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Question
hello,
i am very interested in entering into a job as a svu detective. i read that you had some experience with those kind of cases. and i was wondering if you could help me find out how i could go about becoming a svu detective. it would really help me thank you
Melissa,
This is a difficult concept to explain to a student (I am assuming that you are a high school student). There is no such thing as a SVU detective despite what you see on televison. These police shows are invented to attract viewers and are not realistic. Another show that comes to mind is CSI. No such thing. If real police work was depicted on a fictional tv show no one would watch because it would be too boring.
Now that does not mean that detectives don't do some of the things that you see on television as part of their workday. But if they were to devote their entire workday to doing what you see on television there would be no time to investigate the cases in the first place.
You probably realize that to become a detective that you first have to get hired by a police department and that means graduating from college with a near perfect disciplinary record in high school, near perfect attendance record, and a high GPA. If you do get hired and graduate from the police academy you will expect to spend at least ten years on the street as a uniformed officer before you would ever be considered having enough experience to move on to the detective section.
If you have any questions please let me know.
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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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