A professional background investigation involved much more than entering someone's name into a database. In this episode, veteran private investigator Oscar Santa Maria explains how investigators verify identities, review criminal and civil records, recognize inaccurate or outdated information, and avoid connecting records to the wrong person. Learn why experience, careful analysis, and multiple reliable sources are essential to producing accurate and meaningful results. 

What does professional surveillance really involve? Oscar explains how investigators prepare for an assignment, the importance of patience and persistence, and why surveillance is often very different from what is portrayed on television. He also discusses objective documentation, realistic client expectations, and why specific results can never be guaranteed.

What does a private investigator actually do? Oscar Santa Maria draws on more than 30 years of experience and over 5,000 investigations to explain the realities of professional investigative work. This episode explores surveillance, background investigations, witness interviews, locate cases, legal support, and the important differences between real investigations and what is portrayed on television.

In the first episode of the Optimum PI Podcast, host Oscar Santa Maria introduces himself, shares his path into private investigations, and reflects on more than 30 years in the profession. He discusses founding Optimum Investigations, his previous podcast, his book, and what listeners can expect from future episodes, including real cases, investigative techniques, professional insights, and lessons learned in the field.