How I Became a Texas Private Investigator
- Dave Amis
- Apr 2
- 7 min read
Updated: Apr 3
by Dave Amis, Texas PI, Founder of StriderPI
My Journey to a Texas PI License
I became a licensed Texas Private Investigator in 2019.
It took almost two years, three bosses, and more than a few hard lessons.
If you're wondering how to become a private investigator in Texas—or even just whether it's worth it—this is the story I wish someone had told me first.
Getting Started: Two Years of Persistence
The transition into private investigation wasn’t exactly smooth. I contacted a dozen experienced investigators. Several promised to sponsor my PI license—just fill out the paperwork, they said. Then they'd go quiet, disappear, or in one case, go out of business without a word.
My First Real PI Job
Then I met David W., a former LAPD Sergeant and surveillance specialist. A genuinely great guy.
He gave me my first real PI job—and fired me two weeks later. I briefly left a 12-hour surveillance post, leaving another investigator to cover. The subject chose that exact four-minute window to leave. That's the surveillance rule they don't put in any private investigator training manual: the moment you stop paying attention is when all the action happens.
It was a righteous firing. I don’t blame David, and I’ll always appreciate him; he got me in the door and left me with this:
Being a Texas PI is like living in the Wild West.
He wasn't wrong.
My Second PI Boss
My second employer—a former ICE agent—specialized in criminal defense investigation.
We worked about 25 cases together: theft, attempted murder, sexual assault, armed robbery.
Six months later, she fired me too."You ask too many questions," she said. "I just want investigators to do the work and give me the report."
Fair enough. I learned a lot from her, even if she didn't want to hear about it.
My Third PI Boss
At a statewide PI conference, I introduced myself to Henry, who runs a private investigation firm covering just about the entire state. He looked at me and said: "I'll give you a chance."
A week later, he handed me a fidelity case. (A Chicago investigator once yelled at me for calling it that—"It's infidelity, you idiot!"— but I prefer my optimistic version.)
The assignment: photograph a man dropping a woman off at a specific address near Austin. Simple enough. Except when I arrived, the address didn't exist.
I spent twenty minutes circling blocks. Nothing. Then a USPS carrier pulled up in her little mail Jeep and sorted me out in two minutes. I set up four houses down.
The man arrived—60s, the woman in her 40s. He grabbed her bag, kissed her, she went inside. I photographed everything, ran the plates. The house belonged to her daughter. The car was registered in San Antonio. Infidelity confirmed, plus a clever mother-daughter setup.
Henry was happy. He gave me more cases. Eventually, I became director of his Austin office.
Why Infidelity Cases Matter for New PIs
These cases taught me more about surveillance than almost anything else. The subjects are often unaware, rarely dangerous, and genuinely bad at covert behavior.
Over about 30 of these cases, I kept hearing the same thing: "I think they're cheating, but I need to know for sure."
Texas is a no-fault divorce state, so the evidence rarely changes the legal outcome. What it does is give people emotional closure.
How to Become a PI: Starting Your Own Practice
After a year of doing mostly surveillance work, I told Henry I was starting my own shop. We separated on good terms and have collaborated on cases since.
Like most new PIs, I set up a website, printed flyers, and cold-called lawyers. But the single most effective thing I did was simple: I worked the hell out of every case.
Not every client got the outcome they wanted. But every client got results—located persons, documented evidence, answers. Grateful clients tell stories.
Seven years later, more than half my business comes from word-of-mouth referrals.
Creating My Own Private Investigator Certification Program
During this time, I realized that the private investigator industry has no real training pipeline—no academy, nothing like the 600-hour police academy I went through as a Sheriff’s Deputy.
So I created my own “private investigator certification.”
For one solid year, I accepted every case offered to me. I worked for free when I had to, just to stay busy and build experience.
My year-one goal was 60 cases, which is five per month. I did that, and then some.
Real Cases: What a Private Investigation License Lets You Handle
Here's a sample of what I worked my first year:
Civil Cases
Cheating Spouse
Confirmed a husband’s suspected affair with the “burrito girl”—all for a $500 budget, and no one ever found out.
Workmen’s Comp.
Caught a subject faking a back injury by documenting him lifting heavy boxes.
Divorce
Helped untangle a $100M mess when the prenup went missing.
Inheritance Fraud
Convinced a trustee to cough up a stolen inheritance—smooth social engineering wins again.
Criminal Investigation Cases
Armed Robbery
Helped secure a 25-year sentence for a repeat offender.
Burglary
Identified and caught five suspects tied to eight burglaries.
Repossession
Recovered a $300k Rolls Royce from a skilled con artist.
Assault
Documented a severe lead-pipe attack.
Domestic Violence
A brother attacked his sister’s boyfriend “for love”—definitely a situation where jail seemed appropriate.
Real Estate Fraud
Exposed contractors inflating costs and misreporting losses.
Check Fraud
Exposed contractors inflating costs and misreporting losses.
Rescue and Specialized Cases
Missing Child
Located a 15-year-old in 90 minutes inside an apartment with an adult man and a juvenile—my fastest recovery to date.
Red Team
For a wealthy client who needed to know “what can you find out about me”, we found hidden assets, a mistress, and linked LLCs.
Counter Surveillance
During a major financial fraud case, we spotted an active surveillance team at our very first meeting.
Years Two and Three: Developing Your PI Specialty
People ask me how to be a PI in Texas expecting a quick answer. Here's the honest one:
Two years. That's what it realistically takes to find your niche, build relationships, land real clients, and actually earn your place by solving cases.
My biggest mistake early on: I couldn't say no to unfamiliar cases. New case types take five times the effort to deliver quality results. The smartest private investigators specialize, focusing on two or three core case types.
Specializing in Fraud Investigation
In year three, I leaned into what I already knew. With a finance background and an MBA, I completed the Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) program and never looked back.
The big cases started rolling in:
Semi-public corruption
Major business frauds
A $200 million divorce
Ponzi schemes
Ongoing financial crimes
My team grew to four investigators plus one rookie. I began producing complex investigative reports that held up in court.
My biggest case to date: seven investigators, two researchers, a 74-page report, 150+ findings, and 14,500 pages of exhibits. The FBI took that one too—as they've taken four of our cases overall, with the DEA taking one more.
Learning from the Best PI Mentors
Along the way, I was lucky enough to learn from three world-class mentors:
Tuleta Copeland– Retired FBI agent
My best mentor and, eventually, my best friend — until her passing last year. Every conversation started with: "What trouble have you gotten yourself into this time, Dave?"
I once watched her prove a $1.2M bank fraud in New Jersey in about 45 minutes. She was the finest OSINT investigator I've ever seen work.
Sean Dunn – Retired Marine Colonel, Lawyer, and Texas PI
For a full year, he tore apart every investigative plan I brought him. Then one day, after twelve months of criticism, he looked at my work and said: "Actually… that's not a bad idea."
That felt like graduation.
Luke Sloan– Recon Marine and Security Expert
Younger than me and still relentlessly critical—of my surveillance work, undercover techniques, wardrobe, and tendency to be “too loud.” He overhauled the entire surveillance curriculum for Strider PI. I consider him a co-founder.
Training the Next Generation of PIs
The private investigation industry has no real training pipeline. No academy. Nothing like the 600-hour police academy I went through as a Sheriff's Deputy.
So we built one.
Drawing on my background as a former Police Academy Instructor, I created SPIT — StriderPI Investigator Training: a 3-day intensive program based in Cedar Park, TX, designed to help new investigators understand exactly how to become a PI in Texas and how to get a PI license.
If you're serious about becoming a PI, we'd like to help.
Seven Years as a Texas Private Investigator
Now, in my seventh year as a Texas private investigator, I’ve handled cases all across the U.S. and in three foreign countries—gang fraud, art theft right here in Austin, attempted homicides, serial predators, and yes, still the occasional fidelity case.
Becoming a Texas private investigator was the best decision I ever made.
— Dave Amis
If you're thinking about making the same call—contact us at StriderPI or come train with us. We'll tell you the truth about this career, which is the same thing I wish someone had told me back in 2019.
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