Detective Career Path: Basic Requirements, Experience & Skills

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Co-authored by Saul Jaeger, MS

Last Updated: January 24, 2024 Approved

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Meeting Basic Requirements

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Gaining Experience

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Developing Your Skills

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Expert Q&A

Are you passionate about seeking justice and making a difference in your community? If so, detective work could be a good choice for you. To get started in this career, you'll need a degree, or significant policing experience (in some cases, both). We're here to walk you through everything you need to know about this rewarding career path, so you can decide if it's is a good fit for you.

Things You Should Know

Apply for a job as a police officer and get at least a year of experience under your belt.
Fulfill your precinct's requirements and pass the detective exam. Then, ask for a promotion and work with your superiors to transition to a detective position.
Continue gaining knowledge and developing your detective skills. Consider taking online criminal justice classes to increase advancement opportunities.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Meeting Basic Requirements

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1
Meet the eligibility requirements. You'll need to wait until you're at least the minimum age. Most likely, you'll need a high school diploma, if not a college degree. The basic expectations typically include things like:^{[1]
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- Be a citizen of the country you reside in. For some agencies, you must also reside in the geographic area you want to serve in.
- Be above a minimum age, such as 18, 21, or 25.
- Have a clean criminal record.
- Hold a high school diploma or college degree.
2
Be in good physical and mental health. Being a detective is hard, often stressful work, and it can be taxing on your body and mind. To handle the job well, police agencies expect detectives to have:
- Excellent eyesight
- Good overall health
- No major physical or mental issues
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3
Keep your behavior squeaky clean and upstanding. Detectives engage in high-level work, and are expected to have outstanding personal standards. As representatives of the law, they should be upstanding citizens.^{[2]
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Saul Jaeger, MS
Police Captain, Mountain View Police Department

Expert Interview. 21 February 2020.} For instance:
- Detectives are expected to not use any illegal substances.
- Many agencies do not allow detectives to have offensive tattoos, or any tattoos on their face.
- Disciplinary actions on your record may make it difficult or impossible to become a detective.
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Gain some experience as a police officer. Police academy teaches you about procedures, investigations, the use of force, and relationships with your community. This theoretical foundation ultimately helps prepare you for detective work, but the practical experience of actually serving as an officer is also very educational. After you've proven yourself as an officer, you may be a more attractive candidate for detective positions.^{[3]
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- Some agencies allow you to enter the force directly as a detective, without prior policing experience. However, you may be required to have a college degree in a relevant area, such as criminal justice.
5
Pass your detective examinations. Even if you are entering detective work with several years of policing experience, you will be asked to pass a series of exams when applying for the new job. Each police agency has its own set of examinations, and it will provide you with an exam schedule. These exams can be extensive, and take several days, if not longer. They include:^{[4]
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- A written test of your law-enforcement knowledge
- A test of physical skill and stamina
- A full background check
- A psychological evaluation

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Gaining Experience

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Typically, in your first several months to a year or more as a detective you will be mentored and monitored closely to help you transition into the new line of work. You may start out working relatively simple criminal cases, before moving on to ones involving violent, serious, or complex crimes.
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Master the day-to-day duties of a detective. Unlike their depictions on television, detectives spend most of their time researching cases and writing reports. They do also work cases on the ground and appear in court at times. Common duties include: ^{[5]
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- Collecting evidence
- Interviewing witnesses
- Observing suspects, locations, and events
- Obtaining warrants
- Writing official reports to support or close cases
- Testifying in court
A detective needs to be highly observant and aware to do their job well. The ability to focus and to multi-task is key to solving many cases. If you find focusing difficult, you could try mindfulness exercises to help you discover how to “live in the now.”^{[6]
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As you gain experience in working a variety of cases, opportunities for promotion may come your way. For example, you may be eligible for promotion to senior detective after a certain number of years of service. Do the best job you can, and let your superiors know that you are interested in advancement opportunities.^{[7]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Developing Your Skills

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1
Develop your communication skills. Detective work, like other positions in law enforcement, is mostly about working with other people. Since cases can often involve serious and sometimes dangerous situations, it is important to know how to communicate clearly and calmly with others, and how to listen carefully. Knowing how to de-escalate situations by talking to others is also beneficial to detectives. ^{[8]
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- Consider taking classes in interpersonal communication to further your skills in this area.
- You can also ask your superiors to host a workshop where experts can come and talk to detectives about how to communicate well.
Consider earning an advanced degree, such as a master's in criminal justice, sociology, forensic science, or a similar area. Some programs are available online. Look for shorter-term educational opportunities, such as seminars or continuing education classes in these same areas. Advanced education may also may you eligible for pay increases.^{[9]
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3
Develop specialized knowledge. Have specific skills, like knowing a foreign language or familiarity with cyber security, is a bonus as far as law enforcement agencies are concerned. If you already have skills like these, let your superiors know so that you can earn any associated pay increases or advancement opportunities.^{[10]
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- If you don't have any specialized skills, consider taking classes to give you an edge.

Expert Q&A

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Question

If I'm a detective in one state can I move to another?

Saul Jaeger, MS
Police Captain, Mountain View Police Department
Saul Jaeger is a Police Officer and Captain of the Mountain View, California Police Department (MVPD). Saul has over 17 years of experience as a patrol officer, field training officer, traffic officer, detective, hostage negotiator, and as the traffic unit’s sergeant and Public Information Officer for the MVPD. At the MVPD, in addition to commanding the Field Operations Division, Saul has also led the Communications Center (dispatch) and the Crisis Negotiation Team. He earned an MS in Emergency Services Management from the California State University, Long Beach in 2008 and a BS in Administration of Justice from the University of Phoenix in 2006. He also earned a Corporate Innovation LEAD Certificate from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business in 2018.

Saul Jaeger, MS

Police Captain, Mountain View Police Department

Expert Answer

Normally, no. Every state has their own laws, and it's your job to be familiar with the laws if you're in law enforcement. It may be easier to become a detective in another state if you've already worked as a detective somewhere else, but I it won't be automatic.

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Question

What if I am 8 years old?

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Just practice observing people, and take a lot of notes. That way you'll have experience when you're finally old enough to be a professional.

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How can an innocent person fail a lie detector test?

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The lie detector test goes off of a person's heart rate. If someone is nervous or excited during the test, their heart rate might be faster, thus causing them to fail.

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