How To Become A Violent Crimes Detective: What It Is and Career Path

What is a violent crimes detective and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Quoted expert

Jodi Gill

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a violent crimes detective. For example, did you know that they make an average of $25.85 an hour? That's $53,769 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 3% and produce 20,600 job opportunities across the U.S.

What's a day at work look like for a violent crimes detective?

Jodi Gill

Internship Coordinator, Pennsylvania State University - Beaver

There is no "typical day" in this field, which is why I enjoy it so much! At any point in time, criminal justice professionals are required to pivot and adapt. Coursework in criminal justice prepares individuals for changing times and circumstances, and our graduates are ready to meet those challenges!

ScoreViolent Crimes DetectiveUS Average

Salary

4.2

Avg. Salary $53,769

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.1

Growth rate 3%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

2.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.66%

Asian 2.82%

Black or African American 11.78%

Hispanic or Latino 16.77%

Unknown 4.99%

White 62.98%

Gender

female 15.75%

male 84.25%

Age - 44

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 44

Stress level

7.1

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.3

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.3

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a violent crimes detective

Explore violent crimes detective education requirements

Most common violent crimes detective degrees

Bachelor's

54.1 %

Associate

19.4 %

Master's

13.5 %

Start to develop specific violent crimes detective skills

Skills	Percentages
Patrol	17.84%
Law Enforcement Agencies	12.32%
Insurance Fraud	8.99%
Child Abuse	7.85%
Crime Scene Processing	5.47%

Complete relevant violent crimes detective training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New violent crimes detectives learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a violent crimes detective based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real violent crimes detective resumes.

Research violent crimes detective duties and responsibilities

Receive multiple letters of commendation for effective investigations that lead to successful prosecutions.
Prepare and execute subpoenas, arrest warrants, and search warrants.
Prepare, obtain and execute search and arrest warrants, mail covers, toll records, medical records and investigative subpoenas.
Complete yearly training in firearms, defensive tactics, report writing in accordance with standards.

Prepare your violent crimes detective resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your violent crimes detective resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a violent crimes detective resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable violent crimes detective resume templates

Build a professional violent crimes detective resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your violent crimes detective resume.