Michael S. Aldridge

Private Investigator in Chattanooga, Tennessee | Criminal Defense Investigator | Litigation Investigator

Michael S. Aldridge is an experienced private investigator and investigative professional serving Chattanooga, Tennessee, and clients throughout Tennessee and beyond. As the principal investigator with Metro Service Agency, Aldridge has built a career around uncovering facts, locating evidence, and providing attorneys, businesses, and private clients with the information they need to make informed decisions.

Founded in 2000, Metro Service Agency has grown into Chattanooga's most established and experienced private investigation firm. Aldridge's career with the agency has included thousands of investigative hours involving criminal defense, civil litigation, surveillance, domestic investigations, background investigations, asset location, vehicle recovery, witness interviews, evidence gathering, and other complex investigative assignments.

An Investigator's Investigator

Aldridge brings a practical, field-oriented approach to every case. His experience includes working directly with attorneys and their clients to identify facts that may not be apparent from police reports, court filings, witness statements, or other existing records.

Investigations frequently require more than simply finding information. They require knowing where to look, what questions to ask, what evidence matters, and how seemingly unrelated facts fit together.

That philosophy has shaped Aldridge's approach throughout his career.

Whether conducting surveillance, locating a witness, investigating an allegation, documenting evidence, researching an individual's background, locating assets, or assisting an attorney in preparing a case for trial, Aldridge focuses on obtaining reliable, independently verified information.

Criminal Defense Investigations

Aldridge is a Board Certified Criminal Defense Investigator and has extensive experience assisting criminal defense attorneys and their clients with investigative matters.

Criminal defense investigations may involve locating and interviewing witnesses, developing new evidence, examining statements and timelines, documenting physical locations, conducting background research, reviewing available records, and independently investigating the circumstances surrounding an arrest or criminal allegation.

The objective is not to determine what a case should say. It is to determine what the facts actually show.

Metro Service Agency's investigative philosophy is particularly important in criminal defense work: every allegation should be examined, every reasonable lead should be pursued, and potentially favorable evidence should not be overlooked.

Civil Litigation and Personal Injury Investigations

Aldridge also assists attorneys involved in civil litigation, including personal injury, negligence, premises liability, automobile and trucking accidents, and other civil matters.

Civil investigations can involve locating witnesses, conducting interviews, photographing and documenting locations, gathering factual information, researching individuals and businesses, locating assets, and developing information that can assist an attorney in evaluating and presenting a case.

Aldridge understands that the investigative work performed before trial can have a significant impact on how a case is evaluated and ultimately presented.

Use-of-Force and Law Enforcement Investigations

Aldridge is a Certified Use of Force Analyst. He specialized areas of investigative work involves law-enforcement use-of-force cases and civil-rights litigation.

These investigations may involve allegations of excessive force, false arrest, police misconduct, officer-involved shootings, and other matters in which a detailed examination of the circumstances is necessary.

Metro Service Agency provides investigative support in cases involving claims brought under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, as well as other civil matters involving law-enforcement personnel.

Aldridge's investigative approach emphasizes reconstructing events, identifying and interviewing witnesses, examining available evidence, documenting physical locations, and developing an objective factual record for attorneys and their clients.

A Career Built on Persistence

Some of Aldridge's most valuable investigative experience has come from cases in which the answer was not easy to find.

Throughout his career, he has been called upon to locate people who did not want to be found, track down witnesses, locate vehicles and assets, investigate allegations, conduct surveillance, and uncover information that others had been unable to obtain.

Those experiences have reinforced one of the most important lessons of investigative work:

The first answer is not always the right answer.

Good investigators continue asking questions. They continue following leads. And they continue looking when others have stopped.

Experience You Can Put to Work

For attorneys, clients, and businesses, hiring a private investigator is ultimately about trust.

Clients need an investigator who understands the importance of confidentiality, documentation, communication, and attention to detail. Attorneys need investigative work that can be incorporated into their litigation strategy and, when appropriate, withstand scrutiny in court.

Aldridge approaches each assignment with those responsibilities in mind.

His experience includes:

  • Domestic investigations

  • Criminal defense investigations

  • Civil litigation investigations

  • Personal injury investigations

  • Surveillance

  • Witness location and interviews

  • Background investigations

  • Asset location

  • Vehicle recovery investigations

  • Evidence gathering and documentation

  • Law-enforcement investigations

  • Use-of-force investigations

  • Civil-rights investigations

  • Fraud investigations

  • Missing-person investigations

  • Attorney support and litigation preparation

Serving Chattanooga and Beyond

Michael S. Aldridge and Metro Service Agency serve clients throughout Chattanooga and the surrounding Tennessee and Georgia region, as well as conducting investigations outside the local area when a case requires it.

For more than two decades, Metro Service Agency has developed a reputation for professional, discreet, and persistent investigative work.

When the facts matter, experience matters.

Michael S. Aldridge brings more than two decades of investigative experience to every assignment — with one goal: finding the facts and providing the evidence.

Metro Service Agency

Private Investigators • Chattanooga, Tennessee

When you need the truth, call an investigator who knows how to find it.