Private Investigations vs. Public Investigations Private Investigations Conducted within a private company/corporation Public Investigations Conducted by public law enforcement (e.g., FBI, state police, or local police) Can be filed as Public Investigation (e.g., Child Pornography) OR Can go to Criminal Court (Criminal Law)2 Settled within the company OR Filed in Civil Court (Civil Law)1 Can be filed in Civil Court After Criminal Court Civil Court Criminal Court 1 Civil Law – law that covers disputes between private citizens 2 Criminal Law – law that covers disputes between private citizens and government