Bachelor Degree in Criminal Justice Online - Resources

A Day in the Life of a Private Detective¹
Private detectives enjoy challenging work that may change on a regular basis. They may use a variety of methods in building a case, including computer research, surveillance, and interviews. One day a private detective might be on the phone tracking down leads for a civil custody case, and the next day he or she may be conducting surveillance as a worker's compensation investigator.

From A Criminal Justice Degree to Working as a Private Detective
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), most private detectives have some college experience. Criminal Justice studies may prove helpful to handle the following private detective tasks:

Interviewing: Interviews may be conducted by private investigators to glean all possible information pertinent to the case. Cases might involve interviews with clerks who control the release of public documents, friends of missing people, neighborhood residents who have witnessed an accident, or an endless list of people who are related to the case at hand.

Electronic investigation: The Internet is a wealth of information and assists in skip tracing those who are avoiding the paying of debts and other responsibilities, discovering financial records, and establishing identities. Modern private detectives use computers on a regular basis.

Surveillance: Establishing patterns of behavior by observation and photographic record is a regular part of the daily life for many private detectives. Private detectives may even be required to go undercover to gain information about a subject. Information gained through surveillance is often useful in contested civil cases, divorce proceedings, and insurance investigations.

Most states require private investigators to be licensed, which may include age, education, and experience restrictions as well as a criminal background check.