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I'm writing a career ladder for what i want to be and i want to be a detective so what would the steps into becoming a detective be?
Hi Brittany,
Well you want to be a Detective, what kind?? There are a lot of different types of Detectives these days. There are Detectives that specialize in Crimes against People and those that Specialize in Crimes against Property, Crimes against the Elderly, Crimes against Children, Sex Crimes, Vice Crimes, Narcotics, Organized Crime, Animal Cruelty and many more.
But lets look at just becoming a Detective in general. To become a Detective you have to first lay a good background. Of course you have to finish High School, then a College Degree would really help. If your going to go into crimes against people or related areas, biology and anatomy classes would be really helpful. Also a lot of colleges offer criminalistics degrees, thats a really good one for being a Detective. If your going into organized crime and or crime against property then financial classes would not hurt. But most of all get a degree of some kind. Most agencies these days require a degree to get promoted beyond the rank of patrol officer.
Then you have to become a police officer first. There are two routes to doing this. In some states you have to be hired by a police department and they send you to the police academy an d in others you can put yourself through. Here in Florida you can do either.
Once you get hired, and get through the police academy most agencies require that you put in at least a certain number of years on patrol before you can apply for a specialized division or a specialized duty (like SWAT).
Then you just wait for an opening to be announced and you apply for the position. Then you have to go through a process. Usually a interview or two, and maybe even a test of things related to the area you are applying. SWAT has physical test, Detectives can have test on Laws, and procedures for investigating those kinds of crimes.
There you have it. I hope this answers your question. If you have any thing that you need more information on or need clarified, just ask.
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Answers by Expert:
Chris Wagoner
Expertise
I have been a police officer for 30+ years! I am the Police Academy Commander at the Santa Fe College, Institute of Public Safety in Gainesville Florida It is a full service Law Enforcement and Corrections training facility. I can answer most questions concerning law enforcement procedures, law enforcement training and general questions about law enforcment. I can also answer questions about becoming a law enfocement officer. I have a booklet and web page I have written that answers many questions about how to become a police officer called "So you want to be a cop (police Officer) in Florida?", which is free, Google it.. All you have to do is ask. I teach the following subjects: RADAR/LASER, Law Enforcement Driving, Law Enforcement Firearms and Patrol Techniques, Officer Safety, WMD's for Patrol Officers, Application of Law, Communications skills, Dealing with the Mentally and physically handicapped, and many more subjects. I have worked as a subject matter expert for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and helped to write the police curriculum for the State of Florida. I like answering questions about how to become a police officer, and questions about why did an officer do this or that type questions. I also like answering any questions you may have about police work in general. I do not mind helping with homework questions or trying to answer your questions about legal subjects that I have knowledge of. You will never know the answer until you ask! If you do ask a question, PLEASE take the time to at least rate the answer. I do not get paid to answer these questions and do it on my own time. If you ask, please rate it when I answer. Thanks!!! If its a question about becoming a police officer, it may be answered here: http://sites.google.com/site/flaleohelp/ My "hobby" website - http://www.youtube.com/user/3rdID8487 Military Videos on YouTube and Facebook!!
Experience
I am a 30+ year veteran police officer, I am currently the Police Academy Commander of an Academy in North FLorida. I have been training police officers since 1993 and have trained them in all aspects of law enforcement, including firearms, Driving and legal subjects including patrol techniques and others and training all over the world. I have trained over 5000 officers worldwide in the last 16 years of training.
Publications
I am a published author in Accident Investigation from the University of North Florida, Institute of Police Technology and Management. Also have written and published on the Internet, "So You Want to be a Cop (Police Officer) in Florida?" you can Google it..
Education/Credentials
I have 2 degrees, in Criminal Justice.
Awards and Honors
Phi Theta Kappa, plus 50+ Departmental Awards over the years. FBI Directors award for assisting in a Nationwide investigation into Child pornography.
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