How to become a detective?

Question

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

Answer 1

Having a college degree will help, but you will mainly need experience.

First, become a police officer. You will spend a minimum of 3-5 years on the street in patrol learning the job of Law Enforcement. Once you have learned the job and put your time in, you will be eligible for a transfer or promotion into an investigative position.

You will need to work for a large, urban department, because small and rural departments tend not to have specialized detectives.

Once you become an investigator, you will then need to put some more time in learning that job. Once you distinguish yourself there, you will be eligible to move to homicide.

Answer 2

The only way to get those questions answered, really, is to ask the specific law-enforcement agencies you're interested in working for.

Some require college. Some only require experience.

Do NOT take either of the first two contributors' word about needing to be a patrol officer and 'working up' from there. There are handicapped detectives who are incapable of pounding a beat or patrolling a highway, but it doesn't mean they're any less capable of doing their jobs.

Again, check into your local law-enforcement agency before taking ANYBODY's word for anything from this forum of sadly-less-than-accurate self-proclaimed badge-bearing contributors.

Answer 3

It takes a while to become one as you have to wrok your way up, most states require college but not all and if you go to a state that doesnt require it you can probably switch to a state that does and the state that did will let you be one anyway since you already were in another state...

Answer 4

Learn how to detect and the tricks of the thieves.
"It takes a crook to catch a crook"
What do you think?

Answer 5

start out in uniform..work your way up...4-6 years usually will do it...