Police+Detective

__Police Detective__
For centuries, people have written and told stories about detectives and criminal cases. The television today is riddled with shows related to this field. Stories that range from the great Sherlock Holmes, to the juvenile Hardy Boys have never failed to peak societies interest. There are many reasons for the perpetual interest surrounding detective work, it's necessity for solving criminal cases being obvious, but majority of people find it so intruiging for one simple fact: along with the gift of logic and reason, comes the curse of answering the questions how and why.

__Job Description[[image:cns-1150-winter-2012/pd.jpeg align="right"]]__
Detectives are technically police officers, but unlike patrol officers, they are specially trained to be able to piece together and solve crimes through collecting evidence, questioning suspects and witnesses, and using a list of psychological techniques that help to unveil the truth. There is a wide range of crimes that a detective may be asked to commit to such as homocide, fraud, robbery, financial crimes, gang suppression, sex crimes, and computer crime, to name a few. Detectives typically work in a unit, and solve crimes through collaboration with peers in the same unit. Unfortunately, not all crimes can be solved, and at times the job can be dangerous directly through aggitated suspects, or indeirectly through stress and anxiety. Although, the relief and satisfaction of cracking a case outweighs all of its negative aspects.

__Required Skills__
Some of the skills a person must have in order to be a well rounded detective are as follows:
 * __Observational and Listening Skills__ - at a crime scene, you must be very aware of everything that's going on from the small details to the blindingly obvious. You must be able to interpret emotions and question everything you see
 * __Critical Thinking Skills__ - you cannot take anything for what it's worth. You cannot assess the sitiuation too quickly or assume anything, as well as being aware that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts
 * __Research Skills__ - you must be capable of spending countless hours looking up information and coming up with answers to even the most miniscule details without error.
 * __Problem Solving Ability__ - A police detective can never assume, and never see anything as black and white. The brain creates most of what we perceive, so be prepared to think outside the box to find what you're actually looking for.
 * __Photography Skills__ - nobody can remeber everything they see, and as previously stated, the brain recreates memories based on emotions, so photographs can really help to show you the real picture.
 * __Computer skills__ - These sort of go hand in hand with research skills, but they will also help as you will have to write reports in a professional manner and create documents to help you piece together the puzzle.

While a lot of these skills can be taught easily, it will still take a lot of practice and personal experience, as well as certain personality traits, to really get a good handle on creating a solid foundation to becoming a successful detective.

__Education Requirements__
In order to hold the rank of detective, you will need to have a high school diploma, as well as working in a law enforcement agency and working your way up to the title. A bachelors degree from a 4 year university in criminal justice or a related field will help increase your chances of getting ont eh fast track to becoming a detective. You must enlist and pass the police academy and spend time as a uniformed officer before becoming a detective. You must also pass physical and written exams, and clear a background check, so make sure you have a clean record! Some of the classes required for your degree include:
 * crime prevention
 * public relations
 * emergency planning
 * criminal psychology
 * forensic investigation
 * constitutional law

and while enrolled in the police academy you may undergo training in the fields of:
 * firearms use
 * emergency vehicle driving
 * criminal justice
 * physical fitness
 * defensive techniques
 * officer safety
 * traffic control (NOTE: Police detectives don't typically look this awesome)

__Salary Information__
The salary for detectives varies with experience, rank, education, and location. For example, high crime area detectives are obviously going to earn more than a small suburban low-crime town. The average wage for a police detective in the United States $62,000 but can range from $38,000 to $100,000 annually. The median salary for supervising detectives is about $15,000 more than that of a regular detective. Detectives typically get health benefits, aswell as pension plans, and paid vacation. Below is a chart listing the average wages of police detectives in the state of Michigan
 * |||||| **Michigan Wages ** ||
 * **Occupation ** ||
 * Detectives and Criminal Investigators ||
 * **Level of Experience ** || **Hourly **  ||  **Annual **  ||
 * Entry Wage || $28.71 || $59,720  ||
 * Median Wage || $34.39 || $71,530  ||
 * Experienced Wage || $44.95 || $93,490  ||   ||
 * [|Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics] ||

__Job Outlook__
Between 2008 and 2018, careers in police detective work are expected to grow by 10%. The best place to look for a job in this field is obviously in areas with high crime rates. Working for the state or federal agencies does increase your chance of getting paid a higher salary, and you can always work your way up, granted you are a rather outstanding detective.

__<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Related Careers __
<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Police detective work may be a little bit too stressful for some, while not enough of a challenge for others. Here is a list of careers that you should look into if you are interested in this line of work, but not detective work specifically:
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">conservation officer[[image:cns-1150-winter-2012/tape.jpg width="518" height="301" align="right"]]
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">coroner
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">correctional officer
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">crime scene investigator
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">criminologist
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">federal agent
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">fire investigator
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">firefighter
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">forensic accountant
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">lawyer
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">paralegal
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">park warden
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">police officer
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">private investigator
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">probation officer
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">security guard

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Page by: John Sheehan