What is it like to be a detective? (Real Ones Please)?

Being a detective is a great job, I have done it for about 30 years. I did over 12 years as a homicide detective, and I supervised a crime scene unit. Unfortunately, none of the shows you mentioned (or any of the other ones on TV) are very realistic. In fact, Star Trek is more realistic than TV police shows.

Years back, there was TV comedy show called Barney Miller, about a squad of NYPD detectives. It was the MOST realistic police show I ever saw on TV (and it was a comedy). NYPD blue, a drama that has been off the air for a few years, was very realistic in the first few seasons, but after that, it too went "Hollywood." NCIS, Castle and CSI are fun shows, but not one bit like real life.

To be a detective, you start out as a uniformed police officer. I was a uniformed officer for many, many years. And I was a good street cop. I enjoyed patrol work. I got to save lives, chase bad guys and interact with the community on a one to one level every single day. I got to know who was good, who was bad, and who just getting by.

When I became a detective, I worked general investigations. I investigated burglaries, and robberies and auto thefts and harrasing phone calls and everything else under the sun. I worked lots of exciting cases, but lots of boring, dead-end cases too. I solved all sorts of crimes, and recovered thousands of Dollars worth of stolen goods and returned them to the rightful owner. I arrested hundreds of bad folks,and followed their caese through the Court system. Detectives do LOTS of paper work, and complete detailed reports on every phase of an investigation.

I investigated the backgrounds of police applicants and public officials. I worked with the FBI, ATF, DEA and detectives from many different states and cities. I leraned how to do crime scene porcessing and became an expert in several different forensic skills. I supervised a crime scene unit, and spent 12 years as a Homicide detective and sent murderers to death row, and brought closure to dozens of grieving familiies. I worked cases that spannned states and even countries.

As a detective, I have had a front row seat to the greatest show on earth. I have seen every kind of nut case, whacko and crazy. I have seen millionaires and 5th generation welfare recipients in the same light, like no one else can. I have arrested bad cops, bad ministers, bad doctors and bad politicians. I have made a thousand friends (and a thousand enemies).

But, there is a big price. Not every case can get solved quickly. Urgent cases like murders often cause detectives to work many hours beyond their shifts. And Court appearances can't be avoided, so it is not unusual to work a night shift, stay all night on a homicide, and the be in Court at 9 AM. Detectives (especially in Homicide) make LOTS of overtime, so the money is real good. But, I missed years and years of spending time with my children. I worked on Hiolidays and birthdays and anniversaries. I left parties and dinners and school functions and movies to go to work. I sacrificed years of time to the job.

I have seen beaten, abused and murdered babies. I have seen victims of torture. I have seen burned, smashed and exploded bodies and the evil people who put them in that condition. I have sorted through the goo that used to be a body to find critical peices of evidence. I have been punched, kicked, spit on, bitten and shot at and attacked with knives.

Being a detective is a good job. It is possible to make very good money (I routinely make 6 figures - that includes overtime). You get to travel, meet interesting people and do things that uniformed officers would never dream of. But, you lose immense amounts of family time, you see the most horrible things imaginable and often deal with the most evil people alive.

It has extreme benefits, and extreme negatives. And none of it is like TV.

What Is A Detective

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RE:

What is it like to be a detective? (Real Ones Please)?

I really want to be a detective when I get older. I love NCIS, Castle, CSI, and shows like that, I know they aren't real and nothing is ever that "glamorous" (As my dad puts it). Also, I think I would be good at it. I want to become one because well get criminals out of the streets,...

detective real

It's boring. Lot's of paperwork, which they don't show on tv. Many people end up in detectives as a promotion or because they have school age children and the hours work better for them. The big difference is self satisfaction. On patrol, you are first in and deal directly with the bad guys (hopefully). If you catch them, case closed. Detectives come in after the fact when you didn't catch them and they retrieve store surveillence, evidence, witness statements, etc....and, if they get enough information, they can close a case. This allows the patrol officer to get back on the streets and answer other calls instead of spending excessive time on one case.

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