Expert: Eric Potts - 4/30/2008

Question
what course in high school do i need to focus on?
what college i need to attend and what i have to do to get accepted in that college? How much is it to attend that college per year? what does the career entail? what is the range of money i can make witch mean the highest, medeium and the lowest? How much schooling will my career have to take.Last how much money is the entry level position such as a police detective.

Answer
Hello Darien,

If your High School offers any electives that cover forensic science that would be a course I would highly recommend. You would do well to concentrate on science, math, reading and writing, as these will surely help you with a career in Law Enforcement.

How much you can expect to spend on College lies mostly on what type and which College you plan on attending. A community College is going to cost you much less than a University and a smaller university is going to cost you less than a well known University. I can not tell you exactly how much it will cost because of the wide range of factors.

Police Detective is NEVER an entry level position. That is you can not join a Police Department and immediately become a Detective. The Detective position is usually a promotion from within the department. In other words you must earn the rank of Detective by performing first as a  Patrol Officer, sometimes for several years before you can obtain the rank of Detective. Because of the way our Department was structured it took me 8 years to become a Detective.

As far as salary goes, again I can not answer that because where you live largely determines the salary structure your Department has. I live  and work in the North East where I make much more than an Officer living in the South or South West, it doesn't mean we do a better job, it simply means we are paid more. BUT along with that higher pay comes a MUCH higher cost of living. Housing, food, gas all cost much more in the North East than in other parts of the Country. Most Departments when advertising jobs list there salary range. I would advise you to seek out the salary range through the departments advertisements or inquire about the range when applying for the job after College.

Good Luck and if I can be of any further assistance please let me know.