Top Criminal Investigator Schools
- Everest University Online Click for Recommended Degree Program
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Criminal Investigator
Criminal Investigator careers are often romanticized in movies, television shows, and books. From Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street to Ray Langston of CSI, criminal investigator characters are exciting and their job is often envied by mystery novel readers everywhere.
But what do real criminal investigators do? Criminal investigators work with informants, suspects, and witnesses to solve criminal mysteries. They also use forensic evidence to solve crimes and keep records and background information on criminals. The main objective of these professionals is to gather enough evidence for a court appearance and the sentencing of a criminal.
Specialized Areas in Criminal Investigation
These investigators usually specialize in a specific area like burglary, domestic violence, homicide, missing persons, narcotics, computer crime, or fraud, among other areas. Each of these areas brings different challenges and criminal investigators could have vastly different responsibilities, depending on their specialization. Cases also vary greatly depending on the situation, so every day as a criminal investigator is different with new challenges.
A Day in the Life of a Criminal Investigator
As a criminal investigator, some of your time will be spent on site, looking for evidence and investigating crime scenes or interviewing witnesses and people of interest. However, some of your time will also be spent in an office analyzing your findings and coordinating investigation efforts. Your goal will be to extrapolate information from evidence that will help convict a suspect.
Depending on different factors, criminal investigators can make anywhere between *$37,960 to *$99,980 a year. Many criminal investigators often work in law enforcement, legal services, government, or business intelligence.
