Detective.. Private Investigator? Help please

[bronxkid7]

ok so right now im a junior in high school from new york city.

i want to get into criminal justice and next year i will be applying for john jay. i want a career where i have to undercover at times , gather clues and recognize if the criminal is lying or not..and be able to make arrests on the spot. I know this friend who gets hired by companies or people at times. He had this one mission where he had to act like he was working in a store because the employees in that company were known to be stealing the money.

can you list some of the careers that relate to what i want? thanks

[Kimble]

Your question seems to have nothing to do with federal LE, so I'm moving this to a more appropriate area.

Sounds like your buddy works in loss prevention. If that's what you want, look for jobs in that field with large companies (ex: department stores).

[bronxkid7]

he told me he was a private investigator. can some one explain to me the difference between detective and private investigator. i don't want to do homicide or nothing to do with dead bodies.

[Citicop]

Detectives work for police departments and other government agencies and investigate crimes in their assigned geographical regions.

Private investigators work for themselves and investigate whatever people will pay them to investigate... cheating spouses, industrial spying, and other civil type cases are all typical.

Note: People usually hire private investigators based on training and reputation. It can take a very long time to build that if you have no prior investigating experience.

[bronxkid7]

so you think the best way to get started is to get my degree then join the police form?

[bronxkid7]

so you think the best way to get started is to get my degree then join the police force?

typo

[Citicop]

That's a fantastic way to learn investigations.