This question is going to be a little vague and hard to put into words but I will try my best. It’s my understanding that all detectives have to start out as “beat cops” and have to do patrol work, and also a college degree, and eventually if they show initiative and smarts, they can get promoted to detective-is that right?
So, say you are a beat cop who gets promoted to “detective”. Suddenly you are going from reponding to calls to having to investigate crimes, such as homicide or narcotics. Where inbetween these steps do they get their training to learn how to be detectives. Is there a detective/investigation course they go through? How long is it and what does it cover?
For example, things like “Most people are killed by someone they know”, “Most people are killed by someone of their same race”, etc. Things that are useful statistics to know in crime investigation, where do they get these facts from, and just general crime-solving investigative tools.
There are plenty of Basic Criminal Investigation courses out there. There are also Advanced Criminal Investigations courses and all kinds of crime-specific courses. They may run a week or two and are taught by various organizations, mostly sworn law enforcement but also some private companies made up mostly of current or retired officers.
The basic course will cover things such as very basic crime scene stuff, interviewing techniques, law, search warrants, handling informants etc. The advanced course might get into electronic surveillance (wiretaps), conspiracy investigations, more advanced crime scene stuff, data mining and such. These courses provide a foundation but most of the learning comes with experience. Learning from a seasoned detective is crucial.
The stats are gleaned from experience but shouldn’t lead the investigation in any particular direction. You go where the evidence takes you not where history seems to point. If evidence is lacking then history might tell you where focus. But it could be in the wrong place. Good detective work is either like playing a game (think narcotics) or solving a puzzle (just about any other crime that has already happened and you are trying to figure out whodunnit). In either case, its a challenge and solving a case brings self-satisfaction.
Thanks. The basic investigation courses you mentioned, are they a requirement when promoted from beat cop, or are they just freely available and voluntary?