Service of process is a complicated job and process servers need to adapt to their situations.
If you have ever been involved in a court case, then you may understand how important it is to provide proof of serving the defendant. While almost anyone can serve most service of process documents to defendants, only professional process servers can serve the few that are difficult to serve.
So…
How Do They Do It?
If you are movie watcher then you may have seen many scenes where a process server shows up in front of a defendant dressed up as a delivery person or labor worker to easily approach the defendant and swiftly serve them the papers.
While movies do not always depict reality, there is some truth in such an approach, but not entirely. Movies may occasionally show some laws being broken or forced behavior of process servers, which is not the case at all. In fact, it can lead to some serious legal issues for process servers.
Process servers must be adults aged 18 or more and cannot break any laws in their pursuit of serving legal papers to a defendant. Wearing disguises is not against the law for anyone, unless they are doing so to evade the police, in which case they can be charged with a criminal offense.
The question that comes to mind is…
Can Process Servers Wear Disguises?
Yes, process servers can wear disguises. Historically, process serving while wearing disguises has been an effective way to serve papers. It makes complete sense as the defendant is unaware that the person approaching them is a process server and therefore has their guard down.
While it may seem unethical, let us assure you that there is nothing unethical about it. Court summons and lawsuits are legal matters, and the defendants have full rights to defend themselves in the court of law, making the service simply a way to legally inform the defendant about their court date and case.
It is important to note that while disguises like pizza delivery person or construction worker are fine, process servers cannot disguise themselves as law enforcement officers. It is against the U.S. Code to impersonate an officer of the law in any state, regardless of the reasons.
Moreover, they cannot dress up as FEDEX, USPS, UPS, or government employees either.
So, What Do Process Servers Wear?
Process servers have different work wear for different situations. Typically, process servers who are not in disguise are recommended to dress professionally to serve papers during business hours and to dress down while serving papers in residential areas.
Depending on the situation, a process server wears clothing that helps them blend in their environment and avoid suspicion. If process servers are serving in a residential area, wearing a suit is not the best idea as it may alert the defendant that they are being approached to be served.
Similarly, a pizza delivery person in a suit is not typical by any standard. Smart process servers will dress for the environment they are serving in.
Top-Rated Upper Marlboro Process Servers
Process servers are always quick to think and usually have to improvise as they go, the best ones will always have some prior planning before serving a defendant. Disguises are part of their jobs and they use them as needed.
Experienced process servers are the only ones capable of legally serving court documents in a professional manner to those who are trying to evade them. It takes a lot of planning and proper improvisation to do their jobs.
Which is why, if you are looking for the best process serving in Maryland, EGA Process Serving is your best option. Our Upper Marlboro Process Servers are experts in process serving, skip tracing, background checks, legal courier and other legal processes and cater to individuals and law firms alike.
If you want to learn more about their services, please visit the EGA Process Serving website today.