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Criminal investigator skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

5 min read

Quoted experts

Gary LaFree,

Daryl Clemens

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical criminal investigator skills. We ranked the top skills for criminal investigators based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 13.1% of criminal investigator resumes contained investigative reports as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a criminal investigator needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 criminal investigator skills for your resume and career

1. Investigative Reports

Investigative report are used in court to find facts, document certain subjects, to recover important records, or to recover certain file forms.

Here's how criminal investigators use investigative reports:

Authored federal criminal investigative reports, facility threat assessments, intelligence information reports, intelligence assessments, and protective detail reports.
Prepared complex criminal investigative reports for various criminal justice agencies, ensuring full compliance with agency requirements and tight deadlines.

2. Resourcefulness

Here's how criminal investigators use resourcefulness:

Applied resourcefulness, initiative and on-the-spot inference to develop new avenues for further fact-finding.

3. Firearms

A firearm is a type of weapon or device used by police, uniformed personnel or other related professional for security and protection purposes. This lethal and destructive weapon can often shoot bullet or missiles. A firearm usually consists of a chamber or barrel, frame body, breech bolt, and a magazine.

Here's how criminal investigators use firearms:

Conducted investigations of violations relating to Federal firearm laws, explosives, arson, and alcohol and tobacco diversion.
Traveled to gun shows for the Firearm Purchase Program to do criminal history checks on gun buyers.

4. Treasury

Here's how criminal investigators use treasury:

Document findings via Suspicions Activity Report summaries for submission to the Department of Treasury s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network.
Collaborate with Office of Chief Counsel, business units, and Treasury to develop legislative proposals.

5. Investigative Techniques

Here's how criminal investigators use investigative techniques:

Conducted criminal investigations of local, state and federal law violations using a variety of investigative techniques and undercover operations.
Served as Field Training Officer to new Investigators teaching fundamental investigative techniques as well as evaluating the new Investigators performance.

6. IRS

IRS stands for internal revenue services. It helps many compliant taxpayers become conversant with the law regarding taxes; it ensures the minority who refuse to comply with paying taxes pay the required amount.

Here's how criminal investigators use irs:

Prepared and served IRS Administrative Summonses and Grand Jury Subpoenas to obtain books, records, and statements.
Assigned to FBI, DEA, IRS, INS, and ATF Task Forces.

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7. Financial Crimes

Financial crime is any crime committed by or against a person in connection with money or financial services or markets that results in financial loss. In addition, it includes any crime against property that involves the illegal conversion of the property for personal use and benefit.

Here's how criminal investigators use financial crimes:

Support law enforcement investigations of terrorist financing, money laundering, and other significant financial crimes.
Assigned to a variety of investigations centered around significant violent, property and financial crimes.

8. Domestic Violence

Domestic violence is a pattern of violent, intimidating, or abusive behavior in any relationship committed by someone within the victim's circle - partner, ex-partner, parents, family, and friends, to gain or maintain power and control over the victim. This can be emotional, sexual, social, financial, economic, psychological, spiritual, and/or physical abuse.

Here's how criminal investigators use domestic violence:

Investigated 600+ criminal cases including homicide, white-collar fraud, immigration violations, burglary, sexual assault, and domestic violence.
Investigated a variety of crimes, including financial fraud, assault, theft, burglary, armed robbery and domestic violence.

9. Physical Evidence

Here's how criminal investigators use physical evidence:

Developed, secured, and packaged physical evidence for evaluation and comparison.
Contributed to identifying, processing, and recovering physical evidence during investigations.

10. Arrest Warrants

An arrest warrant іѕ a lеgаl оrdеr signed аnd іѕѕuеd bу a judgе or mаgіѕtrаtе thаt allows оffісеrѕ to аrrеѕt thе person(s) nаmеd in thе wаrrаnt іn rеlаtіоn criminal proceedings. Tо оbtаіn аn аrrеѕt wаrrаnt, оffісеrѕ must соnvіnсе a judge thаt рrоbаblе саuѕе -- a rеаѕоnаblе suspicion bаѕеd оn facts еxіѕtѕ fоr the аrrеѕt.

Here's how criminal investigators use arrest warrants:

Authored numerous arrest warrants, arrest affidavits, search warrant applications and operational plans in furtherance of criminal investigations.
Conducted background investigations, executed search and arrest warrants, and investigated juvenile status offenses.

11. Background Checks

Here's how criminal investigators use background checks:

Collaborated with international law enforcement and intelligence agencies to conduct security background checks of incoming non-base personnel.
Investigate state/national criminal background checks and administer urinary and hair follicle drug testing.

12. Law Enforcement Agencies

Here's how criminal investigators use law enforcement agencies:

Worked closely and participated in liaison activities with officials and employees of educational institutions and local and federal law enforcement agencies.
Assisted other Federal, State and municipal law enforcement agencies by exchanging information, and assisting select agencies in actual investigations.

13. Criminal Prosecution

Here's how criminal investigators use criminal prosecution:

Document, compile information and evidence to create detailed reports for criminal prosecution and courtroom testimony.
Conduct field investigations or investigations of financial fraud preliminary to civil litigation or criminal prosecution.

14. Federal Agencies

Federal agencies are specialized departments of government set up by the government to perform specific duties. They can have responsibilities such as management of resources, overlooking of financial position of industries, national security issues, and so on.

Here's how criminal investigators use federal agencies:

Conduct extensive surveillance, execute search warrants & assist Local/State and/or Federal agencies with drug related and other criminal investigations.
Prepared detailed and complex Investigative and administrative reports * Conducted liaison operations with local, state and federal agencies.

15. Subpoenas

Subpoenas are formal and legal documents issued mostly by a court or some other government agency that demands the presence of the person the document is addressed to, to show up at court. Subpoenas are issued to individuals whom the court wants to appear either as a witness in a particular case in order to testify or to provide any evidence such as an object or a document.

Here's how criminal investigators use subpoenas:

Examined discovery, prepared subpoenas, and reviewed pertinent documents.
Serve subpoenas and participate in trial preparation and courtroom testimony.

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What skills help Criminal Investigators find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What criminal investigator skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Gary LaFree

Chair and Professor, University of Maryland

In criminology, having statistical skills is very useful for either an academic career or a research career. Researchers in police departments are getting increasingly sophisticated. Many criminology positions, both in academia and in the private sector, also depend on statistical training.

What type of skills will young criminal investigators need?

Daryl Clemens

President & Chairman of the Board, International Crime Scene Investigators Association

Primary skills for Crime Scene Investigation are: Photography, Fingerprint Processing, and the ability to sketch and measure a scene - think a floorplan or landscape diagram, not an artistic sketch. DNA is important, but DNA collection is dead simple.

Do you want to know more?

List of criminal investigator skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a criminal investigator resume and required skills for a criminal investigator to have include:

Investigative Reports
Resourcefulness
Firearms
Treasury
Investigative Techniques
IRS
Financial Crimes
Domestic Violence
Physical Evidence
Arrest Warrants
Background Checks
Law Enforcement Agencies
Criminal Prosecution
Federal Agencies
Subpoenas
Prosecutions
Patrol

Fraud Investigations
Criminal Cases
Criminal Justice
Criminal Violations
Secret Service
Crime Scene Processing
Local Law Enforcement
Grand Jury
Administrative Investigations
Homicide
Undercover Operations
Background Investigations
Child Abuse
Interview Witnesses
ATF
Public Corruption
Local Agencies

Administrative Hearings
Sexual Assault
DOD
Medicaid
DEA
Court Proceedings
Criminal Acts
Court Orders
Police Reports
Criminal Investigations
Criminal Intelligence
Federal Bureau
NCIC
Management System
Ammunition
Evidence Collection

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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