Legal Scope & Authority.
Understand what licensed private investigative support can do, what remains solely government authority, and why every assignment requires jurisdiction-specific review.
What private investigative support can lawfully do.
The legal authority changes with the client, assignment, bond, warrant, state, court and person performing the work. Every matter requires case-specific review. This page explains operating boundaries; it is not legal advice.
Potentially within an accepted scope
- Public-record and open-source research
- Lawful subject, witness or defendant location work
- Custody and facility research using permitted sources
- Field verification, surveillance and factual reporting
- Organizing information for attorneys, bail professionals or agencies
- Properly authorized California bail-fugitive recovery work when every statutory requirement is met
Not private-investigator authority
- Issuing, clearing, recalling or quashing a warrant
- Activating a UFAP warrant or directing federal prosecution
- Ordering extradition, detainers or government custody
- Issuing an INTERPOL Red Notice
- Directly accessing NCIC or CLETS as a private investigator
- Representing ourselves as police, marshals or a government task force
California bail recovery
California Penal Code §§1299.02–1299.11 govern who may perform paid bail-fugitive recovery and impose qualification, documentation, conduct, notification and identification requirements. Written apprehension authority is required before an apprehension under §1299.06, and §1299.07 prohibits representing oneself as sworn law enforcement.
Review California Penal Code §1299.02UFAP
18 U.S.C. §1073 addresses interstate or foreign flight to avoid prosecution, custody, confinement or qualifying testimony. Federal prosecution requires formal approval within the Department of Justice. Private investigators may develop and transmit lawful facts; they do not issue or activate a UFAP warrant.
Review 18 U.S.C. §1073Extradition
Interstate extradition is a government process grounded in Article IV of the U.S. Constitution and 18 U.S.C. §3182. A private investigator may locate, document or coordinate information for an authorized client, but government authorities control demands, arrest, waiver, transport and surrender.
Review 18 U.S.C. §3182Red Notices
An INTERPOL Red Notice is a request for international police cooperation based on a national warrant or court order; it is not itself an international arrest warrant. National authorities decide what action, if any, is lawful.
Review INTERPOL NoticesNCIC and CLETS
These are restricted criminal-justice information systems. Authorized agencies and personnel determine whether an official-purpose inquiry is permitted. CAWarrants.org does not directly access either system, and restricted data may not be released merely because a private requester asks.
Review California DOJ CLETS policyCase-law context
Taylor v. Taintor, 83 U.S. 366 (1872), is often quoted in bail-recovery discussions. It does not replace modern licensing, criminal, constitutional, entry, use-of-force or interstate laws. Current statutes and the law of the jurisdiction where activity occurs control the assignment.
Read Taylor v. Taintor