BC Private Investigator: Evidence handling and information sources

All 14 questions in this test

Every question and its answer choices. The correct answers and explanations appear when you take the test above.

1. Which source can help a PI find old notices of bankruptcy or probate?

   1. A subject's private tax return
   2. A hospital's patient database
   3. A police officer's personal notebook
   4. Back issues of newspapers at a public library

2. How many people should handle a piece of evidence?

   1. Only the client, never the PI
   2. Everyone on the case, so that all of them share the same knowledge
   3. At least three people, for verification
   4. As few as possible, with each transfer documented

3. Why must the original surveillance recording never be edited?

   1. Editing costs the client extra money
   2. Its integrity is essential for court
   3. Edited files are always too large
   4. Courts only accept black-and-white video

4. A PI's client wants to use a video file in court. Who must prove it is authentic?

   1. Nobody, since files are presumed real
   2. The party seeking to admit it
   3. The opposing party, by disproving it
   4. The judge, before the trial starts

5. Under s. 30 of the Canada Evidence Act, which record can be admissible on production?

   1. A PI's report made for an investigation
   2. A note written by a lawyer while preparing for a lawsuit
   3. A record protected by legal privilege
   4. A record made in the ordinary course of business

6. What can a Personal Property Security Registry search reveal?

   1. A person's medical history
   2. A person's sealed youth court record and charges
   3. A person's bank PIN
   4. Liens registered against a person's property

7. Which registry information may be used without consent as a prescribed public source?

   1. A public registry created under a law
   2. A private club's membership list
   3. An employer's internal staff list
   4. A clinic's appointment calendar

8. How should a PI decide which searches to run on a file?

   1. Every database available, just in case
   2. Whatever searches the subject's neighbours suggest might be useful
   3. Only those needed for the purpose of the assignment
   4. Only searches that cost nothing

9. What is the chain of custody?

   1. The order in which witnesses testify
   2. A lock used on evidence storage rooms
   3. A documented record of who controlled the evidence
   4. A list of every person the PI interviewed during the whole investigation

10. What should a PI write on an evidence bag they seal?

    1. The client's name and phone number only
    2. Their initials and the date and time collected
    3. The suspected value of the item
    4. Nothing, to keep the item anonymous

11. How reliable is information from a subject's own online profile?

    1. Reliable if it has many followers
    2. Never usable in any investigation
    3. Always accurate, since it is self-reported
    4. Only as reliable as whoever entered it; check it

12. Which list matches the six core steps for containing evidence?

    1. Seize, open, share, label, publish, archive
    2. Collect, test, copy, return, forget, file
    3. Collect, secure, preserve, identify, continuity, log
    4. Find, clean, photograph, sell, report, destroy, and then file the invoice

13. How much notice must a party normally give before producing a business record under s. 30?

    1. At least seven days
    2. At least 24 hours
    3. No notice is required
    4. At least 30 days

14. A PI saves a lawfully recorded call to a USB drive. How should the drive be treated?

    1. As scrap once copied to a laptop
    2. As a gift for the client to keep
    3. As evidence, stored securely
    4. As a personal backup to reuse