Did you know that the first private investigation agency was created by a criminal? While researching 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's up to us to discover the truth about everything. Becoming a private investigator will be a long, 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 Eugène François Vidocq. The name of his agency was The Resignations Office. His office was staffed entirely by other ex-cons. 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 frame-up after solving an embezzlement case. The charges concerned wrongful detention and embezzlement under false pretenses. Vidocq is 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 Investigation, 2013) Vidocq is also credited with introducing many key tasks to the field of criminal investigation. These important tasks include record keeping, criminology and ballistics. He also owned a printing press where he is said to have created indelible ink and unchanged bond paper. Many of Vidocq's methods are still used today by French authorities. (History of Private Investigations, 2013)America's first private detective agency...... middle of paper ......ons.com/history_of_private_investigations.phpN/A. (2013). The world of the private detective. Retrieved December 19, 2013 from www.detectivetraining.com: www.detectivetraining.com/lesson1html/Willingham, B. (2012). 5 myths: what a private detective cannot (legally) obtain. 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 Use a Private Investigator Effectively. Retrieved from www.diligentiagroup.com: http://www.diligentiagroup.com/legal-investigation/10-ways-an-attorney-can-effectively-use-a-private-investigator/Yossarian, B. (August 2008) . 12). The tools a private detective needs. Retrieved from www.articlesabse.com: http://www.articlesbase.com/law-articles/the-tools-a-private-investigator-needs-519629.html