Become a Private Investigator in Delaware
To become a licensed Private Investigator in Delaware does not require investigative experience or a Private Investigator course /Private Investigator training. The state of Delaware will issue you a Delaware Private Investigator's license if you meet the basic Private Investigator requirements and have a PI sponsor/ employer.
Private Detective Aptitude Test
Learning Delaware Investigation
When you get your Delaware PI license, you'll need to know how to perform investigations fit for Private Investigations, such as surveillance. After learning how to perform investigations, you can simply work as a Private Investigator in Delaware. To become a Private Investigator in Delaware that can perform, it is recommended that you first learn how to work investigations relevant to the PI industry, such as surveillance for insurance fraud files. The fact that Delaware does not have experience or education requirements does not mean that the quality of investigations is less in Delaware than in other states. In fact, due to poor state industry standards, having a PI license in general does not make you a qualified Investigator regardless of experience or education requirements. The poor industry standard come from the non-relevant experience most, if not all, states require of you to become a licensed Private Investigator. This non-relevant experience can be education degrees and non-PI investigative experience.
Delaware Private Investigator License Requirements
Delaware State Police: Professional Licensing Section
Board of Examiners
You must be 21yo or older.
You need a clean criminal and personal record.
You must be an American citizen/ legal resident.
You need a high school diploma/ GED.
You need to be employed by a Delaware PI agency.
6. You need to be fingerprinted and get an ID photo taken at the authorized provider:
Delaware State Bureau of Identification
655 S Bay Rd, Dover, DE.
An industry standard flaw most states have is regulations regarding law enforcement experience. Most states allow you to obtain a PI license if you have law enforcement experience. Some states also accept non-PI investigative experience to obtain a PI license. The problem with states requiring previous investigative experience is that there is no such thing as equivalent Private Investigator experience. Sure, a career in law enforcement will gain you some transferable skills to bring to the PI world. However, an investigative career outside of PI work will not provide you the skill-set to perform what we do the most: single person surveillance for insurance fraud investigations. Furthermore, PIs typically obtain all evidence via quality and litigious video. This is uncommon for most other investigative careers. Being a police officer will not make you a good PI the same way being a PI will not make you a good police officer.
Opening a Delaware PI Agency
-You need five years (full time average) of PI experience.
Or
-Five years of law enforcement experience.
Or
-Be a graduate of a law enforcement academy.
Information on opening a Delaware PI agency
Some states also require you to take an approved PI licensing course/ test, not Delaware. However, these courses/ tests typically focus on what laws you need to be aware of. This is of course useful, but new Private Investigators still need to learn how to perform investigations. The required tests/ courses do not focus on what we do most:
single person mobile surveillance.
Often, these tests/ courses do not not even mention single person mobile surveillance. If you are becoming a PI, you need at least 100 hours of surveillance experience to be able to perform safely and meet client's high standards.
Another requirement issue is the acceptance of post-secondary degrees. These degrees that are accepted for PI licensing are typically in the criminal justice field. However, some states accept any post-secondary degree. The issue is, having an educational degree will offer almost no help to you in the Private Investigation industry.
Novel Data Investigative Learning offers the only Private Investigator education courses that focuses on mobile surveillance and understanding the PI industry. For more information on PI education, click here.