What it pays
Government survey numbers — not estimates, not ads.
Half of all Detectives and Criminal Investigators in the U.S. earn more than $93,790 a year — the middle 80% land between $55,390 and $160,540. About 114,430 people in the U.S. do this work. Figures are for the U.S. occupation group “Detectives and Criminal Investigators”. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics survey, published 2025.) In India, Service and sales workers earn about ₹15,575 a month on average — around ₹1.9 lakh a year (government PLFS survey via ILOSTAT, occupation-family figure).
$93,790typical pay / year
114,430people in this work
$160,540+top 10% earn
₹1.9 lakha year in India (family avg)
Think you get this job?Six quick questions on how it really works — with a hint and the reason behind every answer.
Test yourself →The work, task by task
These are the real jobs-to-be-done, not a wish list. Each task shows where we found it, and the prompt underneath is written for that exact task.
Fixing2
Photograph evidence
+Photograph the blood-stained kitchen countertop, the broken knife on the floor, and the shoeprint on the back…
Photograph evidence
+Photograph the blood-stained kitchen countertop, the broken knife on the floor, and the shoeprint on the back patio at 10:15, capture overall, mid, and close scales with scale bars and evidence tags visible, then upload the originals to the case folder and note chain-of-custody entries.
The tools that do the workDataWorks Plus Digital CrimeScenejob descriptionsO*NET
Pasted it? Good. When the reply comes back, push once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part. — Did this prompt help?
Take fingerprints.
+Take rolled fingerprints from the arrested suspect Jane Carter at booking, capture all ten digits plus palms…
Take fingerprints.
+Take rolled fingerprints from the arrested suspect Jane Carter at booking, capture all ten digits plus palms with ink and card or live-scan, label cards with name, DOB, arrest number and technician initials, then file to the case record and log custody.
The tools that do the workDeChant Consulting Services iWitnessjob descriptionsO*NET
Pasted it? Good. When the reply comes back, push once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part. — Did this prompt help?
The daily work18
Package, store and retrieve evidence.
+Package collected evidence from 14 Baker Street into tamper-evident bags, label each item with time, officer…
Package, store and retrieve evidence.
+Package collected evidence from 14 Baker Street into tamper-evident bags, label each item with time, officer name and charge, log chain-of-custody in the evidence book, move sealed items to cold storage bay C and record locker slot numbers.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft WordMicrosoft ExcelO*NET
Pasted it? Good. When the reply comes back, push once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part. — Did this prompt help?
Dust selected areas of crime scene and lift latent fingerprints, adhering to proper preservation procedures.
+Dust living room window frame and kitchen counter at 14 Baker Street for latent prints using appropriate…
Dust selected areas of crime scene and lift latent fingerprints, adhering to proper preservation procedures.
+Dust living room window frame and kitchen counter at 14 Baker Street for latent prints using appropriate powders, lift each print to backing card, photograph the process, place each lift in numbered envelopes and update the evidence log with preservation notes.
The tools that do the workDataWorks Plus Digital CrimeSceneO*NET
Pasted it? Good. When the reply comes back, push once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part. — Did this prompt help?
Perform emergency work during off-hours.
+Respond to the midnight disturbance at 9 Elm Crescent, advise on urgent lawful actions, draft the emergency…
Perform emergency work during off-hours.
+Respond to the midnight disturbance at 9 Elm Crescent, advise on urgent lawful actions, draft the emergency detention and search justification, notify duty prosecutor by secure channel and file a succinct incident memo before end of shift.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft WordO*NET
Pasted it? Good. When the reply comes back, push once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part. — Did this prompt help?
Interview survivors, witnesses, suspects, and other law enforcement personnel.
+Conduct interviews with the victim, three witnesses and the primary suspect at station 4, record their…
Interview survivors, witnesses, suspects, and other law enforcement personnel.
+Conduct interviews with the victim, three witnesses and the primary suspect at station 4, record their statements verbatim, note any legal cautions given, check for inconsistencies, and prepare a single witness summary for the investigator.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft WordComputer aided composite drawingO*NET
Pasted it? Good. When the reply comes back, push once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part. — Did this prompt help?
Apprehend offenders
+Execute an arrest of John Peters at 7 Oak Court for breach of the peace, ensure lawful grounds and…
Apprehend offenders
+Execute an arrest of John Peters at 7 Oak Court for breach of the peace, ensure lawful grounds and proportional force, read and record the arrest rights, search for weapons, complete custody paperwork and notify custody suite ETA.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft WordESCO
Pasted it? Good. When the reply comes back, push once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part. — Did this prompt help?
Perform patrol activities
+Run a two-hour foot patrol of the Riverside sector between 18:00–20:00, engage local shopkeepers about recent…
Perform patrol activities
+Run a two-hour foot patrol of the Riverside sector between 18:00–20:00, engage local shopkeepers about recent thefts, check CCTV playback of high-risk alleyways, log notable contacts and submit daily patrol observations.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft ExcelESCO
Pasted it? Good. When the reply comes back, push once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part. — Did this prompt help?
Provide support to victimised parties
+Draft a clear, compassionate advice letter to the assault victim explaining their legal options, evidence…
Provide support to victimised parties
+Draft a clear, compassionate advice letter to the assault victim explaining their legal options, evidence preservation steps, and referral to Victim Support, checkments for urgent safety concerns, and send it to Detective Sergeant Malik by Wednesday for case file inclusion.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft WordESCO
Pasted it? Good. When the reply comes back, push once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part. — Did this prompt help?
Fulfil administrative duties
+Prepare the weekly administrative return: case logs, charging decisions, and outstanding legal actions,…
Fulfil administrative duties
+Prepare the weekly administrative return: case logs, charging decisions, and outstanding legal actions, reconcile with duty roster and custody records, then circulate the PDF to Chief Inspector Reed and the admin team by close of business Friday.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft WordESCO
Pasted it? Good. When the reply comes back, push once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part. — Did this prompt help?
Ensure law application
+Review the suspect arrest pack for legal sufficiency, note any breaches of procedure or disclosure risks,…
Ensure law application
+Review the suspect arrest pack for legal sufficiency, note any breaches of procedure or disclosure risks, advise the arresting officer in writing with required remedial actions, and email the annotated pack to Crown Counsel by noon tomorrow.
Pasted it? Good. When the reply comes back, push once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part. — Did this prompt help?
First response
+Join the scene response team briefing, assess immediate legal risks on detention, search and interview plans,…
First response
+Join the scene response team briefing, assess immediate legal risks on detention, search and interview plans, instruct officers on lawful steps and required safeguards, and log the legal direction into the incident notebook before leaving scene.
Pasted it? Good. When the reply comes back, push once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part. — Did this prompt help?
Legal use-of-force
+Draft the force-authorisation statement for the planned suspect detention, confirm proportionality and…
Legal use-of-force
+Draft the force-authorisation statement for the planned suspect detention, confirm proportionality and necessity against the intelligence brief, list approved tactics and medical safeguards, and sign it for the tactical lead before operations start.
Pasted it? Good. When the reply comes back, push once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part. — Did this prompt help?
Patrol areas
+Map a three-day high-visibility patrol plan for the borough highlighting priority streets, vulnerable…
Patrol areas
+Map a three-day high-visibility patrol plan for the borough highlighting priority streets, vulnerable locations and times, assign legal briefings for each shift about stop-and-search thresholds, and send the patrol rota to Inspector Flores by Monday morning.
Pasted it? Good. When the reply comes back, push once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part. — Did this prompt help?
Use different communication channels
+Send a short advisory to patrol sergeants, communications staff and the neighbourhood policing team…
Use different communication channels
+Send a short advisory to patrol sergeants, communications staff and the neighbourhood policing team explaining which communication channels to use for intelligence, emergency call-outs and witness liaison this week, list preferred contacts and confirm contingencies by Wednesday.
Pasted it? Good. When the reply comes back, push once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part. — Did this prompt help?
Apply first response
+Prepare and circulate a quick-reference first response checklist for officers attending incidents,…
Apply first response
+Prepare and circulate a quick-reference first response checklist for officers attending incidents, emphasising lawful powers, evidence preservation and notification steps, include examples from last month and require acknowledgment by shift leads before next duty roster.
Pasted it? Good. When the reply comes back, push once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part. — Did this prompt help?
Comply with the principles of self-defence
+Draft a legal note for patrol teams summarising the principles of self-defence, relevant case law and…
Comply with the principles of self-defence
+Draft a legal note for patrol teams summarising the principles of self-defence, relevant case law and reasonable-force examples tailored to urban patrols, ask for operational queries by Friday and attach two short scenario Q&As.
Pasted it? Good. When the reply comes back, push once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part. — Did this prompt help?
Road traffic laws
+Produce a concise guidance sheet on road traffic laws for response officers covering stop-and-search at…
Road traffic laws
+Produce a concise guidance sheet on road traffic laws for response officers covering stop-and-search at roadside, pursuit thresholds and documenting collisions, circulate to traffic unit and neighbourhood officers and request feedback within five working days.
Pasted it? Good. When the reply comes back, push once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part. — Did this prompt help?
Detain offenders
+Write an operational memo on lawful powers to detain suspects, including arrest grounds, custody checklist…
Detain offenders
+Write an operational memo on lawful powers to detain suspects, including arrest grounds, custody checklist and safeguards for vulnerable people, send to custody sergeants and supervising inspectors and ask for policy exceptions by Monday.
Pasted it? Good. When the reply comes back, push once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part. — Did this prompt help?
Ensure compliance with types of weapons
+Compile a weapons-compliance briefing for frontline teams listing prohibited items, authorised equipment,…
Ensure compliance with types of weapons
+Compile a weapons-compliance briefing for frontline teams listing prohibited items, authorised equipment, search powers and recording requirements, include a short decision tree for on-scene officers and circulate to patrol and firearms leads by close of business Thursday.
Pasted it? Good. When the reply comes back, push once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part. — Did this prompt help?
Says who?
These are the pages we read to build this. Open any of them and check us.
The logs, files & records this job keeps
Shared with other careers — the same record means something different in each.
Related careers
Same family of work — each with its own tasks and prompts.
The LLOS Work Atlas is the world's largest evidenced task library — a map of human work, with a ready prompt behind every task. 1,774 careers · every task named by the sources that witnessed it — O*NET, ESCO, real job descriptions, Wikipedia — and the deepest tasks by several at once. And it is honest about limits: where AI cannot help, the map says so.
The rest of the map
Same library, five ways in.
Copyright © LLOS.ai · 2026 — original pedagogy, voice, and design — all rights reserved.
Built on public evidence: O*NET®, ESCO, Wikipedia, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, ILOSTAT. All sources & licenses
Built on public evidence: O*NET®, ESCO, Wikipedia, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, ILOSTAT. All sources & licenses