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Key Takeaways
- Private investigators, also called private detectives, track down and analyze information for their clients or employers. They may be called upon to assist in legal, financial and personal matters.
- Many private investigators have professional backgrounds in law enforcement, federal intelligence or the military. Others hold experience in fields such as bill collection, claims adjustment or private security.
- Private investigators often receive on-the-job training.
- Each state sets its own requirements for private investigator licensing.
Mass media has given private investigators (PIs) a glamorous, even dangerous reputation. While the reality of a PI’s career is usually much less action-packed than the fictional exploits of Sherlock Holmes, Philip Marlowe or Nancy Drew, this field can be a great fit for detail-oriented, tenacious problem solvers.
Several pathways can lead to a career as a private investigator, also called a private detective. Many candidates for this role have prior professional experience in law enforcement, law or the military, but prospective private investigators can also take other steps to open up and increase job opportunities in private investigation.
If you’re excited about solving real-life mysteries, this article is for you. Learn how to become a private investigator and uncover the truth about the training, licensure, experience and skills you’ll need to excel in this role.
How to Become a PI
Depending on the jurisdiction and state in which you work, the steps to becoming a private investigator can vary. It’s essential to research state-specific private investigator requirements to determine the best course of action. However, most PIs follow the below steps to progress in their careers.
Receive an Education
Completing postsecondary education and earning a degree in a relevant field can help expand your job opportunities as a PI.
Each state sets its own requirements for PIs; however, at a minimum, most employers require candidates to have a high school diploma or GED® certificate. It’s becoming more common for employers to require applicants to hold an associate or bachelor’s in criminal justice, criminology, political science, business, finance or a similar discipline.
Gain Experience
Relevant hands-on experience can help aspiring private investigators develop the skills needed to perform the day-to-day tasks of this role successfully. Many private investigators have prior professional experience in law (such as working as a lawyer or paralegal), law enforcement, private security or the military. Others—especially those involved in business or financial investigations—may have worked in roles such as claims adjuster or bill collector.
Enrolling in a criminal law, criminal justice or criminology program can help aspiring PIs gain foundational knowledge and skills for this profession. Some programs offer internship opportunities that allow students to gain hands-on experience.
Complete Training
Working as a PI requires a diverse skill set, so training is an essential part of this profession. Many employers provide on-the-job training. Training requirements can vary depending on the position and your prior professional experience. Training may cover the following:
- Techniques and procedures for conducting interviews
- Strategies for collecting and evaluating evidence
- Accident scene reconstruction methods
- Surveillance techniques
Earn Licensure
Each state has its own licensure requirements for private investigators. Most states require PIs to obtain licensure, which often entails meeting specific educational and professional work experience criteria and passing an examination.
Various agencies govern PI licensure depending on where you plan to practice. For example, in Oregon, private investigators are licensed by the state’s Department of Public Safety Standards and Training, while in California the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services handles PI licensing.
Pro Tip
Since state laws governing private investigator licensing vary by jurisdiction, contact the organization that provides PI credentials in your state to find out more details.
Consider Certification
While private investigator certifications are not required for this career path, certification can help validate your skill set and knowledge. The top certifications for private investigators include the Certified Legal Investigator and Professional Certified Investigator credentials.
What Is a Private Investigator?
Private investigators’ clients include individuals, attorneys, businesses and organizations. Their services can include gathering and analyzing critical information on personal, financial and legal matters, performing background checks, assisting with searches for missing persons and conducting surveillance.
The daily tasks of a private investigator can vary widely depending on the case. Typical duties may include the following:
- Conducting interviews
- Conducting searches of computer databases, public records and other resources to compile critical information for investigations
- Performing background checks, such as pre-employment checks, to acquire pertinent information regarding an individual’s personal history and financial status
- Gathering and analyzing evidence for clients
- Writing reports or case summaries
Top Skills for Private Investigators
Private investigators need a diverse skill set that includes hard and soft skills. Below are just a few essential skills PIs need to fulfill the demands of the role.
Communication
Written and verbal communication is an integral part of private investigative work. PIs must conduct interviews, speak to family members of missing persons, collaborate with police officers and other law enforcement professionals and present their findings in court, which necessitates strong verbal communication skills. It’s critical for PIs to ask concise, straightforward questions and actively listen during these processes.
Not only do PIs need to communicate clearly and effectively, but they must also ensure they’re being considerate and compassionate toward individuals who may be going through difficult situations.
Private investigators are also responsible for documenting investigations, which entails writing and filing detailed case reports.
Patience
Private investigation involves many processes and procedures, requiring consistent effort, persistence and patience. These processes can prolong the duration of an investigation. Although a PI’s instinct may be to solve an assigned case as quickly as possible, it can take time to generate leads, perform surveillance, gather and analyze concrete evidence and solve cases.
Resourcefulness
PIs have access to a wide variety of resources. They must make full use of the information and tools available to them, such as public record databases containing driving records and criminal records, to efficiently solve cases.
Legal Knowledge
Private detectives need a strong foundational knowledge of local, state and federal law. Since private investigators are not considered law enforcement, it’s critical to understand the applicable legal parameters and constraints to ensure you’re not infringing on criminal or privacy laws. If evidence is collected unlawfully, a court can reject it, and it can even be prosecuted.
Computer Literacy
Private investigators use computers, surveillance equipment, GPS trackers and other technology in their day-to-day operations. Often, PIs must navigate through data banks and databases to collect pertinent information and evidence.
Private Investigator Salary and Job Outlook
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports a median salary for private investigators of $49,540 per year as of 2023. The BLS projects employment opportunities for private detectives and investigators to grow 6% from 2022 to 2032.
Private Investigator Specializations
Private investigators can use their skills in numerous applications to assist the public, law enforcement and corporations. The following list, while not exhaustive, includes several of the most common private investigator specializations.
- Arson and fire: Arson investigators examine the scene of a fire to determine the cause and whether a crime potentially took place.
- Background check: Private investigators can specialize in conducting background checks for job candidates.
- Cell phone records: Some PIs focus on finding and studying cell phone records to assist with criminal investigations or trials.
- Child custody: Child custody investigators are usually hired by one parent seeking custody of a child or children. The investigator documents the other parent’s activities to gather evidence for a child custody case.
- Civil: Civil investigators work on investigations within civil law, like landlord and tenant disputes or divorces.
- Corporate: Corporate investigators gather information about an organization to help detect fraud or wrongful business practices.
- Crime scene: Also known as forensic investigators, crime scene PIs look for evidence at crime scenes to provide to law enforcement and legal teams.
- Criminal: Law enforcement teams often hire criminal investigators to help solve crimes through collected evidence.
- Cybercrime: Cybercrime investigators evaluate cyberthreats and investigate cyberattacks.
- Domestic: Domestic investigators work for clients involved in domestic matters, like stalking, abuse or divorce.
- Financial: Financial institutions and law enforcement hire financial investigators to gather evidence of fraud, embezzlement, money laundering and other types of financial crime.
- Insurance fraud: Many insurance companies have fraud investigators on their teams to detect and gather evidence of insurance fraud for auto, home, medical and other types of insurance claims.
- Loss prevention: Loss prevention investigators work for an organization to monitor and investigate theft.
- Skip tracing: Skip tracers help track down the location or contact information for individuals for various purposes, like legal proceedings or debt collection.
- Workers’ compensation: PIs specializing in workers’ compensation may investigate corporations to determine whether they have active coverage and workers’ claims to prevent workers’ compensation abuse.
- Wrongful death: These PIs investigate the circumstances surrounding a death to help determine liability.
Private Investigator Career Advancement
On-the-job experience is often the most straightforward way to advance a private investigator career, as it can help develop skills in different specialties.
For example, corporate investigators may learn about loss prevention, workers’ compensation fraud and insurance fraud through various cases, depending on the types of organizations they work with. With more skills under their belts, PIs can work up to supervising positions on PI teams or start their own agencies.
Additional experience can also help PIs transition into government careers, like working for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The FBI requires at least two years of professional work experience for candidates with a bachelor’s degree or one year of experience with an advanced degree.
Certifications for Private Investigators
Certified Legal Investigator (CLI)®
The National Association of Legal Investigators (NALI) offers the Certified Legal Investigator certification. The CLI is a professional board certification that validates private investigators’ knowledge, skills and experiences through rigorous examination, oral ethical testing, statement-taking, role-playing and white paper authorship. To become a CLI, applicants must meet the following requirements:
- Be employed by public defenders’ offices, law firms or privately owned investigative firms.
- Meet your state’s licensure requirement.
- Have at least five years of professional experience working as a legal investigator. Alternatively, applicants can substitute one year of work by completing 90 quarter hours or 60 semester hours at an accredited university or college.
- Submit a white paper on any investigative topic. The paper must be at least 1,000 words. Applicants must submit the white paper at least 30 days before the exam.
- Submit the fee and application no later than 30 days before the exam.
- Agree to earn continuing education credits and submit reports of compliance.
You can visit NALI’s CLI requirement page for the most up-to-date certification requirements.
Professional Certified Investigator (PCI)®
ASIS International offers the Professional Certified Investigator certification, which demonstrates certifiable knowledge and specialized skills in security investigations. These skills include case evaluation and management strategies, the ability to collect valuable information through surveillance, interview techniques and interrogation strategies.
Eligibility requirements for the PCI certification include the following:
- Three to five years of investigations experience (depending on your education level) and two years of case management experience
- Have been employed full time in a security-related position
- Have not been convicted of any criminal offense that would reflect poorly on the profession, organization or certification program
- Sign and agree to comply with the ASIS Certification Code of Conduct
- Agree to adhere to the ASIS certification programs’ policies, which can be found in the ASIS International Board Certification Handbook
You can visit ASIS’ eligibility requirements page for the most up-to-date information regarding PCI certification requirements.
To become certified, you must pass the PCI exam, which consists of 125 scored multiple-choice questions. The exam may also feature 15 randomly distributed, unscored pre-test questions, creating a total of 140 exam questions. Test-takers have 2.5 hours to complete the exam, which covers tasks, skills and knowledge in three primary domains: case management, investigative techniques and procedures, and case presentation.
The PCI exam contents outline provides an overview of the specific tasks and areas of knowledge included in the exam.
Forbes Advisor writer, Amy Boyington, also contributed to this article.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About How to Become a Private Investigator
Can you make a lot of money as a private investigator?
The BLS reports the median annual salary for private investigators as $49,540. Many PIs are self-employed, which allows them to negotiate their pay rates with their clients. Several factors can impact salary, including location, level of education, certifications and professional work experience.
How long does it take to become a private investigator in California?
It can take between two and three years to become a private investigator in California. You can qualify for California’s private investigator license without a college degree if you hold three years of compensated investigative work experience. If you hold a law degree or a bachelor’s or associate in specific fields, you need two to 2.5 years of experience.
Are private investigators in high demand?
The BLS projects the employment of private investigators to grow by 6%—faster than average growth—from 2022–32, adding an estimated 3,800 jobs per year. Because criminal activity, domestic disputes, fraud and lawsuits are likely to continue, individuals, companies and law enforcement will likely continue to seek the help of private investigators.
How hard is it to become a private investigator?
Many PIs can begin their careers with a high school diploma, although some positions may require a bachelor’s degree. It’s also possible to transition from related jobs, like security guards or police officers, to a private investigator career, creating multiple avenues for those interested in becoming a PI.
What type of person makes a good private investigator?
Successful private investigators are resourceful, have an excellent command of the legal system and pay close attention to details. They also communicate effectively with their clients and others involved in a case, like law enforcement or insurance companies, to accurately explain their evidence.
Can private investigators make arrests?
No, private investigators are not legally allowed to arrest anyone. However, PIs who are also active police officers do have the authority to make arrests.
Can private investigators testify in court?
Yes, private investigators can testify in court to explain their collected evidence. For example, a legal team might request a PI to act as an expert witness in court to present their forensic evidence for a murder trial.
Who hires private investigators?
Legal teams, law enforcement agencies and corporations hire private investigators for various purposes, including investigating crime scenes and evaluating potential fraud. Individuals can also hire PIs for domestic and civil cases, like child custody or divorce.
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