Internal affairs investigator vs investigator

The differences between internal affairs investigators and investigators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become an internal affairs investigator, becoming an investigator takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, an investigator has an average salary of $71,406, which is higher than the $54,189 average annual salary of an internal affairs investigator.

The top three skills for an internal affairs investigator include patrol, background checks and conduct interviews. The most important skills for an investigator are law enforcement agencies, management system, and customer service.

Internal affairs investigator vs investigator overview

	Internal Affairs Investigator	Investigator
Yearly salary	$54,189	$71,406
Hourly rate	$26.05	$34.33
Growth rate	3%	6%
Number of jobs	15,880	5,085
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	2	6

What does an internal affairs investigator do?

An internal affairs investigator is responsible for investigating an alleged violation committed by a person or company, such as misuse of funds, misconduct, corruption among company officials, or other concerns involving employees and staff. They also monitor wrongful accusations. Other duties include writing investigative data and reports, conducting interrogations and interviews with all parties involved in an accusation, and providing testimony.

What does an investigator do?

Criminal investigators play an essential role in criminal justice and law enforcement. Their job entails solving open cases that may take them weeks or even months to accomplish. Collecting evidence, interviewing witnesses, and arresting suspects are among their many tasks. They work at every level of criminal justice and law enforcement. For criminal investigators to succeed in their profession, they should have sound judgment, strong communication skills, ethical standards, physical fitness, and empathy. They also benefit from strong job prospects, in addition to an exciting and rewarding job.

Internal affairs investigator vs investigator salary

Internal affairs investigators and investigators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Internal Affairs Investigator	Investigator
Average salary	$54,189	$71,406
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $115,000	Between $42,000 And $119,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Maryland	California
Best paying company	Amazon	Apple
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between internal affairs investigator and investigator education

There are a few differences between an internal affairs investigator and an investigator in terms of educational background:

	Internal Affairs Investigator	Investigator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	-	California State University - Bakersfield

Internal affairs investigator vs investigator demographics

Here are the differences between internal affairs investigators' and investigators' demographics:

	Internal Affairs Investigator	Investigator
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 72.0% Female, 28.0%	Male, 56.6% Female, 43.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 16.7% Asian, 2.8% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 13.5% Unknown, 5.8% Hispanic or Latino, 19.2% Asian, 4.7% White, 56.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	8%

Differences between internal affairs investigator and investigator duties and responsibilities

Internal affairs investigator example responsibilities.

Receive multiple letters of commendation for effective investigations that lead to successful prosecutions.
Deploy technical surveillance (CCTV) to protect corporate proprietary information and assets.
Used exception reports, CCTV and interview to determine loss and make decision on resolution of the case.
Testify at criminal, civil, administration, arbitration and/or deposition hearings.
Investigate and open cases on customers and non-customers who have potentially engage in activity which goes against federally mandate BSA/AML regulations.
Conduct extensive research and case file preparation for due process hearings such as pre-disciplinary conferences and arbitrations.

Investigator example responsibilities.

Participate in and lead the controlled purchase of illegal narcotics and firearms to apprehend suspects.
Manage all business reporting to include; payroll, taxes, client billing, account reconciliations and compliance reports.
Manage corporate-wide document production relative to complex litigation cases.
Receive multiple letters of commendation for effective investigations that lead to successful prosecutions.
Collaborate with federal agencies, including the FBI, DEA, ATF and IRS.
Write a detail case report, and attach all supporting documentation necessary to write up SAR's where necessary per BSA.

Internal affairs investigator vs investigator skills

Common internal affairs investigator skills

Patrol, 22%
Background Checks, 10%
Conduct Interviews, 8%
Law Enforcement Agencies, 8%
Narrative Reports, 5%
Administrative Hearings, 5%

Common investigator skills

Law Enforcement Agencies, 7%
Management System, 6%
Customer Service, 5%
Criminal Justice, 5%
Senior Level Management, 4%
Child Abuse, 4%

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Internal Affairs Investigator
Internal Affairs Investigator vs Investigator

Updated January 8, 2025

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