How to Become a Detective

Becoming a police detective is not a difficult process. In fact, when you have the patience, great ethics, and rigor, you will have a little more knowledge of how to become a detective than the next person, and this will allow you to enjoy an exciting career as soon as you become one.

Information obtained from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the experience detectives obtain stems from the police work that they have conducted over the years and have been promoted through their police agency.

While in the detective role, interviews involving suspects and witnesses will be conducted by them, records will be reviewed, evidence will be collected and documented, and several other tasks as they come up.

Career Outlook

The employment of police detectives will likely have a 3% job growth up to 2031 which is less than other occupations.

Although the growth is very little, more than 68,000 positions are expected to be available on a yearly basis. Many of the openings will be due to current detectives transferring or retiring.

Detective Salary

In 2021, a police detective had a median salary of $66,000. While this salary amount is not bad, the lower 10% of detectives earn below $40,500 while the higher 10% gross over $105,000.

How to Become a Detective

Besides the exam for detective, they may need to have medical exams to ensure they are physically fit for the position. Depending on the department, a candidate for detective may need to attend further training at a police academy.

When you have decided that you want to pursue a career as a detective, there are several steps that you can take to achieve your goal.

1. Find Opportunities to Volunteer

2. Obtain a Related Degree

While a police academy may accept a student directly, it is a safer bet that you have at least a two-year degree in a related field.

Related Criminology Degrees

Florida State University

When you enroll in the College of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Florida State University, you will be among the best within the field of criminology regardless of the level of education you are pursuing.

With its unique program, students will have complete access that’ll make for successful studies and provide students with an ability to adapt to the many options available for careers. The College of Criminology and Criminal Justice also partners with many criminal agencies so that a student can be placed after graduating.

Undergraduate Program Requirement

For students to graduate with a degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice, a few requirements must be met:

• At least 36 criminology semester hours must be obtained
• A minimum of a “C” must be achieved in each core class.
• A minimum 2.0 GPA must be maintained with a minimum of two C- grades in any criminology course.
• Fulfill all major requirements
• Obtain a minimum of 27 CCJ semester hours and no more than 9 transfer semester hours.
• Complete all undergraduate degree requirements of the university.

Florida State University

When you enroll in the College of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Florida State University, you will be among the best within the field of criminology regardless of the level of education you are pursuing.

With its unique program, students will have complete access that’ll make for successful studies and provide students with an ability to adapt to the many options available for careers. The College of Criminology and Criminal Justice also partners with many criminal agencies so that a student can be placed after graduating.

University of Iowa

At the University of Iowa, both a BS and BA degree is obtainable majoring in Criminology, Law, and Justice. Students who enroll in either degree program will be thinking critically about society and why certain occurrences take place.

Undergraduate Program Requirement

For a student to earn a Bachelor of Art in Criminology, Law, and Justice, a few requirements must be met:

• 39 semester hours completed in major courses.
• A sociology course must be taken
• Must obtain at least 15 elective semester hours.

Obtaining the Bachelor of Science in Criminology, Law, and Justice will allow the student to gain more experience through quantitative methods. The student will earn extra semester hours by taking courses in theory, methods, and calculus. Besides these extra courses, the student needs to meet the following requirements:

• At least 51 semester hours of major courses must be obtained.
• Semester hours must consist of 36 criminology semester hours and 15 quantitative methods semester hours
• A sociology course must be taken
• Elective courses totaling 15 semester hours

University of California, Irvine

Through the University of California, Irvine the student is able to major and obtain their undergraduate degree in Criminology, Law, and Society. The requirements that must be met include the following:

• Basic courses overviewing the legal system involving juvenile and criminal justice
• Obtaining a minimum of 180 units
• 6 additional classes must be taken covering crime and law

3. Apply and Attend a Police Academy

For those who wish to go directly into a detective role, it is a good idea to attend a police academy. A police academy can last up to 3 years and will fulfill all of the necessary requirements for the position.

To qualify for a police academy, the applicant needs to be a United States citizen, have a valid driver’s license, have a clean criminal record, have some college, and be at least 18.

It is important to keep in mind that many law enforcement agencies may require a candidate to have at least an undergraduate degree. When a degree is obtained, the applicant will only need to attend special training at a police academy to ensure that an applicant is familiar with various procedures including emergency response, ethics, report-writing, firearms, self-defense, patrol, physical fitness, and CPR/first aid.

Once finished with academy training, it is a good idea to continue with training through various specialties to build your investigative skills. These various specialties include missing persons, fraud, financial crime, surveillance, computer crime, and homicide.

4. Schedule a Detective Exam

Now that you have completed an academy and have all the necessary training and education, it is time to schedule your detective’s test. The agency that you wish to work for should have the test scheduled for you or you can schedule one on your own.

Detective Licensure and Credentialing

The licensure and credentialing process for detectives will vary by state. Plus, since most states require an individual to become a police officer first, the state process to become a detective for the state will also differ.

Below we have listed the state requirements of becoming a detective for Texas and California.

Texas

Any Texas resident who applies to become a detective through the Texas Department of Public Safety Criminal Investigations Division needs to have at least attended some college and/or military or police experience. Also, you will not be able to become a detective if you have never been a state trooper first.

The requirements that must be met to become a state trooper include:

• At least two years of experience as a police officer or military veteran with little to no college credit.
• A year and a half of police or military experience and at least 16 college credits.
• One year of military or police experience and at least 31 college credits
• At least six months of experience in law enforcement or military and at least 46 college credits

Besides the above, other requirements involve:

• Passing a physical, drug screen, eye exam, and physical fitness tests
• Being a minimum of 20 years old once an application has been submitted and at least 21 once an applicant has graduated from the police academy.

California

In California, a state detective works for the California Bureau of Investigations and provides various services that assist all levels of government.

When individuals wish to become a detective with the California Bureau of Investigations, there are a few ways to qualify:

• Have experience as an agent through the Department of Justice
• Experience as a police officer and a minimum of 60 college credits
• Possess a college degree and one year of police experience

Day in the Life of a Detective

Daily, the detective will be in constant contact with victims, witnesses, and criminals. They will be gathering important case evidence, execute search warrants, arrest suspects, and provide court testimony. As opposed to a normal patrol officer, a police detective will be allowed to wear plain street clothes and have unmarked cars assigned to them.

Most detectives will spend a lot of time being involved with cases and will be working daily to gather evidence that will bring closure to a case. The detective will sometimes be assigned to undercover work and conduct surveillance. To make an arrest, the detective will use all necessary means to obtain a confession.

Get Started

Now that you know how to become a detective, you only need to follow the above steps and you’ll be on your way to a rewarding career in law enforcement.