Question on the "Dective" title

C

CSI808

Rookie
I'm not sure this has ever been covered, but I was wondering about the titles for the CSI's. I mean, in Vegas and Miami they're just "CSI's", but why in NY are they "Detectives"? I thought only Flack is supposed to have that title? Unless NY is more like some actual police/forensic departments in which the CSI's are cops first?
 
I think that it is like that, where the CSI's have to have been police officers for a certain amount of time.

Also, there are different Types of Detective. There's Homicide Detective, there's Crime Scene Detective, and I think there's also a higher grade of Detective, Investigative Specialist.

Note that Stella started her career in Narcotics. I'm not quite sure where Danny or Aiden started. Mac started in the Military, so I'm sure he got specialized training there. I think Mac is an "Investigative Specialist," simply because I've seen him work scenes where there's no other detective there. That says something about seniority/training.
 
I think they have to work for the PD (in some capacity) for some amount of time.

Case in point- Hawkes is "Detective Dr. Sheldon Hawkes", though he was not (as far as I am aware) ever a police officer. So, my presumption is that as long as you worked for the department in some capacity, when you move to the field, you become a detective.

Also, I imagine that an exam that Hawkes talks about in "Grand Murder at Central Station" has something to do with that title. (For memory sake, Mac holds up phenothaline and Hawkes asks about a blood trail. Mac tells Hawkes the pheno reacts to lye as well, and Hawkes says he's thankful that wasn't on the exam).
 
From what I've been told, you have to have worked as a Beat Cop for I believe its 3-5 years before you can put in for the CSI test (or any other kind of specialty field), take the test, do the training, etc.

Theres different grades of detectives - as I think a few people mentioned.
 
Now here in my home county and state. We have actual detectives that are CSI. However, they don't analyze alot of the evidence. Somethings they can, major things go to the state capitol where the Crime lab is located. One of my good friends was the head detective and CSI and is also a fellow firefighter. He told my son that to be a criminalist here he had to go to college and then get his degree, then he had to take the Basic Law Enforcement Training course and obtain his degree in law enforcement. So, that is what I know here.
 
So Flack would have gone to school right? How many years? Is he lead detective or something? He always seems to be the one on the big cases.
 
^^ I think Flack didn't go to school. In one episode (and I can't remember which one), the CSIs are explaining something, and he goes "to those of us with only a high school education?" So I don't think he did go to school.
 
racefh853629 said:
^^ I think Flack didn't go to school. In one episode (and I can't remember which one), the CSIs are explaining something, and he goes "to those of us with only a high school education?" So I don't think he did go to school.
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But to be where he is he'd have to have gone to some type of school. My BIL is a policeman and he went to school after high school just to do that and he's not a detective. Surely the quote you are talking about (which I believe is from 'Trapped' is more of a joke than a realistic comment?
 
"to those of us with only a high school education?"
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Isnt he pointing out the fact that he did basic science compared with what Stella did, I mean she'd have gone on to do a higher level than him right?

But he doesnt say, ''To those who didnt go to school''.....He just means he didnt do a more advanced science after High schoolo, does that make sence?
 
It also might be helpful to understand that the requirements of a CSI can differ from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Some municipalities do not require CSI's to be armed, while others maintain a CSI has many of the same obligations as an officer, one of which of is to have your arms proficiency, just like some regions require an investigator to have spent time in the field as an officer and others do not.

ETA: As for Flack, he could have gone through his police training just after highschool, which assuming hes about 30 - 35 would have been sometime in the early 90's (give or take) and god knows how frequently course requirements fluctuate. Requirements gets stricter and stricter the more crime itself advances in a society. In the 70's there was no such thing as internet crime, therefore there would have been no investigative branch dedicated to that kind of criminal activity and regular officers would not have been trained how to deal with such instances. As long as how we commit crimes is going to change, what officers are going to have to be trained in is going to fluctuate. Even in the 90's DNA was still fairly new, being that we hadn't developed the first DNA profiling test until 84 and still hadn't been used to effectively solve a crime until 86. But again, state and municipal guidelines are different all over.
 
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CSI808 said:
I'm not sure this has ever been covered, but I was wondering about the titles for the CSI's. I mean, in Vegas and Miami they're just "CSI's", but why in NY are they "Detectives"? I thought only Flack is supposed to have that title? Unless NY is more like some actual police/forensic departments in which the CSI's are cops first?
Click to expand...

I found this in a wikipedia article about the NYPD and it's Crime Scene Unit

"The Crime Scene Unit is composed of NYPD detectives (or occasionally police officers that are awaiting their promotion to detective), not civilian technicians like crime scene units in other parts of the U.S. ''

So that would explain why the NY CSIs are 'Detectives' rather than 'CSIs'.
 
Thank you MacsLady!! That's what I was thinking because in Hawaii it's completely different. Thanks for going the distance and finding it on Wikipedia! You're awesome!! :D
 
MacsLady said:
CSI808 said:
I'm not sure this has ever been covered, but I was wondering about the titles for the CSI's. I mean, in Vegas and Miami they're just "CSI's", but why in NY are they "Detectives"? I thought only Flack is supposed to have that title? Unless NY is more like some actual police/forensic departments in which the CSI's are cops first?
Click to expand...

I found this in a wikipedia article about the NYPD and it's Crime Scene Unit

"The Crime Scene Unit is composed of NYPD detectives (or occasionally police officers that are awaiting their promotion to detective), not civilian technicians like crime scene units in other parts of the U.S. ''

So that would explain why the NY CSIs are 'Detectives' rather than 'CSIs'.
Click to expand...

Don't believe everything which is on Wikipedia.
 
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