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Careers: Police/How to become a detective
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Question
Hi,
I am a high school student, and seeing how the choices I make now will have a great impact on my life in the future I wanted to get some advice. My question is: What college degrees will help me on my way to becoming a detective/ what degrees would help me in this field in general. I am aware that to get to that position I will need to pay my dues, so I was hoping you could also give me an idea of what that might be like.
Thank-you and have a great day
Hi,
I am glad that you realize that you cannot go straight from the classroom to the desk of a detective. I get a ton of questions from kids who believe this to be true.
Let me make sure that you understand this information. Only about 5 to 10% of those who actually apply to become a police officer are actually hired. It is not like retail where you will eventually be hired somewhere. You also should know that every police department has different hiring standards and demand different things. So there is no real "yes" or "no" answer to your question about college.
It has been MY experience that police departments could care less what your degree is in and they are not impressed that someone has a degree in Criminal Justice (if that is what you itended to major in) It is mostly theory and its MY experience that its a waste of time in the event (90% chance) that you are not hired. Then you would be stuck with a degree that you cannot use.
So here is what you should do. Graduate from high school with a perfect (or near perfect attendance record), have no disciplinary issues, have great grades, and then go on to college. Get a degree and then when you graduate start looking around for whatever kind of department you want to work for.
You awarded me 5's for knowledge and politeness because you didn't like my answer or because you think that I don't know what I am talking about? Because you don't like the truth is no reason to give me low marks.
As you know, if you are hired and successfuly graduate from the academy, you will spend many years on the street as a uniformed officer learning all of the necessary skills that you will need as a detective. Then when an opening comes up you can apply along with other officers and the best candidate wins the spot.
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| Rating(1-10) | Knowledgeability = 5 | Clarity of Response = 5 | Politeness = 5 |
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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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