Day in the life
A Day in the Life of a Detective
What detectives actually do from the start of a shift to the end: the tasks, tools, schedule and realities of the job.
Review overnight reports and new burglary cases assigned to you. From there, the day usually includes investigate crimes and review case reports, process scenes and collect evidence, and interview victims, witnesses and suspects. Detectives often work long, irregular hours, including on-call duty for major cases.
Hour by hour: a typical shift
No two days are identical, but this timeline reflects a realistic day for a detective working full time.
- Review overnight reports and new burglary cases assigned to you.
- Visit a victim to get a statement and list of stolen items.
- Collect surveillance video from nearby businesses.
- Run pawn shop records for stolen items.
- Write a search warrant for a suspect’s phone records.
- Interview a suspect with a partner.
- Update case files and brief the sergeant.
Where detectives work
Detectives work in offices, in the field, at crime scenes and in court, sometimes in dangerous situations.
Hours and schedule
Detectives often work long, irregular hours, including on-call duty for major cases.
Tasks you’ll do most often
- Investigate crimes and review case reports
- Process scenes and collect evidence
- Interview victims, witnesses and suspects
- Write search and arrest warrants
- Analyze records, video and digital evidence
- Work with prosecutors on cases
- Testify in court
Tools you’ll use every day
- Case management systems
- Evidence kits
- Cameras and video tools
- Databases and records systems
- Digital forensics tools
- Body-worn and interview recording systems
The best and hardest parts of the job
What people like
- Challenging, meaningful work
- Respected role
- Good pay and benefits
- Variety of cases
What’s hard
- Long, irregular hours
- Emotional and traumatic cases
- Heavy caseloads
- Requires years of patrol experience first
You’ll likely thrive if…
- I love solving puzzles
- I’m persistent
- I can talk with all kinds of people
- I write clearly
- I can handle difficult cases
- I want to advance in law enforcement
Not sure? Take the free Detective fit quiz or the Career Match Quiz.
Staying safe on the job
- Plan for officer safety during contacts
- Follow evidence safety for biohazards and drugs
- Use peer support for traumatic cases
- Follow legal procedures to protect cases