What are the requirement to be an Investigator?

For many years I have studied all there is to know about Investigation. I went college an obtained two degree in Criminal Justice and now I am working on my third degree. But to no prevail I have not been hired to work in the field of Investigaton. Here where I live a Crime Scene Investigator is needed badly. Most of the police officers here are not trained complete on gathring crime scene evidence. But the problem that I have is that they want me to work but the want me to attend the police acadamy. I not ready for that task at this moment, beacause of my children. My question is what other areas can I enter into without going to the police acadamy?

Jacqueline,
Government Law Enforcement Organizations are a bit like the military. If you do not attend their "basic training", it is not likely that they will accept you. Very often, it requires sacrifice in the first years (like attending the accademy, working midnight to 8 AM, etc.). Even with two criminal justice degrees, you'll probably start off walking the beat & doing traffic accidents in the rain. After 5 to 8 years, on the job, the more favorable positions open up. You might find a job working for the local District Attorney or Crime Lab, but even they may require the Police Academy for liability purposes (such as carrying a firearm). If you decide to become a private investigator, then you must understand that you're not a cop, & you won't be accepted by cops as a peer. Sorry.

Checkout the FBI, they are in need of female investigators. Then checkout USjobs for the Homeland Security investigators.

Good luck!!!!!

Investigation is the thing that I am best at and just want the chance to start some where to get my foot in the door. I was in the Navy and some college, where do I go from here?

There are many ways to break in without experience or a degree. I have been doing regulatory complaince for over 25 years.

If you're not willing to attend the academy, then set your sights in another direction while utilizing your degree to get you in the door at a ground level position.

I first started out in an insurance company doing fraud then moved on to a position as a state investigator (no weapon) and then moved back to the private industry once again and to finally land in a terrific position with the government once again.

I would try bookmarking and visiting the state deparment of personnel in which you reside and continually look for open positions. You can also contact the personell department in each state agency by going in person to obtain and application and attaching your resume. Most states have civil service process. However you can temporarily bypass that process and be placed provisionally if the department is in dire need of investigators.

Good luck

I am an insurance fraud investigator. I started as a property adjuster after I graduated from college and worked my way into fraud investigations.

Steven Henderson in Kirkland, Washington said: Investigation is the thing that I am best at and just want the chance to start some where to get my foot in the door. I was in the Navy and some college, where do I go from here?

Steven, my advice is to keep looking for Private Investigation positions for Insurance Companies. I think that you would be a little uncomfortable with the billing system it’s a pain. As you learn, insurance companies will get used to you work product. They make you an offer, you never know. Beware it is very bureaucratic. Some just want to raise their premiums to cover their fraudulent losses. People screamed about the higher rates and that they had accidents or violations. The result was that the California Dept. of Insurance wanted proof. They wanted SIU Investigators in each claims dept., so they had proof that the fraud was as bad as the insurance companies were claiming. This is all a smoke screen. Between 1990, and 1994 I personally saved a major international insurance company $8,000,000, and my unit in that same time save $30,000,000. It was all nonsense. They people on top were arguing who was to get the credit for this money that was not paid while we were working our SIU. The claims management went so far as to say that we were self serving and trying to show weakness and inefficiency. That was also not true. That could be not be further from the truth. Our SIU unit received our bogus claims from the adjusters that worked under those crybaby managers. We made it a point going around to the individual adjusters thanking them for doing their job by detecting those fraudulent claims bringing them to our unit to investigate. All the hard work that our SIU accomplished was disbanded. I was laid off on a very questionable "reduction of force". My close friend and manager retired, and our SIU unit was relocated to somewhere in Texas.
If I were you I would check out USAJOBS.opm.com. You may gain a federal job. John

Jacqueline Denise Smith in Rhodelia, Kentucky said: For many years I have studied all there is to know about Investigation. I went college an obtained two degree in Criminal Justice and now I am working on my third degree. But to no prevail I have not been hired to work in the field of Investigaton. Here where I live a Crime Scene Investigator is needed badly. Most of the police officers here are not trained complete on gathring crime scene evidence. But the problem that I have is that they want me to work but the want me to attend the police acadamy. I not ready for that task at this moment, beacause of my children. My question is what other areas can I enter into without going to the police acadamy?

Bank Fraud, Insurance Fraud as well as some security companies (Securitus - world wide security company) are hiring investigators. I do not think that most of the independents get into just crime scene and evidence but companies like AFLAC and other major insurance firms are and have been known to hire investigators to investigate insurance frauds. I wish you all the luck in the world but whatever you do "DON'T GIVE UP". I had the same problem 20 years ago with a bachelors degree in Criminal Justice and a Masters Degree in Public Administration, I went to the academy and politics inside the department held me back from becoming an investigator for 12 years. Finally I became an investigator in burglaries, thefts and fraud, and in less than six months, the department finally realized my talent in investigating and transferred me to the Homicide Unit and I became the best Homicide Investigator in the county. I am presently retired from the department and employed by the sheriff department and a fraud invetigator for a major banking institution. "LOTS AND LOTS OF LUCK" TO YOU.

Don't work for a mom and pop private investigation company... they will use and abuse you. You will end up burning your vehicle driving all over and the pay sucks. Go back to school and get into a different career.

I have looked high and low for investigation jobs from insurance companies, private security firms, state jobs, and mom and pop investigation companies and its the same story over and over again either the place already has a candidate in mind and I don't stand a chance anyways, or they deem me not qualified , or they don't want to take the time to show me the ropes. I have a bachelors degree in criminal justice, eight years of private security, but very limited exposure to the private investigation world. The last thing I'm going to do is give up, I have decided that I will keep my 9 to 5 because I have a family to support and do the PI work on the side. I know it is risky but I have to make a go at this it is now or never. I want to focus on background checks, skip-tracing, property searches, process serving, and maybe get involved with some repo work and bail skips. I know that the work will be hit and miss but I only want to take a little at a time and I'm sure the rest will come. Any advice for someone who is just starting out? Besides "get out of this business".

The job will be a heck of a lot more demanding than the acadamy. Maybe you should set your sights on a part time position with an attorney's office or private investigation company for the time being. You can not expect them to wave the acadamy requirement because you are too busy at the moment. my friend tried to get on the fbi. When they called him for the acadamy he told them he could not make because he was going on a planned vacation. He told them he could certainly make the next class at the acadamy. Needles to say they never called him for the next class.

Bill Boy in Fremont, California said: my friend tried to get on the fbi. When they called him for the acadamy he told them he could not make because he was going on a planned vacation. He told them he could certainly make the next class at the acadamy. Needles to say they never called him for the next class.

Seriously?! Who in their right mind is going to tell the FBI that they're too busy cuz they're going on vacation and they'll be back for a different academy class? I say you're making this up!