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Careers: Police/Detective
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Question
I have looked at numerous responses you have given to people asking questions about becoming an SVU detective. Love the show, but am old enough to understand that nothing on TV is near reality. I am trying to find out information about SVU detectives simply for a Career Research paper. We had to base it off a TV show and a job that is depicted in the show. I chose Law and Order SVU because I am a huge fan of the show and thought it would be interesting to see what a day in the life is really like. Now the internet hasn't been of much help because most searches just lead straight to the show. To this day, have you found any further knowledge about SVU detectives and which cities have that unit? Or if it even exists? From what I've red it doesn't seem like you know of anywhere that has the unit. ANY knowledge/information or further links to learn about the job is appreciated!
Thanks, Ailee
Ailee,
Your question is very difficult to answer. It is kind of like asking a dentist what the daily life of a doctor is like. Both are doctors but they do completely different jobs.
I do know this. Almost all police departments do NOT have units like you are interested in. The reason is that there is not enough time in the day for a detective to do what is depicted on television. From what I understand some big-city departments do have units that do some of the work of the units that you see on tv. In real life detectives investigate the crime, prepare the case for trial, and deal with the victims when they have time. They would never have time to deal exculsively with victims because there are always new cases falling on their desks.
As you correctly surmised television shows that depict police work and not realistic. It is because if they did show police work as it really exists no one would watch. Even shows like COPS and The First 48 are not realistic because they do not show the "down-time" between cases or the boring times when nothing is happening even during the investigation of crimes.
Once I got a reply that someone's aunt was part of a unit called "SVU" but whoever it was did not identify the city and I never heard anything else.
Sorry to disappoint you but the best advice I can give you is to visit your local police department and ask to shadow a detective while he/she deals with victims.
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Answers by Expert:
Jack Toomey
Expertise
U.S.: I am an expert in this category for the purpose of giving young people an idea what the hiring process involves for the position of police officer. I am getting a flood of questions from young people who are being influenced by unrealistic television shows. I'd ask you to consider that when you watch police shows on television that they are NOT realistic and most of what you see does not happen in real life. Please do not ask me about potential jail sentences that you, your friends, or family might receive in court. There is no way for me to know that. I am NOT a probation officer so I cannot answer questions about probation and parole matters. I am a retired police officer with 26 years experience.I worked in a variety of assignments including investigations, homicide, sex crimes, runaway investigations, missing persons, and fraud.I also dealt with the general public during that time giving a wide range of advice on matters such as domestic disputes, problem solving, teenage problems, civil/criminal matters, and dealing with the mentally ill. I am available to give sound and reasonable advice which can solve most problems. Please do not ask me to do homework questions or online interviews. Young people should not rely on the Internet for interviews. Local police officers are normally very agreeable to assist students with interviews and surveys.
Experience
Worked as a police officer/detective for 26 years.
Graduate of the University of Maryland.B.S. in Law Enforcement.Attended numerous schools and training courses involving investigations, interviewing, interrogations, crime detection, domestic violence, and others. Recognized in court as an expert witness.
Received numerous awards during my police career for expert investigations. Handled the most sensitive and confidential investigations. In 1999 I won an award for my work with high school students while working in my new career in a large suburban high school.
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