Criminal investigators are probably individuals who investigate crimes and other events for legal as well as official purposes too. These experts are professionally licensed yet they don’t work for a government agency like police officers do. Instead, they work for hire on behalf of private clients.
Criminal investigators can possibly end up using the results of their investigation in a criminal proceeding. These people can also help their client prove or disprove facts relating to a criminal allegation. So, let’s dive at some steps to becoming a criminal investigator.
Experience or Undergraduate Degree
Most states have several ways for an investigator to meet their education or experience requirement. They may allow former military or law enforcement officers to meet the requirement automatically. Many states also allow parole and probation officer to use their work experience to meet minimum requirements.
But if a candidate doesn’t have former military or law enforcement experience, they can usually apprentice for criminal investigator. The apprentice period typically runs between two or three years. Alternatively, some states allow a candidate to substitute a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice field for the experience requirement.
Getting your License
In most countries, a license for criminal investigations is simply known as a private investigator’s license. It’s the state itself that process the applications and maintains a database of licensees. So, to learn how to submit your application you can possibly look at your state’s informational website.
The web page for your state should have a checklist for the information you need to gather and where to submit the information for processing. You’ll also need to submit an application form, a copy of your criminal history and other documents to prove your qualifications. It’s the state’s licensing board that usually processes your application and makes a decision about whether to approve it or not.
Bonding Requirement
Most states always require a person to get a bond in order to effectively work in criminal investigations. To get a bond, you ought to pay a small amount of money to a company. In return, the company agrees to pay a certain amount of money if you don’t abide by the terms of your state license.
The bond isn’t an insurance policy for you. Instead, it’s for the benefit of the public. If you don’t do your job properly, the bond ensures that the public doesn’t suffer as a result. Actually,there are many private companies that offer bonds for individuals seeking their criminal investigation license.