Understand the problem
Start with the situation, the decision it affects, and what remains unclear.
Black Shield Intelligence and Investigations · BSI²
When the facts are unclear, start with the question.
Founder-led private investigation for confusing, sensitive, and consequential situations. We separate what is known from what is assumed, find what may lawfully be found, and state what remains unresolved.
Unresolved Problems
Begin with the decision that better facts must support.
Build a chronology from identifiable sources without allowing the first account to become the conclusion.
A source-linked account of established facts, material conflicts, and remaining gaps.4 Public Doors
A focused way to ask whether BSI² fits the problem.
How The Work Proceeds
The method follows the question.
Authority, evidence, alternatives, and limits remain visible from screening through the written account.
Confirm authority and fit
Review lawful purpose, relationship to the matter, jurisdiction, timing, and professional fit before accepting work.
Plan the inquiry
Define the questions, sources, limits, and stopping point before collection begins.
Establish what the evidence supports
Keep direct evidence, source claims, record contents, inference, contradiction, and uncertainty distinct.
Report findings and limits
Provide a written account of the material findings, source basis, competing explanations, and unresolved limits.
A Bounded Answer
Evidence, source claims, record contents, and inference are not the same thing.
A useful report shows what supports the finding, what conflicts with it, which alternatives were considered, and what the available information cannot establish.
Review the standardProfessional Standards
Authority, provenance, and limits remain visible.
Authority before collectionSources remain visibleEvidence and inference stay separateAlternatives are tested
Review all standards Resources
Practical guidance for defining the question and judging the answer.
How to Frame an Investigative Problem
Turn a broad concern into a question that can be answered through lawful collection and analysis.
Read guideEvidence, Inference, and Confidence
Understand the difference between what a source shows, what an analyst concludes, and what remains uncertain.
Read guideChoosing a Lawful Collection Approach
Match the investigative question to an authorized, proportionate source or collection method.
Read guideScreening
Discuss the problem.
Explain the decision, what is already known, what remains unclear, and your authority to request review. A submission begins screening only.
Begin screening