Protective Service · Holland code ICR
Detectives and Criminal Investigators
Conduct investigations related to suspected violations of federal, state, or local laws to prevent or solve crimes.
Also called: Criminal Investigator, Detective, Investigator, Police Detective, CSI (Crime Scene Investigator), Fugitive Detective, Fugitive Investigator, Narcotics Detective.
O*NET 33-3021.00
At a glance
- US median annual pay
- $93,790
- Middle half earn $69,330 to $120,520. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
- Preparation needed
- Job Zone 3 of 5
- Medium preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
What the work involves
The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.
- Prepare reports that detail investigation findings.
- Obtain and verify evidence by interviewing and observing suspects and witnesses or by analyzing records.
- Preserve, process, and analyze items of evidence obtained from crime scenes and suspects, placing them in proper containers and destroying evidence no longer needed.
- Obtain facts or statements from complainants, witnesses, and accused persons and record interviews, using recording device.
- Record progress of investigation, maintain informational files on suspects, and submit reports to commanding officer or magistrate to authorize warrants.
- Analyze completed police reports to determine what additional information and investigative work is needed.
- Note, mark, and photograph location of objects found, such as footprints, tire tracks, bullets and bloodstains, and take measurements of the scene.
- Secure deceased body and obtain evidence from it, preventing bystanders from tampering with it prior to medical examiner's arrival.
Skills and knowledge it leans on
Skills
- Active Listening4.5 / 5
- Speaking4.3 / 5
- Critical Thinking4.1 / 5
- Reading Comprehension4.0 / 5
- Writing3.8 / 5
- Active Learning3.8 / 5
Knowledge areas
- Law and Government4.6 / 5
- Public Safety and Security4.5 / 5
- Customer and Personal Service4.2 / 5
- Psychology4.1 / 5
- English Language4.1 / 5
- Education and Training3.7 / 5
Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.
Who tends to enjoy it
How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.
- Realistic53
- Investigative65
- Artistic3
- Social29
- Enterprising51
- Conventional64
The same work abroad
Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.
European occupation titles (ESCO)
- lieutenant · DE Leutnant/Leutnantin · FR lieutenant
- police commissioner · DE Polizeipräsident/Polizeipräsidentin · FR commissaire de police
- polygraph examiner · DE Polygrafiesachverständiger/Polygrafiesachverständige · FR spécialiste du détecteur de mensonges
- social security inspector · DE Sozialversicherungsprüfer/Sozialversicherungsprüferin · FR contrôleur des situations individuelles/contrôleuse des situations individuelles
- criminal investigator · DE Polizeibeamter im Ermittlungsdienst/Polizeibeamtin im Ermittlungsdienst · FR officier de police judiciaire/officière de police judiciaire
- police detective · DE Kriminalbeamter/Kriminalbeamtin · FR gardien de la paix/gardienne de la paix
Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)
- Officers in armed forces (1161)33,700 employed
- Clinical psychologists (2225)23,900 employed
- Other psychologists (2226)39,000 employed
Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.
Pay across Europe, for the whole group
Median annual earnings of all employees in “Technicians and associate professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.
| Country | Median pay |
|---|---|
| Belgium | €50,992 |
| Austria | €46,986 |
| Germany | €44,473 |
| Netherlands | €42,448 |
| Ireland | €41,613 |
| Sweden | €41,155 |
| Italy | €34,882 |
| France | €34,816 |
| Spain | €29,757 |
| Portugal | €18,080 |
| Poland | €12,108 |
Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.
Exposure to AI
This occupation sits in the middle third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of +0.23. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.
Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.
Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (33-3021).
Related careers
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