Case intake and assignment
Client requests, case objectives, investigator assignments, deadlines, notes, and billing context stay close to the investigation record.
PI Core
Investigation software built by people who understand investigations.
Case management, evidence handling, chain of custody, surveillance documentation, attorney portals, skip tracing, and court-ready reporting for investigation firms.
What PI Core does
PI Core is Butler Solutions software for private investigation firms that need case management, evidence handling, chain-of-custody visibility, surveillance documentation, attorney portals, skip-tracing context, and court-ready reporting in one private system. It is built for firms that manage sensitive assignments, field notes, evidence references, timestamps, photos, video links, client requests, investigator handoffs, billing context, and delivery deadlines every day. The product keeps the case record at the center: client instructions, subjects, locations, evidence items, surveillance logs, documents, reports, attorney communication, invoices, and follow-up tasks stay connected instead of spreading across email, shared drives, notebooks, and separate project tools. PI Core is not generic project management with investigation labels added later. It is organized around investigation work: intake, assignment, evidence collection, chain of custody, surveillance documentation, skip-tracing support, attorney delivery, and handoff points with Legal Core and Bail Core. Founding firms receive direct migration support, predictable pricing, and a roadmap shaped by real investigative practice. The system helps staff see the case objective, the evidence status, the reporting obligation, and the client handoff risk without losing context. It gives owners one place to review case progress, evidence risk, and client delivery before field details get buried or reports leave the office incomplete.
Fit
Built around investigation workflow patterns.
PI Core is designed for investigation firms that need the case objective, evidence record, surveillance notes, client communication, billing context, and reporting obligation to stay connected. It recognizes that investigation work moves between field activity, attorney requests, sensitive records, and court-ready deliverables.
PI Core is organized around case work, evidence custody, surveillance documentation, reporting, and attorney-facing delivery.
Workflow patterns
Organized for the way private investigation firms actually work.
Evidence chain of custody
Evidence items, collection notes, transfers, storage references, and review status are organized for court-ready documentation.
Surveillance documentation
Field notes, timestamps, photos, video references, locations, and narrative reporting stay structured before the report is drafted.
Attorney and bail handoffs
Attorney-client requests, skip-tracing context, deliverables, and follow-up tasks stay visible when cases cross into Legal Core or Bail Core workflows.
Features
The product surface stays close to the work.
Case management
Case records keep client instructions, subjects, locations, assignments, deadlines, notes, documents, invoices, and reporting status in one investigation-centered view.
Evidence chain of custody
Evidence items, collection notes, transfers, storage references, review status, and report references stay organized so the firm can explain how evidence moved.
Surveillance documentation
Field notes, timestamps, photos, video references, locations, and narrative observations are structured for review before the final report is delivered.
Attorney portal
Attorney-client communication, deliverables, case status, and document access can stay tied to the matter without exposing unrelated internal investigation notes.
Skip-tracing context
Skip-tracing assignments, sources, contacts, and follow-up steps stay attached to the case or bail handoff that created the work.
Legal and bail handoffs
When an investigation supports defense counsel or bail recovery, PI Core is designed to support cleaner handoffs with Legal Core and Bail Core.
Comparison
Compared with investigation case platforms.
CROSStrax, Trackops, and CaseFleet have real strengths for investigation firms. PI Core is being built around private evidence handling, surveillance documentation, attorney portals, skip-tracing context, and court-ready reporting without treating investigation work like ordinary project management.
Preview the CROSStrax comparisonPricing
Pricing without surprises.
PI Core pricing is designed to be clear before a firm commits. Founding investigation firms can review the current cohort terms on the pricing page, and standalone PI Core pricing is planned at $249 per month after the 2026 founding period.
Review pricing detailsMigration
Migration support is included for founding firms.
Founding PI Core customers receive hands-on support moving case records, evidence indexes, documents, and client communication history.
Review migration approachFAQ
Questions investigation firms ask before switching.
Who is PI Core built for?
PI Core is built for private investigation firms that manage case intake, field assignments, evidence, surveillance documentation, attorney communication, reporting, and billing context. It is especially relevant for firms that need stronger chain-of-custody discipline and cleaner client delivery without adopting generic project management software.
How is PI Core different from CROSStrax, Trackops, or CaseFleet?
Those products have real strengths for investigation teams. PI Core is being built around Butler's priorities: private evidence handling, court-ready documentation, attorney portal workflow, skip-tracing context, migration support, and predictable pricing rather than broad project-management positioning.
Does PI Core handle chain of custody?
Yes. PI Core is designed to track evidence items, collection notes, transfers, storage references, review status, and report references. The goal is to make evidence history easier to review and explain without forcing staff to reconstruct it from email and file folders.
Can PI Core manage surveillance documentation?
PI Core is designed for surveillance logs, timestamps, locations, photos, video references, field notes, and narrative reporting. The system keeps those details connected to the case record so reports can be reviewed before delivery.
Does PI Core include an attorney portal?
PI Core is designed to support attorney-client delivery when a firm works for defense counsel, civil litigators, or other legal clients. Portal access should make the right status, reports, and documents available without exposing unrelated internal notes.
How does PI Core support skip tracing?
PI Core is planned to keep skip-tracing assignments, sources, contact attempts, supporting documents, and follow-up steps attached to the case. Where the work originates from Bail Core, the handoff can preserve context instead of creating duplicate records.
Can PI Core help with court-ready reports?
PI Core is designed to organize case facts, field notes, evidence references, timestamps, and review steps so reports are easier to prepare and defend. It does not replace investigator judgment, but it keeps the supporting record closer to the deliverable.
What migration support is included?
Founding PI Core firms receive hands-on migration support for case records, contacts, evidence indexes, documents, reports, and structured data from current systems or spreadsheets. The migration process includes review steps before staff depend on the new system.
Does PI Core include AI assistance?
PI Core includes assistance where the firm enables it, such as organizing intake details, summarizing records, and supporting draft report workflow. The product is designed around customer control, review, and auditability. It does not replace investigator judgment or publish work without approval.
How does PI Core work with Legal Core and Bail Core?
PI Core is part of the Butler Solutions product family. Where investigations support criminal defense or bail recovery work, the product direction supports cleaner handoffs, shared context where appropriate, and less duplicate entry across investigation, legal, and bail workflows.
Is PI Core available outside Michigan?
Yes. PI Core is intended for private investigation firms nationally. State-specific pages will explain licensing, court, and professional context where it matters, but the product is not limited to Michigan firms.
PI Core
Review PI Core with the team building it.
Talk through your case workflow, evidence handling, reporting process, and whether the founding cohort is the right fit.