What are the two types of investigators?

The two main types of investigators are public (law enforcement) detectives and private investigators (PIs).

Public Detectives (Law Enforcement)

• Employer: Works for a government agency at the local, state, or federal level, such as a city police department or the FBI.
• Role: Investigates violations of criminal law, gathers evidence, interviews witnesses, and helps bring criminals to justice.
• Authority: Carries a badge and has the legal power to make arrests, execute warrants, and carry weapons.

Private Investigators

• Employer: Hired by private citizens, law firms, or businesses rather than the government.
• Role: Gathers information for personal, civil, or corporate matters, such as background checks, missing persons, or insurance fraud.
• Authority: Operates as a private citizen without a police badge, carrying no legal power to make arrests.

Investigators generally fall into two main categories: public law enforcement detectives and private investigators.

Public Law Enforcement Detectives

Public detectives work for government agencies and focus on solving crimes. They have the legal authority to make arrests and carry badges. Common types include:

• Homicide Detectives: Investigate suspicious deaths and murders by assessing crime scenes and interviewing witnesses.
• Cybercrime Detectives: Track online fraud, hacking, data theft, and digital harassment.
• Narcotics Detectives: Target illegal drug trafficking, distribution, and manufacturing.
• Cold Case Detectives: Reopen and re-examine unsolved violent crimes using new technology.
• Undercover Detectives: Adopt false identities to infiltrate criminal networks covertly.

Private Investigators (PIs)

Private investigators are hired by individuals, law firms, or corporations. They do not have police powers or arrest authority, but they specialize in gathering non-criminal or civil information. Common types include:

• Corporate Investigators: Look into internal theft, employee misconduct, or intellectual property leaks.
• Financial Investigators: Trace hidden assets, embezzlement, and complex money laundering schemes.
• Matrimonial Investigators: Handle sensitive domestic disputes, divorce proceedings, or infidelity suspicions.
• Insurance Fraud Investigators: Review suspicious injury or property claims to catch false payouts.
• Background Check Specialists: Verify personal histories, employment records, and credentials for pre-employment screening or dating verification.

Learn more about roles and career expectations from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

A detective is a sworn law enforcement officer who investigates crimes, whereas an investigator is a broader term that includes private citizens, corporate specialists, or civilian government workers who research facts.

Key Differences

• Employment and Roles:
  • Detectives work for government law enforcement agencies (like local police or federal departments).
  • Investigators can work in law enforcement (as criminal investigators), but the title often refers to private investigators (PIs) hired by individuals or private firms.
• Legal Authority:
  • Detectives carry a badge and have full police powers, including the legal authority to execute search warrants and make arrests.
  • Private investigators operate as private citizens. They do not have arrest powers and must hand any evidence of a crime over to the police.
• Types of Cases:
  • Detectives focus strictly on criminal cases such as homicides, robberies, and assaults.
  • Investigators often handle civil matters, corporate fraud, background checks, missing persons, or domestic disputes.
• Training and Background:
  • Detectives typically start as patrol officers and graduate from a police academy before promoting to a detective role.
  • Investigators usually need a state license and relevant training or background (such as in law enforcement, military, or legal research), but do not follow a police career path.

Investigations fall into several broad categories depending on the field, purpose, and who is conducting them.

Criminal Investigations

Law enforcement agencies conduct criminal investigations to determine if a law was broken, gather evidence, and identify suspects.

• Homicide and Violent Crime: Investigating unlawful killings, assaults, kidnappings, and gang violence.
• Cybercrimes: Handling online identity theft, ransomware, and network intrusions.
• Financial and Fraud Crimes: Uncovering white-collar crime, forgery, and embezzlement.

Civil and Legal Investigations

These support private disputes, lawsuits, or court procedures outside of criminal law enforcement.

• Personal and Family Law: Gathering evidence for child custody, divorce settlements, or infidelity claims.
• Background Checks: Uncovering a person or business's history, public records, and criminal background.
• Skip Tracing: Locating missing persons, witnesses, or debtors.

Workplace and Corporate Investigations

Employers use these internal processes to address misconduct or protect company assets.

• Employee Misconduct: Investigating claims of sexual harassment, discrimination, or policy violations.
• Internal Theft and Fraud: Auditing fraudulent workers' compensation claims or property theft.

Scientific Investigations

Researchers and scientists use these systematic methods to answer questions about the natural world.

• Descriptive: Observing and recording data without interference (e.g., tracking animal migration).
• Comparative: Collecting data to compare two or more subjects (e.g., comparing DNA samples).
• Experimental: Testing cause and effect by manipulating specific variables.

A police investigator is most commonly called a detective or a criminal investigator.

Common Titles

• Detective: A sworn police officer who wears plain clothes instead of a uniform and investigates serious crimes.
• Criminal Investigator: A title often used interchangeably with detective, though some agencies use it to describe specialized or civilian roles.
• Special Agent: The title used for investigators working at the federal level, such as with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

Key Differences in Roles

• Sworn vs. Civilian: Most traditional detectives are sworn law enforcement officers with arrest powers. Some modern departments also hire non-sworn civilian investigators for specific support tasks.
• Police vs. Private: Law enforcement detectives work for government agencies and can make arrests, while private investigators are hired by individuals or private companies and do not carry police badges or arrest authority.