Expert: Chris Wagoner - 1/19/2011

Question
im currently a junior soon to be senior in high school. and i was wondering if theres any classes in particular i have to take in order to become a homicide detective.. or can you explain to me the process i would have to go through?

Answer
Sorry no one answered your question.. Here is something for you:

Here is a question recently asked of me on AllExperts.com. I would like to add that with most agencies you have to be on the department for a number of years before you can become a Detective. Then you are usually sent to several police schools on the subject of what your assigned as a detective. It is very rewarding. And there are many types.
1. Describe the process of becoming a detective. List what college courses you need and what positions must you serve prior to a detective.

A: Well there are many things you can do to get ready to be a detective. First I would think about English or a writing course. Now I know you say WHAT!?!? But when you think about it what do Detectives do a lot of? Write reports and take notes and transfer those notes to written reports. Now these days they use computers of course so a typing course would be very helpful also. Also we deal a lot with the human body of course, so any courses you can take in physiology and anatomy would be very helpful. That was actually my favorite subject, anatomy. Also another is physics. I know I probably have picked three of the courses most people like least, but they are actually the ones I have found that helped me the most. If you are thinking of college, a degree in Criminology or Police Science, or Criminal Justice Technology would be very helpful.

2.Explain with explicit details a full workday of a detective.

A: Well I can’t explain it in explicit details because every day for a detective is different. Think about it. That’s one of the things that make a day as a cop (detective) so interesting, they are never the same. Detectives may be called to a new case/ crime scene at any time. It can be any type of crime from a burglary where no one was home, or a bicycle theft, to a multiple murder. Nothing is ever the same. A day may involve going to a scene and using your senses to try and figure out the puzzle of what happened, examining a body to determine what cause the injuries to looking for a hair or fiber in a house full of things. No day is normal when you’re a detective.

3.Every job requires a sacrifice. Explain what is the biggest sacrifice a detective has to do?

The major sacrifice of being a detective is that you work a lot of hours at odd times. Detectives get called out to go to work at all hours. You could be called at 2am in the morning to get dressed, and go to a murder scene. When an hour ago you were asleep in bed, at home with your family. Also it seems like a lot more crimes happen around holidays, because the stresses that normally are able to be dealt with become more intense around holidays. SO I would say that the sacrifice is the time involved away from your family.

4.What are the benefits of working as a detective?

A: The benefits of being a Detective are of course the job satisfaction. It is very satisfying being a detective and solving the puzzles that many crimes are. Also the satisfaction of helping the victim and the victims family. The victim and the family need your help in solving the crime and bringing the person or people responsible for the crime to justice. You also have the chance many times to make society a better place by removing a predator from the community and making the area bit safer for the community and your family to live in.

5.Must all detectives work with a partner? How is working with a partner different from working alone?

A: Actually most detectives do not work with a partner. Most detectives work alone. But in larger agencies and when it’s a big case you have a lead detective (the one in charge) and then others that are supporting the lead by helping out doing things. A detective may work with a partner on a large case or on a “task force” when the case is involving more that any one person can handle such as a serial killer with multiple homicides or multiple crimes. Then they may work with a “partner” but most of the time they are really working alone, and directing other Detectives on various tasks.

6.What are some of the strategies detectives must use in order to solve a crime?A: Attention to details is very important. The littlest piece of evidence can be the one that you need the most. Some of the strategies vary depending on the crime. Some are crime scene preservation, collection and documentation, interview and interrogation, informant use, and undercover tactics and surveillance techniques. All of which require an entire text book worth of writing to explain. Each is an area of expertise that a detective can become good at. A good detective is well rounded and good at all of them.

7.How are crimes assigned to you? What happens after you solve a crime? What if you can't solve the crime?

A: Well that’s three different questions. J Crimes are assigned by either the supervisor of the Criminal Investigation unit, or by the type of crime. There are many different types of detectives. There are detectives for Crimes against Persons. That means you investigate crimes like murder, battery, rape and others that have a human victim. Then there are Detectives that do crimes against property. Crimes like burglary, theft, and others where there is no human victim. Then there are sometimes detectives that are more specialized like Animal Abuse Detectives, Child Abuse Detectives, Sex crimes Detectives and others.

After you solve the crime (determine the suspect or subject) you then go through the court system trying to get a court to find the person guilty of the crime. Whatever it is you have to arrest the person, and then they have to go to court. That is where your job of collecting and evaluating evidence is looked at and determined if it was done correctly according to the court.

If you can’t solve the case, it becomes what’s called a “cold case” and gets filed away until new leads or evidence come to your attention to give you something new to investigate

8. What advice can you give me as a future detective?

A: I suggest that you get a degree before becoming a cop/ detective. And also read as much as you can about criminology and criminalistics. If you do that you should do well.