How to become a Private Detectives and Investigator 2024

Private Detectives and Investigator Gather, analyze, compile, and report information regarding individuals or organizations to clients, or detect occurrences of unlawful acts or infractions of rules in private establishment.

Private Detectives and Investigator is Also Know as

In different settings, Private Detectives and Investigator is titled as

Asset Protection Detective
Field Investigator
Investigator
Loss Prevention Agent
Loss Prevention Associate
Loss Prevention Detective
Loss Prevention Investigator
Loss Prevention Officer
Private Investigator
Special Investigator

Education and Training of Private Detectives and Investigator

Private Detectives and Investigator is categorized in Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed

Experience Required for Private Detectives and Investigator

Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.

Education Required for Private Detectives and Investigator

Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Degrees Related to Private Detectives and Investigator

Training Required for Private Detectives and Investigator

Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

Related Ocuupations

Some Ocuupations related to Private Detectives and Investigator in different industries are

What Do Private Detectives and Investigator do?

Write reports or case summaries to document investigations.
Search computer databases, credit reports, public records, tax or legal filings, or other resources to locate persons or to compile information for investigations.
Obtain and analyze information on suspects, crimes, or disturbances to solve cases, to identify criminal activity, or to gather information for court cases.
Conduct private investigations on a paid basis.
Testify at hearings or court trials to present evidence.
Question persons to obtain evidence for cases of divorce, child custody, or missing persons or information about individuals' character or financial status.
Observe and document activities of individuals to detect unlawful acts or to obtain evidence for cases, using binoculars and still or video cameras.
Alert appropriate personnel to suspects' locations.
Perform undercover operations, such as evaluating the performance or honesty of employees by posing as customers or employees.
Investigate companies' financial standings, or locate funds stolen by embezzlers, using accounting skills.
Expose fraudulent insurance claims or stolen funds.
Confer with establishment officials, security departments, police, or postal officials to identify problems, provide information, or receive instructions.
Apprehend suspects and release them to law enforcement authorities or security personnel.
Count cash and review transactions, sales checks, or register tapes to verify amounts or to identify shortages.
Warn troublemakers causing problems on establishment premises and eject them from premises when necessary.
Monitor industrial or commercial properties to enforce conformance to establishment rules and to protect people or property.
Conduct personal background investigations, such as pre-employment checks, to obtain information about an individual's character, financial status, or personal history.

Qualities of Good Private Detectives and Investigator

Inductive Reasoning: The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Oral Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Oral Comprehension: The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Problem Sensitivity: The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
Near Vision: The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
Written Comprehension: The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Written Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
Deductive Reasoning: The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Speech Clarity: The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
Speech Recognition: The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
Information Ordering: The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
Selective Attention: The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
Flexibility of Closure: The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
Category Flexibility: The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
Far Vision: The ability to see details at a distance.
Fluency of Ideas: The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
Originality: The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
Perceptual Speed: The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
Speed of Closure: The ability to quickly make sense of, combine, and organize information into meaningful patterns.
Time Sharing: The ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources).
Mathematical Reasoning: The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
Control Precision: The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
Number Facility: The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly.
Finger Dexterity: The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
Hearing Sensitivity: The ability to detect or tell the differences between sounds that vary in pitch and loudness.
Depth Perception: The ability to judge which of several objects is closer or farther away from you, or to judge the distance between you and an object.
Visualization: The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
Trunk Strength: The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without "giving out" or fatiguing.
Arm-Hand Steadiness: The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
Multilimb Coordination: The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
Memorization: The ability to remember information such as words, numbers, pictures, and procedures.
Auditory Attention: The ability to focus on a single source of sound in the presence of other distracting sounds.
Visual Color Discrimination: The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.
Manual Dexterity: The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
Response Orientation: The ability to choose quickly between two or more movements in response to two or more different signals (lights, sounds, pictures). It includes the speed with which the correct response is started with the hand, foot, or other body part.
Reaction Time: The ability to quickly respond (with the hand, finger, or foot) to a signal (sound, light, picture) when it appears.
Glare Sensitivity: The ability to see objects in the presence of a glare or bright lighting.
Spatial Orientation: The ability to know your location in relation to the environment or to know where other objects are in relation to you.
Sound Localization: The ability to tell the direction from which a sound originated.
Wrist-Finger Speed: The ability to make fast, simple, repeated movements of the fingers, hands, and wrists.
Peripheral Vision: The ability to see objects or movement of objects to one's side when the eyes are looking ahead.
Rate Control: The ability to time your movements or the movement of a piece of equipment in anticipation of changes in the speed and/or direction of a moving object or scene.
Night Vision: The ability to see under low-light conditions.
Extent Flexibility: The ability to bend, stretch, twist, or reach with your body, arms, and/or legs.
Dynamic Strength: The ability to exert muscle force repeatedly or continuously over time. This involves muscular endurance and resistance to muscle fatigue.
Static Strength: The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.
Gross Body Equilibrium: The ability to keep or regain your body balance or stay upright when in an unstable position.
Gross Body Coordination: The ability to coordinate the movement of your arms, legs, and torso together when the whole body is in motion.
Explosive Strength: The ability to use short bursts of muscle force to propel oneself (as in jumping or sprinting), or to throw an object.
Stamina: The ability to exert yourself physically over long periods of time without getting winded or out of breath.
Speed of Limb Movement: The ability to quickly move the arms and legs.
Dynamic Flexibility: The ability to quickly and repeatedly bend, stretch, twist, or reach out with your body, arms, and/or legs.

Tools Used by Private Detectives and Investigator

35 millimeter cameras
Biological evidence collection kits
Compact digital cameras
Computer data input scanners
Desktop computers
Digital audio recorders
Digital video cameras
Fingerprint evidence kits
Global positioning system GPS receivers
Handguns
High powered binoculars
Laptop computers
Law enforcement handguns
Night vision goggles
Optical telescopes
Personal computers
Surveillance binoculars

Technology Skills required for Private Detectives and Investigator

Computer imaging software
Email software
Facebook
LexisNexis
Microsoft Access
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Office software
Microsoft operating system
Microsoft Outlook
Microsoft PowerPoint
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Word
Operating system software
Web browser software
Word processing software

US Universities

How to become Private Detectives and Investigator in 2024