Skills it runs on
The capabilities O*NET rates most important for this occupation — the human ground the work is built on.
See all skills →Detectives and Criminal Investigators
Occupation · SOC 33-3021.00
Conduct investigations related to suspected violations of federal, state, or local laws to prevent or solve crimes.
Also called: Criminal Investigator · Detective · Investigator · Special Agent · Crime Scene Investigator (CSI) · Fugitive Detective · Fugitive Investigator · Narcotics Detective · Narcotics Investigator · Police Detective · Air Marshal · Burglary Investigator
Job family: Protective Service Occupations
Take this to your AI
A source-stamped Markdown brief of this occupation — paste it into an agent, or fetch
/roles/role-33-3021-00/context.md directly.
AI work map
A fast read on where AI already shows up in this occupation, where it stays a copilot, where humans remain in the loop, and what the labor market is doing. Built from observed Claude.ai conversations mapped to O*NET tasks and from published research — measures of usage and exposure, not advice or predictions that the job is going away.
Market signal
Independent published positions, read together — not a forecast.
- Declining employment outlook (-0.7% by 2034)
- 7,800 openings/yr
- Moderate AI exposure
- Median pay $93,580/yr
- Can largely be done remotely (teleworkable)
48th-percentile task overlap — yet about 7,800 openings a year (-0.7% projected, BLS) . What exposure means →
AI & job outlook
What today's research says about this occupation's exposure to AI, how AI is actually being used in it, and where employment is headed. These are positions within published studies — measures of exposure and usage, not predictions that this job will disappear.
Exposure to current AI
Each study uses its own scale, so the raw scores are not comparable across rows — the percentile (this job's rank among all U.S. occupations with data) is the comparable figure, and sizes the bars.
| Measure | Rank vs all occupations | Percentile | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.) Moderate | 54th | 0.2 | |
| LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) Moderate | 45th | 0.5 | |
| AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) Moderate | 48th | 0.1 |
OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.1), with simple added tooling (β 0.3), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.5). Higher means more of the job's tasks could be done at least twice as fast — not that they will be automated away.
Most of this job's tasks can be done remotely (Dingel–Neiman), which tends to track with higher digital and AI exposure.
Historical automation estimate (2013)
A pre-LLM (2013) estimate of how automatable this job is by computerization and robotics. Shown for historical context only — it is not part of any current AI ranking.
Frey–Osborne probability 0.3 · 40th percentile among occupations · Moderate
How AI is actually used in this job
Among measured AI assistant conversations mapped to this occupation (Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-01-15), these task types came up most. These are shares of observed AI conversations — not shares of the job, of worker time, or of what could be automated.
| Prepare reports that detail investigation findings. | 0.3% | |
| Identify case issues and evidence needed, based on analysis of charges, complaints, or allegations of law violations. | 0.3% | |
| Analyze completed police reports to determine what additional information and investigative work is needed. | 0.3% |
Job outlook
Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.
| Outlook | Declining · -0.7% by 2034 |
| Projected annual openings | 7,800 |
| Employment 2024 → 2034 | 117,900 → 117,100 |
“Annual openings” counts new jobs plus replacements for workers who leave the occupation, so it can be large even when growth is modest.
Where this work sits on the global GenAI gradient
The ILO's 2025 global study scores generative-AI exposure on the international ISCO-08 occupation system, not US SOC. Bridged through the published (and approximate, many-to-many) IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 crosswalk, this US occupation corresponds to the international occupation below. Exposure here means how much of the work's tasks today's AI can attempt — task overlap, not automation, adoption, or jobs lost.
Detectives and Criminal Investigators sits at the 42nd percentile of 427
occupations on the global GenAI task-exposure gradient
— exposure rose from 2023 to 2025. Each dot is one occupation; the
ringed one is this work. Exposure is task overlap, not automation or jobs lost.
23% mean task exposure (2025)
42nd percentile of 427 placed occupations
+3 pts shift 2023 → 2025
| International occupation (ISCO-08) | Task exposure (2025) | Most tasks fall in |
|---|---|---|
| Police Inspectors and Detectives · 3355 | 23% | Not exposed |
Read the whole six-band gradient on the GenAI exposure gradient page. The crosswalk is approximate: a US occupation can map to several international ones, and the ILO scores describe the international occupation, not this exact US role.
Tasks
All 30 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.
- Check victims for signs of life, such as breathing and pulse. Core · importance 4.6
- Obtain facts or statements from complainants, witnesses, and accused persons and record interviews, using recording device. Core · importance 4.5
- Secure deceased body and obtain evidence from it, preventing bystanders from tampering with it prior to medical examiner's arrival. Core · importance 4.5
- Record progress of investigation, maintain informational files on suspects, and submit reports to commanding officer or magistrate to authorize warrants. Core · importance 4.5
- Prepare charges or responses to charges, or information for court cases, according to formalized procedures. Core · importance 4.5
- Prepare reports that detail investigation findings. Core · importance 4.5
- Preserve, process, and analyze items of evidence obtained from crime scenes and suspects, placing them in proper containers and destroying evidence no longer needed. Core · importance 4.5
- Obtain summary of incident from officer in charge at crime scene, taking care to avoid disturbing evidence. Core · importance 4.5
- Note, mark, and photograph location of objects found, such as footprints, tire tracks, bullets and bloodstains, and take measurements of the scene. Core · importance 4.5
- Examine records and governmental agency files to find identifying data about suspects. Core · importance 4.5
- Secure persons at scene, keeping witnesses from conversing or leaving the scene before investigators arrive. Core · importance 4.4
- Provide information to lab personnel concerning the source of an item of evidence and tests to be performed. Core · importance 4.4
- Analyze completed police reports to determine what additional information and investigative work is needed. Core · importance 4.4
- Examine records to locate links in chains of evidence or information. Core · importance 4.4
- Search for and collect evidence, such as fingerprints, using investigative equipment. Core · importance 4.4
- Prepare and serve search and arrest warrants. Core · importance 4.4
- Question individuals or observe persons and establishments to confirm information given to patrol officers. Core · importance 4.4
- Determine scope, timing, and direction of investigations. Core · importance 4.3
- Obtain and verify evidence by interviewing and observing suspects and witnesses or by analyzing records. Core · importance 4.3
- Participate or assist in raids and arrests. Core · importance 4.3
- Organize scene search, assigning specific tasks and areas of search to individual officers and obtaining adequate lighting as necessary. Core · importance 4.3
- Summon medical help for injured individuals and alert medical personnel to take statements from them. Core · importance 4.3
- Notify command of situation and request assistance. Core · importance 4.3
- Block or rope off scene and check perimeter to ensure that entire scene is secured. Core · importance 4.2
- Identify case issues and evidence needed, based on analysis of charges, complaints, or allegations of law violations. Core · importance 4.2
- Notify, or request notification of, medical examiner or district attorney representative. Core · importance 4.2
- Collaborate with other offices and agencies to exchange information and coordinate activities. Core · importance 4.2
- Maintain surveillance of establishments to obtain identifying information on suspects. Core · importance 4.2
- Testify before grand juries concerning criminal activity investigations. Core · importance 4.0
- Perform undercover assignments and maintain surveillance, including monitoring authorized wiretaps. Core · importance 3.9
Emerging tasks
Newer responsibilities O*NET has flagged as growing for this occupation.
- Operate drones for aerial surveillance or to gather evidence from difficult to reach locations.
Work activities
- Check physical condition of people or animals.
- Interview people to gather information about criminal activities.
- Examine crime scenes to obtain evidence.
- Prevent unauthorized individuals from entering restricted areas.
- Record information about suspects or criminals.
- Prepare investigation or incident reports.
- Document legal or regulatory information.
- Analyze crime scene evidence.
- Process forensic or legal evidence in accordance with procedures.
- Collect evidence for legal proceedings.
- Record crime or accident scene evidence with video or still cameras.
- Examine records or other types of data to investigate criminal activities.
- Use databases to locate investigation details or other information.
- Detain suspects or witnesses.
- Communicate situation details to appropriate personnel.
- Observe individuals' activities to gather information or compile evidence.
- Serve court ordered documents.
- Investigate accidents to determine causes.
- Apprehend criminal suspects.
- Direct criminal investigations.
- Request emergency personnel.
- Testify at legal or legislative proceedings.
- Block physical access to restricted areas.
- Determine operational procedures.
- Maintain surveillance of individuals or establishments.
- Collaborate with law enforcement or security agencies to share information.
Knowledge, skills & abilities
O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).
Knowledge
Essential skills
| Active Listening | 4.4 | |
| Speaking | 4.3 | |
| Critical Thinking | 4.1 | |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.9 | |
| Active Learning | 3.5 | |
| Writing | 3.4 | |
| Monitoring | 3.4 |
Abilities
| Oral Comprehension | 4.4 | |
| Inductive Reasoning | 4.4 | |
| Oral Expression | 4.1 | |
| Problem Sensitivity | 4.1 | |
| Deductive Reasoning | 4.1 | |
| Written Comprehension | 4.0 | |
| Information Ordering | 3.9 | |
| Near Vision | 3.9 | |
| Speech Recognition | 3.9 | |
| Speech Clarity | 3.9 | |
| Written Expression | 3.8 | |
| Category Flexibility | 3.6 | |
| Flexibility of Closure | 3.6 | |
| Far Vision | 3.6 | |
| Fluency of Ideas | 3.4 | |
| Speed of Closure | 3.4 | |
| Perceptual Speed | 3.3 | |
| Selective Attention | 3.3 | |
| Time Sharing | 3.3 |
Transferable skills
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.9 | |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.9 | |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.8 | |
| Coordination | 3.5 | |
| Service Orientation | 3.5 |
Skills in demand
Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.
Showing the top 40 of 44.
Tools & technology
Work context
How characteristic each condition is of the job, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale (higher = more present in day-to-day work). Each condition links to how it varies across all occupations.
How to get in
- Job zone
- Zone 3 — Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
- Education
- Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
- Typical entry-level education
- High school diploma or equivalent · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement
- Related experience
- Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
- Preparation level
- SVP (6.0 to < 7.0) — total schooling plus on-the-job experience.
What to study: Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services , Military Technologies and Applied Sciences , Natural Resources and Conservation . Fields of study crosswalked to this occupation (NCES CIP–SOC), not a requirement.
Education of current workers
Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.
| High School Diploma | 32.5% | |
| Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 19.9% | |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 19.7% | |
| Some College Courses | 17.9% | |
| Bachelor's Degree | 10.0% |
Interests & work styles
The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.
Work styles
| Attention to Detail | 10.0 | |
| Integrity | 9.0 | |
| Cautiousness | 8.0 | |
| Intellectual Curiosity | 7.0 | |
| Achievement Orientation | 6.0 | |
| Self-Control | 5.0 | |
| Stress Tolerance | 4.0 | |
| Adaptability | 3.0 | |
| Dependability | 2.9 |
Interest areas
| Protective Service | 6.9 | |
| Law | 4.5 | |
| Social Science | 3.0 |
Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)
| Investigative | 4.9 | |
| Conventional | 4.8 | |
| Realistic | 4.2 | |
| Enterprising | 4.0 |
Wages & employment
U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)
| 10th percentile | $54,160 |
| 25th percentile | $68,390 |
| Median (50th) | $93,580 |
| 75th percentile | $120,080 |
| 90th percentile | $159,410 |
| People employed | 110,790 |
Industries that employ this occupation
Where these workers are employed, by number of jobs (national, BLS OEWS). Pay shown is the occupation's national median, not industry-specific.
| Industry | Workers | National median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Transportation and Warehousing · Sector | 440 | $115,070 |
| Educational Services · Sector | 280 | $82,990 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance · Sector | 60 | $85,650 |
Where this work is most concentrated
Industries where this occupation is far more common than in the economy as a whole. The location quotient is how many times more concentrated it is here (a value of 5 means five times its economy-wide share).
| Industry | Concentration | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Transportation and Warehousing · Sector | 0.08× | 440 |
| Educational Services · Sector | 0.03× | 280 |
Related occupations
Part of the Public Service & Safety career cluster.
- Private Detectives and Investigators · 33-9021.00 Compare →
- Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers · 33-3051.00 Compare →
- Police Identification and Records Officers · 33-3021.02 Compare →
- First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives · 33-1012.00 Compare →
- Intelligence Analysts · 33-3021.06 Compare →
- Fraud Examiners, Investigators and Analysts · 13-2099.04 Compare →
- Forensic Science Technicians · 19-4092.00 Compare →
- Coroners · 13-1041.06 Compare →
- Transit and Railroad Police · 33-3052.00 Compare →
- Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists · 21-1092.00 Compare →
- Bailiffs · 33-3011.00 Compare →
- First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers · 33-1011.00 Compare →
Side-by-side comparisons place two occupations’ pay, preparation, skills, and AI exposure on the same page — same data, same scale, no forecast.
What you can do with this
Options the data surfaces for Detectives and Criminal Investigators — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.
Skills that travel
Capabilities this work builds that are used across many other occupations.
Adjacent roles
Occupations O*NET rates as related — the nearby moves on the map.
Paths in
How people typically prepare for this work.
- High school diploma or equivalent · typical entry level
- Job zone 3 — Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed · preparation tier
- Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services · field of study
- Military Technologies and Applied Sciences · field of study
Zoom out
On the global GenAI exposure gradient this work sits around the 42nd percentile of 427 international occupations.
Write a report on thisheadline · factoids · citation
Detectives and Criminal Investigators show 48th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 7,800 annual U.S. openings
- Detectives and Criminal Investigators rank in the 48th percentile (Moderate band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated.Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE
- The occupation is projected to see about 7,800 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- BLS projects employment to be declining (-0.7%) from 2024 to 2034.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- Median annual pay is $93,580, across about 110,790 U.S. workers.BLS OEWS (May 2024)
Copy the whole kit
Detectives and Criminal Investigators show 48th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 7,800 annual U.S. openings • Detectives and Criminal Investigators rank in the 48th percentile (Moderate band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated. (Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE) • The occupation is projected to see about 7,800 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • BLS projects employment to be declining (-0.7%) from 2024 to 2034. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • Median annual pay is $93,580, across about 110,790 U.S. workers. (BLS OEWS (May 2024)) Source: Singulariki — "Detectives and Criminal Investigators". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-33-3021-00 Note: AI task overlap measures what today's AI can attempt, not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
AssetsShare imageMethodology & sourcesPress & newsroomThe newsroom
Every line is built only from figures this page already shows and cites. AI task overlap means what today's AI can attempt — not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
Sources for this page
Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.
- O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27) Anthropic
- Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai Microsoft Research
- “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic
- AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans academic
- ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025 International Labour Organization
- IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022 Institute for Structural Research (IBS)
- Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation academic
- Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome academic
Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.
Cite this page
Plain
Singulariki. "Detectives and Criminal Investigators." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-33-3021-00
APA
Singulariki. (2026). Detectives and Criminal Investigators. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-33-3021-00
BibTeX
@misc{singulariki-role-33-3021-00,
title = {Detectives and Criminal Investigators},
author = {{Singulariki}},
year = {2026},
note = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026},
url = {https://singulariki.com/roles/role-33-3021-00}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.