As used in this chapter:
(1) "Board" means the Security Services Licensing Board created in Section 58-63-201.
(2)
(a) "Conviction" means an adjudication of guilt by a federal, state, or local court resulting from trial or plea.
(b) "Conviction" includes the following, regardless of whether the imposition of a sentence was suspended:
(i) a plea of no contest;
(ii) a plea in abeyance; or
(iii) an Alford plea.
(3) "D.B.A." means the same as that term is defined in Section 42-2-101.
(4) "DOD civilian" means the same as that term is defined in Section 53H-11-202.
(5)
(a) "Private investigation" means engaging in business or accepting employment to conduct an investigation for the purpose of obtaining information about:
(i) crime, wrongful acts, or threats against the United States or a state or territory of the United States;
(ii) the identity, reputation, character, habits, conduct, business occupation, honesty, integrity, credibility, knowledge, trustworthiness, efficiency, loyalty, activity, movements, whereabouts, affiliations, associations, or transactions of an individual or group of individuals;
(iii) the credibility of witnesses or other individuals;
(iv) the whereabouts of a missing person or the owner of abandoned property;
(v) the causes and origin of, or responsibility for:
(A) a fire;
(B) libel;
(C) slander;
(D) a loss;
(E) an accident; or
(F) damage or an injury to real or personal property;
(vi) the business of securing evidence to be used:
(A) before investigating committees or boards; or
(B) in a civil trial or criminal trial and in the preparation for the civil trial or criminal trial;
(vii) the prevention, detection, and removal of installed devices for eavesdropping or observation;
(viii) the business of "skip tracing" a person that has become delinquent in the person's lawful debts, either when hired by an individual, collection agency, or through the direct purchase of the debt from a financial institution or entity owning the debt or judgment; or
(ix) serving civil process.
(b) "Private investigation" does not include:
(i) a person engaging in activities that are exempt under Section 58-92-306;
(ii) a person operating as a collection agency;
(iii) a person operating as a credit reporting agency;
(iv) a person or an employee conducting an investigation on the person's or employee's behalf or on behalf of an employer if the employer is not a private investigator under this chapter;
(v) an employee of an attorney licensed to practice law in this state; or
(vi) a currently licensed certified public accountant as that term is defined in Section 58-26a-102.
(6)
(a) "Private investigation agency" means an entity:
(i) under the control of a private investigator agent; and
(ii) created by a private investigator agent to manage the private investigator agent's or the private investigator agent's employee's clients and cases.
(b) "Private investigation agency" includes an entity that contracts with or employs a private investigator agent, a private investigator registrant, or a private investigator apprentice.
(7) "Private investigator agent" means an individual that holds a private investigator agent license under Section 58-92-303.
(8) "Private investigator apprentice" means an individual who holds a private investigator apprentice license under Section 58-92-305.
(9) "Private investigator registrant" means an individual who holds a private investigator registrant license under Section 58-92-304.