Donald Kneece: Private Investigator
Speaking Topic: Basic Theories and Use of Covert Video Surveillance Equipment

Donald E. Kneece was born in Bainbridge, Georgia, on February 26, 1955. He entered the U.S. Army in October 1973. He has attended Central Texas College and Hagerstown Junior College. His military education includes an Intermediate Leadership Course, Physical Security Inspectors Course, Criminal Investigators Course, Traffic Management and Accident Investigators Course, Instructor Training Course, Military Police Advanced Non-Commissioned Officer’s Course, Leadership Management and Development Course, Drill Sergeant School, Security Manager’s Course, and Alarm Manager’s Course. He also received extensive training from Technical Surveillance Sciences, Inc. in Technical Surveillance Operations and Video Surveillance Operations. He has received the designation of Technical Surveillance Specialist. Also, he received the designation as the U.S. Army’s Training and Doctrine Command’s subject matter expert in the use and instruction of technical surveillance equipment. He was chosen to design, develop, and implement drug enforcement technical surveillance equipment training for drug enforcement personnel. Mr. Kneece has received training in Interview and Interrogation Techniques by Wicklander-Zulawski. Mr. Kneece was the primary instructor for Technical Surveillance Equipment Utilization in the Department of Defense’s Counterdrug Investigators Mobile Training Course. Mr. Kneece has trained over twenty-five hundred federal, state, county, and local law enforcement officers in surveillance techniques.

Since retiring from the U.S. Army, Mr. Kneece has obtained his Private Investigator’s License in both Georgia and South Carolina. He has owned and operated a successful Private Investigative Company, Kneece Investigations, LLC, since January 1995 and is continuing to provide these services to his clients. He has investigated cases that involved infidelity, child custody issues, litigation, workman’s compensation, Personal Injury, Insurance fraud, and criminal defense. Kneece Investigations posses the surveillance equipment to allow for covert surveillance as well as GPS tracking to be performed as part of investigative efforts used in many cases. He has worked with the Institute of Investigative Technologies as a senior instructor providing training to local, state, and federal law enforcement officers in the use of covert surveillance equipment. He also has provided training to Private Investigators in the use of this equipment in South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina.

Mr. Kneece has worked with a manufacturer of covert GPS vehicle tracking equipment and has been responsible for the research and development of GPS trackers manufactured by C.S.I. in San Mateo, CA. He has also been published in the internationally distributed “PI Magazine” for an article describing the acquisition and use of covert video surveillance equipment.

Classes taught by Mr. Kneece have been approved for continuing education credit by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division for both Private Investigators and Law Enforcement Officers. His courses have also been accepted for continuing education credit hours by Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, Florida, and New York.

Trials in which Donald Kneece has been qualified as an Expert Witness

State Vs. Marvin Martin in Edgefield County General Session Court
June 2009 - Marvin Martin was charged with Criminal Sexual Conduct.
Testified for the State and was qualified as an expert in the field of Digital Photography.
The issues that were in question was if it was possible to change the date and time stamp indicating when a photo was taken that was stored in a cell phone.

State Vs. Alonzo Etheredge in Saluda County General Sessions Court
July 2009 - Alonzo Etheredge was charged with Burglary 1st and Grand Larceny.
Testified for the Defense and was qualified as an expert in the field of criminal investigations.
One of the issues in this case dealt with the digital photographs that were taken by SLED and the Saluda County Sheriff’s Office Investigators and the processing of the crime scene.

State Vs. Bennie Mitchell in Newberry County General Sessions Court
April 2010 - Benny Mitchell was charged with Burglary 1st.
Testified for the Defense and was qualified as an expert in the field of Digital Video and Photographic Surveillance.
The issues in question were, is it possible to change the date and time stamp indicating when a photo/video was originally taken.