Group's leadership brings more than 70 years of collective experience from the U.S. military and law enforcement. That background shapes how we plan operations, maintain discretion and keep records. Every assignment runs under a chain of command, and a supervisor reviews the evidence before it is delivered.

• Time-stamped video and photographs with original metadata preserved
• Detailed activity logs tied to each piece of media
• Supervisor review before delivery
• Investigator affidavits and testimony available when needed

02Capabilities

Mobile, Fixed and Extended Surveillance Operations

Every case calls for a different approach. Covert mobile surveillance follows a subject between locations, which in Tennessee can mean interstate travel on I-40, I-24 or I-65 and stops across several counties in one day. Fixed observation watches a residence, workplace or vehicle from a lawful vantage point. Extended operations run for days or weeks with rotating investigators so the subject does not see the same face or vehicle twice.

We also handle overt surveillance where a visible presence serves a purpose, such as deterrence or documenting a known event. The right mix is decided at intake, based on your objective, the subject's routine and your budget.

03Clients

Surveillance for Attorneys, Insurers, Employers and Families

Law firms use our surveillance investigations to test personal injury and workers' compensation claims and to gather facts for divorce and custody matters. Insurance carriers and adjusters rely on objective activity documentation. Employers bring us in when they suspect time theft, a competing side business or misuse of leave. Private individuals come to us when they need clarity about a spouse, partner or co-parent.

Private clients often feel uneasy about hiring an investigator. We explain what surveillance can and cannot show, what is legal, and what a realistic outcome looks like before anyone is deployed.

• Attorneys and law firms
• Insurance carriers, adjusters and TPAs
• Employers and HR teams
• Private individuals and families

04Legal Boundaries

What Surveillance Investigators Can Legally Do in Tennessee

Our investigators are licensed through the Tennessee Private Investigation and Polygraph Commission under the Private Investigators Licensing and Regulatory Act (Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-26-201 et seq.). In general, surveillance is conducted from public places or locations where the investigator has a right to be, observing what any member of the public could see. Investigators do not trespass, pose as law enforcement or record inside areas where a person has a reasonable expectation of privacy.

GPS tracking is a common question. A tracker generally should not be placed on a vehicle unless the client has a lawful ownership interest in it, and even then the facts matter, so your attorney should advise. Tennessee is generally a one-party-consent state for recording conversations (Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-13-601), but surveillance investigators do not record private conversations they are not part of.

05Our Team

No Unknown Subcontractors in the Field

Many agencies take a job and quietly pass it to whoever is available. At Delator Group, every field investigator is background-verified, licensed in Tennessee and part of our vetted network before they take an assignment. We do not hand surveillance to unvetted freelancers, and you always know who is responsible for your case.

Our centralized leadership coordinates a statewide chapter network, which lets us deploy local investigators who know the roads in Memphis, the neighborhoods in Nashville or the mountain routes around Knoxville and Chattanooga, while keeping one standard for reporting and quality.

06Pricing

Up-Front Surveillance Pricing, No Retainer Burn

The cost of surveillance investigations depends on hours in the field, the number of investigators, travel and how long the operation runs. We scope those factors with you before work begins and quote the assignment up front, so you are not paying into an open-ended retainer with no clear stopping point.

If the first day of surveillance changes the picture, we discuss next steps with you before adding time. Our cost guide and service pricing page explain typical factors in more detail.

Services

Specialized Surveillance Services in Tennessee

• Married Infidelity SurveillanceDiscreet documentation for spouses who need clear answers, gathered lawfully and presented in a format a Tennessee family law attorney can use.Learn more
• Workers' Comp SurveillanceActivity checks on workers' compensation claimants for employers, carriers and defense counsel, with time-stamped video and a supervisor-reviewed report.Learn more
• Insurance Claim SurveillanceObjective documentation of claimant activity for insurers and adjusters evaluating injury, disability and liability claims anywhere in Tennessee, from Memphis to the Tri-Cities.Learn more
• Employee SurveillanceLawful observation of employees suspected of time theft, moonlighting or leave abuse, documented carefully to support fair and defensible HR and legal decisions.Learn more
• Workplace SurveillanceDocumentation of on-site conduct, theft or policy violations at your business, planned around your operational needs, workforce schedules and legal requirements.Learn more
• Hotel SurveillanceCareful observation of comings and goings at hotels and short-term rentals, using lawful vantage points and discreet investigators with experience in these settings.Learn more
• Out-of-State SurveillanceCoordinated operations when a subject travels beyond Tennessee, managed by the same leadership and delivered under one consistent reporting standard.Learn more
• Custody Agreement ViolationsDocumentation of a co-parent's conduct or compliance with a parenting plan, gathered lawfully and with your attorney's guidance for use in court.Learn more

How it works

How a Surveillance Investigation Works

1. 01

   Case intake

   We learn your objective, the subject's known routine, locations and deadlines. We also discuss legal boundaries and what outcome is realistic, then quote the assignment up front before any field time is scheduled.

2. 02

   Investigator assignment

   Leadership assigns vetted, licensed investigators with local knowledge of the area, whether that is Shelby County, Davidson County, Knox County or a rural community somewhere in between.

3. 03

   Field deployment

   Investigators conduct covert or overt surveillance from lawful vantage points, keeping detailed logs and time-stamped media. You receive updates at agreed intervals and can adjust direction.

4. 04

   Evidence delivery

   After supervisor review, you receive the evidence in your preferred format: video, photographs, a written report, activity logs and affidavits when the matter requires them, ready for your attorney or adjuster.

Compare

Which type of surveillance fits your situation

Statewide coverage

Surveillance Investigators Across Tennessee

Surveillance often crosses county lines, so statewide reach matters. From our Nashville headquarters we coordinate investigators across Middle Tennessee, including Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford, Sumner and Montgomery counties. In West Tennessee we cover Memphis, Shelby County and Jackson. In East Tennessee we work in Knoxville, Chattanooga, Johnson City and Kingsport. When a subject drives from Clarksville to Murfreesboro or from Chattanooga toward Knoxville, one coordinated team follows the case without handoffs to strangers.

• Nashville
• Memphis
• Knoxville
• Chattanooga
• Clarksville
• Murfreesboro
• All 95 counties

FAQ

Frequently asked questions