Expert: Jack Toomey - 12/2/2010

Question
QUESTION: Hello Mr. Toomey,
I am very interested in becoming a detective particularly for homicides. I would like to know how did you become a detective? I have read that you must major in criminal justice and then join the police academy which is followed by 2 years of patrol and concludes with a job application to become a detective with recommendations. Is this accurate?

Thank you for your time,

Reuben

ANSWER: Reuben,

I am afraid that you have been listening to people who don't know what they are talking about.

Police departments could care less what your degree is in.  Criminal Justice is probably the worst thing that you could consider.  That is because that there is nothing that you would learn in a college classroom that you could apply to the streets.  And since the national hiring rate for police officers is about 1 in 100 you would have a worthless degree if you were one of the 99 who were eliminated.

Assuming that you do get a college degree and you do get hired by a police department you would go to their academy for about six months.  If you graduate, and there is about a 20% drop out rate, then you would be sent to a precinct station where you would learn how to become a patrol officer.  After at least several years on the street (not two) and if your performance on the street is excellent you may be considered for a position as a detective in a station.  Again, if your performance is excellent, many arrests, good cases, high closure rate, there may come an opening in homicide and anyone can apply.

What you are going to find is that many officers prefer to stay in uniform.  Homicide as depicted on television is in no way realistic.  Murders are just a portion of what you do.  A detective investigates all natural deaths, suicides, and accidental deaths.  A lot of time is spent in court and writing reports.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Mr. Toomey,
Thank you for your time. One last question, I am also interested in CSI. Do I have to go through the same procedure to become part of a CSI team? (I am aware that this is very different then on TV but being able to know what happened through out the murder, suicide, etc, really draws me in).

Answer
Most crime scene personnel are either retired police officers.  Some departments have civilian personnel but the ONLY thing that they do is collect evidence.  They do not work on cases, question suspects, leave the office to do investigations, or arrest suspects.