Expert: Jack Toomey - 3/16/2010

Question
QUESTION: Hi, My name is Liz,

im 16 years old, i'm very interested in being a svu detective or a sex crimes detective. though, i watch Law and order, i know that the tv show is nothing close to what it is like in the real world. i have a couple of questions. i wanted to know what the difference was between working in svu, and working in sex crimes. i also wanted to ask what kind of degree i needed or how many years of college i needed under my belt.

ANSWER: Liz,

This may disappoint you but there is no such thing as an "SVU" detective.  Do regular detectives work with their victims?  Of course.  But there is no dedicated units that do the things that you see on television.  If television depicted police work as it really happens no one would watch.

It does not matter what your degree is in.  The important thing is to go to college and get a degree.  By the time that you are experienced enough to become a detective (ten years or more) no one will care what your degree is in.  What will matter is what your performance was like when you were in uniform as a patrol officer.  Your chances of becoming a detective will be higher if you are aggressive patrol officer who makes a lot of arrests, writes good reports, and gets high recommendations from superior officers.

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

QUESTION: okay, thanks. when i read your expertise column it said you have experience working with sex crimes. may i ask what that was like? you dealt with things like rape, sexual abuse, etc.. right?

Answer
Well there is no real way to describe what it was like since every case is different.  Some rapes are "stranger rapes" but most reported rapes both parties know each other.  Then there are the varying degree of sexual crimes from a woman getting pinched on the subway to bizarre things that shouldn't be discussed on here.

But since it is a job nothing surprised me and it became routine.  Sometimes you develop a long relationship with a victim when you are preparing the case for trial and after the trial you might still stay in touch with the victim since she/he needs your support.

So if there is anything more that you want to know let me know.