Role of private detectives in criminal justice
The role of private detectives in the criminal justice system is both diverse and crucial, often contrasting sharply with their portrayals in fiction. Unlike the hard-boiled detectives of literature, modern private investigators primarily operate from offices, focusing on a range of cases that include embezzlement, cybercrime, insurance fraud, and family-related issues such as infidelity. Many private detectives work for specialized investigative firms, attorneys, banks, and corporations, employing their skills in areas such as financial investigations and undercover retail theft prevention.
Historically, the profession lacked regulation until the late 20th century, leading to a perception of private investigators as less credible compared to law enforcement. However, with the introduction of licensing requirements in almost all U.S. states, private detectives have gained greater recognition and have developed collaborative relationships with police. The first notable agency, Pinkerton's National Detective Agency, set a precedent for the profession, helping to establish professional standards and a positive reputation. Today, many private detectives have backgrounds in military, law enforcement, or insurance, and they utilize advanced technology to assist in solving personal, financial, and legal issues.
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Role of private detectives in criminal justice
SIGNIFICANCE: Although the role of private detectives in criminal investigation is highly romanticized in fictional detective stories, modern private detectives often play important roles in helping to track down criminals.
When people think of private detectives, or private investigators, many of them think of classic detective characters such as Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlowe and Dashiell Hammett’s Sam Spade—hard-boiled characters who drink too much, act mysteriously, and frequently get into trouble with the law. The truth is that real-life private investigators are often the opposite of their fictional counterparts. Modern-day private detectives do much of their work from offices and spend much of their time not chasing dangerous murderers, but investigating embezzlement, forgery, cybercrime, insurance fraud, workman’s compensation claims, missing persons, and domestic problems, such as cheating spouses.
Like their fictional counterparts, some private detectives and investigators work alone, but that is more unusual than it once was. Private detectives often work for investigating firms that specialize in specific types of cases, such as forgery. Private investigators also work for attorneys, banks, and others who may need their skills. Special investigators include retail detectives, who work undercover for retail stores to prevent theft; financial investigators, who help companies locate the assets they win in court cases; legal detectives, who are hired by law firms; and corporate investigators, who deal with matters such as theft and employee drug use.
Private detectives are now licensed by almost all fifty U.S. states for their profession, but this was not always the case. Until the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, anyone who wanted to be a detective could take up investigating work merely by doing it. The absence of professional standards caused police and other law-enforcement professionals to look down upon the private-investigating profession.
The first well-known private detective agency was Pinkerton’s National Detective Agency. Founded in Chicago by the Scottish-born Allan J. Pinkerton in 1850, the agency was commended for the way it handled various problems, and its agents became known for their cleverness in solving their cases. The term “private eye” (which became synonymous with a private detective) came from Pinkerton’s agency logo, which was a picture of a human eye surrounded by the motto “We Never Sleep.”
The licensing of private detectives by states during the late twentieth century controlled who could work in the field. This change made relations between law enforcement and private detectives much easier. By the time the twenty-first century arrived, private detectives were using state-of-the-art equipment to do their work and were frequently used by attorneys and other businesses—as well as by members of the public—to solve problems that were personal, financial, and legal. Private detectives do not have to have any previous experience, but most come from the military, law enforcement, or the insurance industry.
Bibliography
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