what is the difference between a district attorney investigator and a detective

by Lisandro Spencer 4 min read

District attorney's investigators are not private detectives but law enforcement officers who work for the district attorney directly rather than the police department. They perform many of the same investigative duties as police detectives, and they can also be called upon to testify at trial.

A district attorney investigator carries out investigations under the jurisdiction of the district attorney's office. District attorney investigators investigate felony and misdemeanor offenses. Also known as a county detective in some states.

Full Answer

What is the difference between a detective and a criminal investigator?

Aug 06, 2021 · Typically, detectives work on cases involving homicides and felonies, while criminal investigators work on a range of criminal and civil cases, such as fraud and missing persons. There is a more significant difference between detectives and private investigators. A detective is employed by a law enforcement agency, such as a city police department.

What does a district attorney's investigator do?

Investigators tend to be freelancers who work for themselves. So they are paid on a case by case basis, as opposed to detectives who receive a regular salaried check every week. While being a detective is more steady pay, it’s possible to make much higher than the detective median salary as an investigator, depending on the clients.

Does the district attorney's office have its own detectives?

The principal difference between these two careers is simply the type of cases they investigate. Detectives usually handle homicide and missing persons cases, while investigators might conduct an investigation on anything from fraud to terrorism.

What is the difference between a pi and a detective?

An investigator is the person who looks into some kind of a puzzling or criminal matter. This is more of a generic term as even a detective is an investigator. The word PI (Private Investigator) is reserved for investigators from private organizations. Investigators are persons whose services are mostly sought in cases of missing persons.

Is investigator and detective same?

The principal difference between these two careers is simply the type of cases they investigate. Detectives usually handle homicide and missing persons cases, while investigators might conduct an investigation on anything from fraud to terrorism.

What is the difference between a criminal investigator and a detective?

Both criminal investigators and detectives work for law enforcement agencies. Typically, detectives work on cases involving homicides and felonies, while criminal investigators work on a range of criminal and civil cases, such as fraud and missing persons.Aug 6, 2021

What does an investigator or a detective do?

A detective is an investigator, usually a member of a law enforcement agency. They often collect information to solve crimes by talking to witnesses and informants, collecting physical evidence, or searching records in databases. This leads them to arrest criminals and enable them to be convicted in court.

How much does a criminal investigator make?

How much does a Criminal Investigator make in the United States? The average Criminal Investigator salary in the United States is $72,765 as of March 29, 2022, but the range typically falls between $54,578 and $80,315.

What's the difference between a private investigator and a private detective?

The terms “private investigator” and “private detective” are often used interchangeably. In fact, there is absolutely no difference between a private investigator and a private detective.

What does a PI do?

Private detectives and investigators search for information about legal, financial, and personal matters. They offer many services, such as verifying people's backgrounds and statements, finding missing persons, and investigating computer crimes.Sep 8, 2021

How many years does it take to be a detective?

While the path towards becoming a police detective may vary, generally, after obtaining a high school diploma or GED, it can take anywhere from five to eight years to be promoted from a police officer to a detective.

What's the difference between detective and agent?

Special agents and detectives are both criminal investigators but the main difference between them is their jurisdiction. A special agent with the United States government has jurisdiction over federal crimes that occurred within the United States or its territories.

What is the difference between a detective and an investigator?

Here are four key differences between investigators and detectives: 1. Types of cases. Investigators are hired by a client. They tend to investigate financial issues, matrimonial cases, civil suits, or background checks. Investigators can also specialize in corporate or financial investigations.

What are the roles of a detective and an investigator?

Investigators and detectives do share commonalities, since they both solve crimes in similar ways, including: collecting evidence. interviewing witnesses. observing suspects.

How long does it take to become a police officer?

Training. Detectives must be in law enforcement on active patrol duty for at least 3 years before . To become a police officer, typically departments require a high school diploma and training at a police academy. Degrees in criminal justice are encouraged.

Is detective a career advancement?

While investigators have similar backgrounds to members of law enforcement, their career trajectory is very different. Detective is a career advancement opportunity that tends to only be offered internally to current law enforcement officials within a department.

Which states do not require private investigators to be licensed?

At this time, only 5 states in the US don’t require investigators to be licensed at the state level: Alaska, Idaho, Mississippi, South Dakota and Wyoming.

Is it possible to make more money as a detective?

While being a detective is more steady pay, it’s possible to make much higher than the detective median salary as an investigator, depending on the clients. As an investigator there is the freedom to pick your clients and shape your career in a way that isn’t possible as a detective. Conclusion.

Do you need a license to be a detective?

Because they have already been trained, vetted, and hired by law enforcement officials, detectives don’t need to be licensed. 4.

What are the duties of a criminal investigator?

In law enforcement, criminal investigators and detectives perform similar duties, such as overseeing the crime scene, gathering evidence and witnesses, and coordinating efforts.

Is a private investigator the same as a detective?

Are Investigators the Same as Detectives? A private investigator and private detective are the same thing, and a criminal investigator is similar to a criminal detective. In the case of the former, their duties are often the same, and it is simply a person’s choice as to whether they call themselves a private detective or investigator.

What is the difference between an investigator and a detective?

At cursory glance, one can see that a detective is a sort of a rank in an organization, whereas an investigator on a particular case may or may not be the permanent detective of the organization. Whatever the difference, the scene is certainly not what is shown in TV serials or novels with a detective or investigator typically dealing with dozens of cases at a time, and not dealing with a single case 24 hours a day. Coming back to the topic, detective may be just an assignment or a rank in the organization while investigator is always a generic term. There are many more differences that will be talked about in this article.

What is an investigator?

An investigator is the person who looks into some kind of a puzzling or criminal matter. This is more of a generic term as even a detective is an investigator. The word PI (Private Investigator) is reserved for investigators from private organizations.

Why do insurance companies hire detectives?

Insurance companies also hire the services of detectives when they are faced with huge claims that look suspicious to them.

How many years of uniform do you need to be a police officer?

First of all, they have to have completed at least two years in uniform as a police officer.

Is a detective a rank?

At cursory glance, one can see that a detective is a sort of a rank in an organization, whereas an investigator on a particular case may or may not be the permanent detective of the organization.

What are the duties of a district attorney?

District Attorney Investigator Responsibilities: 1 Investigating cases assigned by district attorney independently or as part of a team. 2 Collaborating with district attorney's office attorneys to evaluate and prepare cases for court. 3 Documenting, reviewing and assessing information. 4 Serving subpoenas, show cause orders and summonses, executing search and arrest warrants, and locating witnesses. 5 Arranging extradition of relevant parties. 6 Interviewing, questioning and taking statements from suspects and witnesses. 7 Preparing, reviewing, evaluating reports. 8 Advising Chief District Attorney Investigator on course of action. 9 Delivering testimony in court. 10 Collaborating with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies. 11 Representing District Attorney's Office in meetings and at conferences.

What is a district attorney investigator?

A district attorney investigator carries out investigations under the jurisdiction of the district attorney's office. District attorney investigators investigate felony and misdemeanor offenses. Also known as a county detective in some states.

What is a district attorney investigator?

District Attorney investigators are police officers who investigate frauds, official corruption, organized crime, and other criminal matters for the Investigation and Trial Divisions. Among the areas of responsibility are conducting in-house lineups; maintaining a NYSPIN Intelligence Computer Terminal for records checks; maintaining all electronic surveillance orders, recording and videotapes; and handling office security.

What is a DA investigator?

In CA, District Attorney Investigators are peace officers (not attorneys), that conduct investigations initiated by the DA's office (ie: political corruption) or follow-ups on cases that have already been filed by police agencies but don't have one of their investigators available afterword. In Los Angeles County, most of the DA investigators have transferred to that agency from the Sheriff's department or have retired from other local police agencies.

Why do defense detectives interview witnesses?

Defense detectives also interview prosecution witnesses to find out if their stories are consistent, and they seek out other witnesses who may have alternative accounts of what happened. Any inconsistency with the evidence presented by the prosecution becomes a key piece of evidence for the defense.

What is the role of a detective in a criminal trial?

What Is a Detective's Role in a Trial? In any given criminal trial, three different sets of investigators may be involved at the same time. Defense investigators work to flesh out evidence for defense attorneys. Police detectives, along with a district attorney's investigators, work to support the prosecution of a case.

What does a defense investigator do?

Defense investigators work to flesh out evidence for defense attorneys. Police detectives, along with a district attorney's investigators, work to support the prosecution of a case. All of these investigators may be asked to testify at trial.

What happens when a detective is charged with a crime?

Once they determine that a suspect can be charged with the crime, police detectives gather enough evidence to support a successful prosecution. Once the trial begins, the police detective presents the evidence to the jury under cross-examination from both the prosecutor and the defense attorney.

What is the first detective?

The first detectives to be involved in a criminal case are usually police detectives. Police detectives may be general investigators in charge of investigating many different types of crimes, homicide detectives in charge of murder investigations, drug investigators or financial crimes investigators. All types of police detectives interview ...

How many books has Scott Thompson written?

Scott Thompson has been writing professionally since 1990, beginning with the "Pequawket Valley News.". He is the author of nine published books on topics such as history, martial arts, poetry and fantasy fiction. His work has also appeared in "Talebones" magazine and the "Strange Pleasures" anthology.

Can a district attorney be a detective?

Once criminal charges are brought to the district attorney, the district attorney's office may bring its own detectives onto the case. District attorney's investigators are not private detectives but law enforcement officers who work for the district attorney directly rather than the police department. They perform many of the same investigative duties as police detectives, and they can also be called upon to testify at trial. Just like police detectives, they are subjected to cross-examination by the defense.

What is the federal nexus?

In order for a special agent to investigate and charge someone with a federal crime, the crime has to have what is called a federal nexus. The term nexus means a connection or link between things. In the case of a bank robbery, the federal nexus would relate to the federally insured funds that were stolen. Typically, if there isn’t ...

What is the difference between a detective and a special agent?

A special agent with the United States government has jurisdiction over federal crimes that occurred within the United States or its territories. A detective on the other hand works for a local or state government agency and has jurisdiction over crimes that occurred within the specific boundaries of the agency that they work for.

What do local police do when a robbery is a crime?

Once it’s determined that it is an actual robbery, those local detectives will notify the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) who will respond to the scene and assist in the investigation.

What do detectives do?

As a detective you will work all kinds of different cases. One day you could be working a case involving identity theft and the next day be working a case involving a homicide. Every day is different and you never know what you will be investigating next. Camaraderie.

How much does a detective make?

How much money you make as a detective will vary greatly based on where you live and what agency you work for, but the average annual wage for a police officer is $67,600 according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics . Here’s an article in Forbes about how much police officers earn in every state.

What is the law on bank robbery?

Quick Fact: The federal bank robbery act of 1934, 18 U.S. Code 2113, made it a federal offense for someone to take or attempt to take by force and violence , or by intimidation, anything of value from a bank. That’s the law in layman’s terms, but you can read the law for yourself on the Cornell Law School website.

What happens if someone robs a bank?

Someone robs a bank and runs off with cash. The bank employees call 911 and local police officers arrive. Those local police officers will secure the scene, take initial statements from witnesses and notify the robbery detectives.

What is the most complex jurisdiction in the world?

New York City is one of the most complex jurisdictions in the world and the type of cases DA Investigators are called upon to work reflect that complex nature. Today it is common for an investigator to be involved in cases ranging from international banking fraud, terrorism, major narcotics trafficking…. Read more.

When will the DIA contract end?

I am writing to inform you that the Detective Investigators Association (“DIA”) and the City of New York (“City”) reached agreement on a contract for the 43-month period spanning June 19, 2019 – January 18, 2023.