A police detective is a police officer who is responsible for investigating crimes. Just as any police officer, their first duty is to protect people, both their lives and their property. Detectives do this by discovering the facts of a case and gathering evidence to ensure that those who commit crimes are caught and brought to justice.
Job Description
The main job responsibilities of a police detective include the following tasks:
1. Investigating crimes.
Observation of suspects
Interviewing suspects
Interviewing potential witnesses
Gathering evidence
2. Making an arrest when the evidence warrants it.
3. Filling the appropriate forms and writing reports of all the details.
4. Trial preparation.
5. Testifying in court as to the details uncovered during the investigation.
The police detective may have other duties, depending on their classification and what type of organization they work for. There are detectives in many police departments and this could be at the city level, state level, or federal level. Depending on the size of the police organization, a detective may handle a variety of cases or they could specialize in one area of law, such as homicide or robbery.
Detectives do not wear uniforms like regular police officers. They wear street clothes and usually will dress as for business, with a suit or at least a jacket. Specialized detectives who work undercover, like in vice or drug related areas, will often need to dress the part so they could be wearing almost anything in order to stay under cover.
Although much of a detective’s duties involve routine tasks such as interviews and filling out reports, there are times where a police detective will have to participate in capturing a criminal, carry out a raid, or chase a suspect down in order to arrest them. This is obviously demanding on a physical basis and can be both stressful and dangerous. A police detective must remain physically fit, alert and be able to remain calm under pressure.
Job Requirements
Rarely does a police detective start out at that level. In almost all cases, they begin at the entry level as a regular police officer. It takes years of experience and good performance to qualify as a police detective and almost all agencies will require an officer to pass a test in order to become a detective.
There isn’t typically a high educational requirement to become an officer, and eventually, a detective. The candidate should have a high school diploma or the equivalent. Instead of going on to college, most agencies have a training program, often called the police academy.
While at the academy, candidates will gain both classroom and supervised experience in many aspects of law. Classes often include things like civil rights, constitutional law, ethics, and also local and state law. Candidates will have hands-on training with firearms, self-defense, hand-to-hand combat, emergency response, first aid, and a variety of training exercises that will practice some of the duties they will have such as traffic or crowd control.
Officers must pass rigorous physical tests, as well as the academic tests. Vision, hearing, agility, and strength must meet minimum standards in order to qualify to even enter training. These minimum requirements are for protection of the officer, as well as the public and other officers.
In order for an officer to be considered for promotion to police detective, there are several qualities that their superiors are going to be looking for. The candidate should be perceptive, empathetic, and be capable of multi-tasking. They should also exhibit good judgment and leadership skills, along with both verbal and written communication skills.
Career Outlook
For a police detective with a good record and experience, the career outlook is very good. Within most agencies, there are levels or grades to being a detective such as Detective I, Detective II, or Detective III. The higher the grade, the more likelihood that the police detective is in a supervisory or training position rather than an investigative position.
Promotions within an organization are possible beyond the police detective status, should an officer wish to go up the ladder. Often these higher positions will require a college degree as well as a number of years of on-the-job experience.
A police detective makes an average salary of $68,820 per year. This is the median for the entire country. The salary will range depending on the type of agency, the part of the country, and the experience of an officer.
Trends
Although new job growth in the police sector is slower than many other industries, employment opportunities are expected to grow 7% through 2020. There is always a public demand for more security and safety, but police departments at any level must also deal with a budget which often won’t allow for adding new jobs. Expect higher growth if the economy grows and lower growth during times of recession.
Despite the projected low growth rate, there are still constant job openings in law enforcement at every level. Much of this is from turnover, as officers and detectives retire, change careers, or become disabled. Retirement is a common reason for a job opening because this is typically available after only 20 or 25 years and has good benefits. It’s not uncommon for a police detective to be able to retire with a full pension and still be young enough to pursue a second career.