Detective

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"Gumshoe" redirects here. For the NES video game, see Gumshoe (video game).

A detective (also commonly called a dick or gumshoe) is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. Private detectives usually operate commercially and are licensed. They may be known as private investigators (P.I.s or "private eyes"). Informally, and primarily in fiction, a detective is any unlicensed person who solves crimes, including historical crimes, or looks into records.

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[edit] Detective as a designator of rank or status

In some police departments, primarily in North America, Detective can be the lowest rank among investigators (above the lowest rank of officers and below Sergeant). Some departments have distinct levels of detectives, depending on their experiences and skills. New York City Police Department and Los Angeles Police Department, for example, both have three grades, 3rd being lowest. The pay difference between 3rd and first is quite significant, but the duties and resposibilities are identical for all 3 grades. Officer. Most larger police departments have rank structures for their investigators that parallel the "street" police, such as Detective Sergeant and Detective Lieutenant. The 33rd Detective squad, in NYC's Washington Heights is known throughout the country as the most knowledgable Detectives to wear a gold shield, however the Detectives of the NYPD Crime Scene Unit (which conducts the forensic investigation for all homicides in NYC) are considered the best overall Detectives in the department.

In the British police, "Detective" is used as a prefix before all ranks in the Criminal Investigation Department and Special Branch from Constable to Chief Superintendent. Detective Constables do not outrank uniformed Constables, however. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Detective Constables were usually referred to simply as "Detective", but this is no longer the case. Many Commonwealth countries also use the prefix.

[edit] Detectives and their work

[edit] Becoming a Detective

In most American police departments, a candidate for detective must have served as a uniformed officer for a period of one to five years before becoming qualified for the position. It is most often an appointed position, rather than a position achieved by passing a written type of test. Prospective British police detectives must have completed at least two years as a uniformed officer before applying to join the Criminal Investigation Department. In many other European police systems, most detectives are university graduates who join directly from civilian life without first serving as uniformed officers. Some people argue that detectives do a completely different job and therefore require completely different training, qualifications, qualities and abilities. The opposing argument is that without previous service as a uniformed patrol officer a detective cannot have a great enough command of standard police procedures and problems and will find it difficult to work with uniformed colleagues.

In addition, in some US police departments, policies exist that limit the term that an officer may serve continuously as a detective, and mandate that detectives must regularly return to patrol duties for a minimum period of time. This is based upon a perception that the most important and essential police work is accomplished on patrol, and that the skills, experience and familiarity with their beats that patrol officers maintain are essential for detectives to maintain as well. Investigations, by contrast, often take weeks or months to complete, during which time detectives may spend much of their time away from the streets. In this thinking, rotating officers also promotes cross-training in a wider variety of skills, producing both better detectives and uniformed officers. Such policies also serve to prevent "cliques" within detective bureaus that can contribute to corruption or other unethical behavior.

Detectives obtain their position by competitive examination, covering such subjects as:

  • Principles, practices and procedures of investigations
  • Principles, practices and procedures of interviewing and interrogation
  • Local criminal law and procedures
  • Applicable law governing arrests, search and seizures, warrants and evidence
  • Police department records and reports
  • Principles, practices and objectives of courtroom testimony
  • Police department methods and procedures

Private detectives are licensed by the state in which they live after passing a competitive examination and a criminal background check. Some states, such as Maryland, require a period of classroom training as well.

[edit] Organization of detectives

The detective branch in most larger police agencies is organized into several squads or departments, each of which specializes in investigation into a particular type of crime or a particular type of undercover operation, which may include:

[edit] Techniques of detectives

[edit] Street work

Detectives have a wide variety of techniques available in conducting investigations. However, the majority of cases are solved by the interrogation of suspects and the interviewing of witnesses, which takes time. Besides interrogations, detectives may rely on a network of informants they have cultivated over the years. Informants often have connections with persons a detective would not be able to approach formally. Evidence collection and preservation can also help in identifying a potential suspect(s).

In criminal investigations, once a detective has a suspect or suspects in mind, the next step is to produce evidence that will stand up in a court of law. The best way is to obtain a confession from the suspect, usually this is done by developing rapport and at times by seeking information in exchange for potential perks available through the District Attorney's Office. Such as plea bargain for a lesser sentence in exchange for usable information. A detective may lie, mislead and psychologically pressure a suspect into an admission or confession as long as he does this within procedural boundaries and without the threat of violence or promises outside their control. In the United States suspects may invoke their Miranda rights and refuse to answer any investigative questions until they consult with an attorney.

[edit] Forensic evidence

Physical forensic evidence in an investigation may provide leads to closing a case.

Forensic science (often shortened to forensics) is the application of a broad spectrum of sciences to answer questions of interest to the legal system. This may be in relation to a crime or to a civil action. The use of the term "forensics" in place of "forensic science" could be considered incorrect; the term "forensic" is effectively a synonym for "legal" or "related to courts" (from Latin, it means "before the forum"). However, it is now so closely associated with the scientific field that many dictionaries include the meaning given here.

Many major police departments in a city, county, or state, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, maintain their own forensic laboratories.

[edit] Records investigation

Detectives may use public and private records to provide background information on a subject. These include:

  • Fingerprint records. In the United States, the FBI maintains records of people who have committed felonies and some misdemeanors, all persons who have applied for a Federal security clearance, and all persons who have served in the U.S. armed forces
  • Records of criminal arrests and convictions
  • Photographs or mug shots, of persons arrested
  • Motor vehicle records
  • Credit card records and bank statements
  • Hotel registration cards
  • Credit reports
  • Answer machine messages

[edit] Court testimony

Unless a plea bargain forestalls the need for a trial, detectives must testify in court about their investigation. They must seem reliable and credible to a jury, and must not give the impression of personal vindictiveness or cruelty. A detective's background often comes into question in courtroom testimony. A famous example came in the murder trial of O.J. Simpson, when Detective Mark Fuhrman of the Los Angeles Police Department testified for the prosecution. Attorney F. Lee Bailey first asked Fuhrman if he had ever used the "n-word" (see Nigger) Fuhrman denied this. In court, Bailey produced taped interviews with Fuhrman using this offensive word.

[edit] Origin of Slang Term

[edit] Gumshoe

The original gumshoes of the late 1800's were shoes or boots that were made with gum rubber. These were the early versions of what we know today as "sneakers". The rubber soles of these shoes were much less noisy than the traditional leather soles, and the term "to gumshoe" was coined to mean "sneak around quietly", as if wearing such shoes on ones feet. The sneaking may have been in order to rob, or conversely, in order to catch such a robber. The term "Gumshoe Man" was originally a reference to a sneak thief, but somewhere around 1908 the term "gumshoe" came to be a reference to a police detective.

[edit] Famous fictional detectives

The detective story has been a popular genre in books, radio, television, and movies since the early 19th century. In many police drama series, detectives are depicted as being something of an elite, with most uniformed police officers deferring to them. Most famous fictional government detectives work for local or regional agencies.

Element of detective work are also featured in famous "federal" characters, such as Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan and Ian Fleming's James Bond. (The first two Bond film adaptations featured more investigative work than their successors.)

[edit] Police detectives

[edit] Private detectives

See Detective fiction and Crime fiction for more details.

[edit] See also

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