How can I become a detective for a police department?

Question

What kind of education do I have to have to become a homicide detective.How long does it take?

Answer 1

That is the easiest of what you will have to do. You will first need to get on with a police department which can take over a year sometimes. After that most police departments have time requirements that you must wait before you can take the exam to be a detective.

Sacramento Police Department in Sacramento, Ca you have to be on the police force as a patrol officer for 2 years before you can apply for the detective division. This is not counting the 6 months you spend in an academy.

Once you become a detective you will not immediately become a homicide detective, those slots are normally given only to the most qualified detectives because of the seriousness of the case and the "demand" for solved cases.

--Other police departments have different time requirements but the jist is always the same. In most cases it is preferred that an officer is on the force for at least 5 years (if they were a new recruit) before they can become good enough at their job to be a good detective.

Answer 2

Why would you want to work in the murder capital of the world? Anyway you have to become a citizen. After that get a college education, apply for the department, and hope that you get hired. Expect to spend 8 - 10 years on the street as a uniformed officer before they would ever consider you for the position of detective.

Answer 3

There are different requirements for different law enforcement agencies.

Some agencies require college degrees while others do not.

Becoming a detective...let alone a homicide detective...takes years of training, experience, and a lot of hard work!

You should visit your local law enforcement agency and tell them about your interests and I'm sure you will be given an opportunity to ask all the questions you want!

Best wishes.

Answer 4

This questions is asked at least once a week. You should use the search function and you will find NUMEROUS answers to your question.

The fast answer is that it takes years (10+) on the job and at least a Bachelor's Degree. The more specialized training classes you go to while working your way up (that relate to investigations, homicide, etc) the better.

Answer 5

You must be a cop first, for at least 3-6 years, and then you will take a written test, and oral interview, and if you pass that, then you can be detective, and if you have a college degree, it would be a good advantage.