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Protective Services33-9021.00Specialization

Private Detectives and Investigators

Gather, analyze, compile, and report information regarding individuals or organizations to clients, or detect occurrences of unlawful acts or infractions of rules in private establishment.

$49,540
Median Pay
1-3 years
Training
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AI-Augmented
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Career Overview Video

AI Impact Assessment

AI Resilience Score

Score 4/6: growing job demand means AI will assist but humans remain essential

🟡AI-Augmented

How we calculated this:

AI Exposure
Medium+1

39% of tasks can be accelerated by AI

Job Growth
Growing+2

+6% projected (2024-2034)

Human Advantage
Moderate+1

EPOCH score: 18/25

Total Score4/6
Methodology: v2.0 - GPTs are GPTs / BLS / EPOCH Additive ScoringUpdated: 2026-01-09
View full methodology →

Key Responsibilities

  • Write reports or case summaries to document investigations.
  • Conduct private investigations on a paid basis.
  • Search computer databases, credit reports, public records, tax or legal filings, or other resources to locate persons or to compile information for investigations.
  • Conduct personal background investigations, such as pre-employment checks, to obtain information about an individual's character, financial status, or personal history.
  • Expose fraudulent insurance claims or stolen funds.
  • Obtain and analyze information on suspects, crimes, or disturbances to solve cases, to identify criminal activity, or to gather information for court cases.
  • Testify at hearings or court trials to present evidence.
  • Question persons to obtain evidence for cases of divorce, child custody, or missing persons or information about individuals' character or financial status.
  • Observe and document activities of individuals to detect unlawful acts or to obtain evidence for cases, using binoculars and still or video cameras.
  • Confer with establishment officials, security departments, police, or postal officials to identify problems, provide information, or receive instructions.

Education & Training

Typical Entry Education

Bachelor's degree

Time to Job Ready

1-3 years

Based on Job Zone 3. For formal education duration only, see education_duration.

Technology Skills

Investigation databasesMicrosoft OfficeSurveillance equipmentGPS trackingReport writing

Key Abilities

Inductive ReasoningOral ComprehensionOral ExpressionProblem SensitivityNear VisionWritten ComprehensionWritten ExpressionDeductive ReasoningSpeech RecognitionSpeech Clarity

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Compensation Details

$36,060
10th Percentile
$49,540
Median
$96,600
90th Percentile

Based on 34,600 employed workers

Also Known As

Alarm InvestigatorAML Investigator (Anti Money Laundering Investigator)Asset Protection DetectiveBackground InvestigatorBonding AgentBSA Investigator (Bank Secrecy Act Investigator)Case InvestigatorCash Shortage InvestigatorCertified Legal InvestigatorContract Investigator

Data from O*NET 30.1 and BLS Occupational Employment Statistics

O*NET Code: 33-9021.00