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Do I have to study law to become a detective?
I'm independent, very easy to talk to, hard headed but warm hearted but also tough and my "dad's" side of the family works for the government in the Philippines. #career #law #detective
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5 answers
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Gloria’s Answer
Hi Patricia,
No, you do not. You will most likely begin your journey to detective as a police officer. Your educational requirements often vary by the city, county, or state where you are applying to work. You should think about where you want to work and check those requirements before you move forward with any commitment to schools or subjects.
Gloria
No, you do not. You will most likely begin your journey to detective as a police officer. Your educational requirements often vary by the city, county, or state where you are applying to work. You should think about where you want to work and check those requirements before you move forward with any commitment to schools or subjects.
Gloria
Updated
DENNIS’s Answer
Hi Patricia: Short answer - no. However all police officers need a working understanding of the law to do their job. However, knowledge of the law will help you advance in your career. I know several detectives who went to law school part time while working as police officers. So no - you do not need to study law but it helps!
Updated
Edward’s Answer
No; detectives are trying to find facts -- what happened. Others decide whether or not what happened breaks the law. Talk to them as you go along to save time...
Ed O
Ed O
Updated
Kaveri’s Answer
Hello! No, you don't need to study law, unless you want to become a prosecutor/defense attorney. You can try other majors like Criminology. All the best!!
Updated
Paladin "Pj"’s Answer
Hi Patricia,
Detectives are "truth seekers." In other words, your primary goal as a detective is to find answers to questions. It is important to know the law. Laws are rules we all must follow. There are laws detectives must follow when they are doing an investigation.
For example, detectives cannot break the law when they are looking for clues, suspects, witnesses, and evidence. Let's say a witness tells a detective that a stolen Iphone is located in the trunk of a suspect's car. If the detective breaks the trunk open and finds the Iphone in the trunk, the detective can be arrested for burglary or damage to property. The detective must know the rules (laws). To avoid being arrested, the detective first needs to obtain a search warrant from a judge to break into a car trunk or someone's house without permission.
Detectives need to study law. They also need to study how to communicate effectively, how to search for evidence, how to collect evidence, how to use technical equipment, how to protect themselves, how to do surveillance, how to take notes and write reports, and many other things. Being a detective is a fun and challenging and frustrating job.
Being a detective is like being a puzzler. Your job as a detective is to take the puzzle pieces and put them in the the right place to reveal what the picture (answer) is. The problem is that some puzzles have so many pieces missing it's hard to see what the whole picture looks like because the missing pieces are never found.
All the best,
Pj
Detectives are "truth seekers." In other words, your primary goal as a detective is to find answers to questions. It is important to know the law. Laws are rules we all must follow. There are laws detectives must follow when they are doing an investigation.
For example, detectives cannot break the law when they are looking for clues, suspects, witnesses, and evidence. Let's say a witness tells a detective that a stolen Iphone is located in the trunk of a suspect's car. If the detective breaks the trunk open and finds the Iphone in the trunk, the detective can be arrested for burglary or damage to property. The detective must know the rules (laws). To avoid being arrested, the detective first needs to obtain a search warrant from a judge to break into a car trunk or someone's house without permission.
Detectives need to study law. They also need to study how to communicate effectively, how to search for evidence, how to collect evidence, how to use technical equipment, how to protect themselves, how to do surveillance, how to take notes and write reports, and many other things. Being a detective is a fun and challenging and frustrating job.
Being a detective is like being a puzzler. Your job as a detective is to take the puzzle pieces and put them in the the right place to reveal what the picture (answer) is. The problem is that some puzzles have so many pieces missing it's hard to see what the whole picture looks like because the missing pieces are never found.
All the best,
Pj