How to Become a Court Investigator

If you have a passion for the law but you see yourself as being more of the detective type than the lawyer type, a career as a court investigator may be right for you. Many people find detective work to not only be fun but extremely rewarding as well. But can people really become a detective and get paid for it? You can if you want to be a court investigator. The type of investigations you would be working on would vary case by case. This means that there will always be a little something that is new or intriguing. You will never find yourself bored with such a career and because of that, you will most likely do very well in your work.

As a court investigator you could be performing people search tasks, conducting interviews, doing background checks, as well as all kinds of other research. The cases you could be working on could be for neglect cases, child abuse cases, guardianship cases, and inhumane animal treatment cases. Those cases are just a few of the types of cases that you will be working on. No matter what the exact nature of the case is, you will have to have a keen eye, the ability to pay strict attention, and have an easy time conducting a people search. The people search is extremely important because you could need to track down not only the people personally involved in the case, but also possibly obtain eye witness accounts.

The first thing in becoming a detective, or court investigator, is to make sure that you are comfortable with the level of responsibility that will be involved in the work. As a detective, or investigator, you play an extremely important role. You are a vital part in making sure that the welfare of the innocent is taken care of. If you fail at your job or do not take it seriously, a lot of helpless people, including children and animals, could be put in harm's way or not given justice for the harm that was done against them. The final decisions made by the courts are often made from the reports that are written by the detective or court investigator.
Once you have come to the realization that being a detective for the courts is something that you really want to do, it is time to get serious about your education. You will need at least a bachelor's degree in criminal justice. A master's degree would be better as it would be easier to find work and you will receive a much larger pay. If you already have your bachelor's degree you could start with that and work on getting the larger degree during the nights or weekends. You want to make sure that you are learning not just how to do a people search but also how to understand the laws and legislation that are currently in effect. It is also important that you understand that you are going to be responsible for keeping up on any and all changes with the law.

It is also vital to make sure that both your written and oral communication skills are top notch. You will also need to perfect your people skills if you want to have an easy time with the people search and with all of the other tasks that come along with being a detective for the court system. Since you will be working with a countless number of people you will need to make sure that you are able to make the most out of situations at all times.

If you would like, you could always obtain a law degree, as that could truly help you with your work as a detective. In some states, a law degree is required in order to work as a court detective and no other degrees will work. To make sure that you are setting yourself on the right path you will want to check with your local courthouse to determine what the typical education requirements are for being a court detective or investigator. Once you have everything you need in terms of qualifications you can begin checking the online postings for open court house detective positions or begin submitting your resume.