One of the most important and yet often overlooked tools that investigators should use in criminal investigations is the neighborhood canvass for witnesses. Let’s say you’re investigating a burglary that happened at a residence sometime between 8:00 AM when the victim left for work and 5:00 PM when they returned. Usually the police response is uniformed officers who will take a report and do little else. With no suspect(s) seen and no witnesses located, that’s usually the end of their investigation. If you’re the private investigator hired on the case, the next step after your initial interview with the client should be to canvass the block where the crime occurred for witnesses. It’s important to canvass at the time when you’ll find the most potential residents at home. That’s usually in the evening between 5:30 and 7:30 PM on weekdays and 8:00 to 1200 noon on weekends. If you’re going to pick a weeknight, surveys have shown that the evening which most people are home is Thursday nights. Don’t be lazy and just door knock only the next door neighbors. Door knock the whole block, both sides of the street. Always ask if anyone else may live in the residence whose not home when you came by. Get their name and phone number and call them. Leave your business card in the front door of any residences where no one is home with ‘Please Call Me’ printed on it. This may be boring and tedious, but remember, you only need to find one witness to break a case.
