Major case detective vs internal affairs investigator

The differences between major case detectives and internal affairs investigators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a major case detective and an internal affairs investigator. Additionally, an internal affairs investigator has an average salary of $54,189, which is higher than the $44,241 average annual salary of a major case detective.

The top three skills for a major case detective include criminal investigations, and . The most important skills for an internal affairs investigator are patrol, background checks, and conduct interviews.

Major case detective vs internal affairs investigator overview

	Major Case Detective	Internal Affairs Investigator
Yearly salary	$44,241	$54,189
Hourly rate	$21.27	$26.05
Growth rate	3%	3%
Number of jobs	23,105	15,880
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 65%	Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	2	2

Major case detective vs internal affairs investigator salary

Major case detectives and internal affairs investigators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Major Case Detective	Internal Affairs Investigator
Average salary	$44,241	$54,189
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $66,000	Between $25,000 And $115,000
Highest paying City	-	New York, NY
Highest paying state	-	Maryland
Best paying company	-	Amazon
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between major case detective and internal affairs investigator education

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

	Major Case Detective	Internal Affairs Investigator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 65%	Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	-	-

Major case detective vs internal affairs investigator demographics

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

	Major Case Detective	Internal Affairs Investigator
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 66.7% Female, 33.3%	Male, 72.0% Female, 28.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.7% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.8% Asian, 2.7% White, 71.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	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%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between major case detective and internal affairs investigator duties and responsibilities

Major case detective example responsibilities.

Apply proactive patrol, initiated/effect arrests, provide expert court testimonies, investigate crimes, and write detailed incident/investigative reports.
Supervise all-source intelligence collection, cycle and processes in accordance with FBI and DEA investigative requirements regarding information gaps.

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.

Major case detective vs internal affairs investigator skills

Common major case detective skills

Criminal Investigations, 100%

Common internal affairs investigator skills

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

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Major Case Detective
Major Case Detective vs Internal Affairs Investigator

Updated January 8, 2025

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