Did you know that the first private detective agency was founded by a criminal? While conducting research on this particular topic I learned a lot of interesting information about the type of work private investigators do, as well as potential job opportunities. This world is a crazy and deceptive place and it is up to us to get to the truth of everything. Becoming a private investigator will be a time-consuming, potentially dangerous, but extremely rewarding career path. (History of Private Investigations, 2013) The opening sentence is true. The first private detective agency was created by a French soldier and criminal in 1833. His name was Eugene Francois Vidocq. The name of his agency was Le Bureau des Resignments, (Office of Secret Services). His office was fully staffed with other ex-convicts. His company was the first to make a plaster cast of a shoe print. The police often tried to shut down his business to no avail. He was arrested in 1842 in what he believed to be a set up after solving an embezzlement case. The charges were false imprisonment and receiving money under false pretenses. Vidocq was sentenced to five years in prison and a fine of 3,000 francs. He was released after taking his case to the Court of Appeal. (History of Private Investigations, 2013) Vidocq is also credited with introducing many key tasks into the field of criminal investigations. These important tasks include record keeping, criminology and ballistics. He also had a printing press where he is believed to have created indelible ink and unaltered fine paper. Many of Vidocq's methods are still used today by French authorities. (History of Private Investigations, 2013) America's first private detective agency...... half of the paper......ons.com/history_of_private_investigations.phpN/A. (2013). The world of the private investigator. Retrieved December 19, 2013, from www.detectivetraining.com: www.detectivetraining.com/lesson1html/Willingham, B. (2012). 5 Myths: What a Private Investigator Can't (Legally) Get. Retrieved from www.diligentiagroup.com: http://www.diligentiagroup.com/legal-investigation/5-myths-what-a-private-investigator-cannot-legally-get/Willingham, B. (2013). 10 Ways a Lawyer Can Effectively Use a Private Investigator. Retrieved from www.diligentiagroup.com: http://www.diligentiagroup.com/legal-investigation/10-ways-an-attorney-can-effectively-use-a-private-investigator/Yossarian, B. (2008, August 12). The tools a private investigator needs. Retrieved from www.articlesabse.com: http://www.articlesbase.com/law-articles/the-tools-a-private-investigator-needs-519629.html