The vast majority of Franklin County residents are good law-abiding people. Unfortunately, a small percentage of the county’s 1.2 million residents choose to commit serious crimes that result in significant damage, injury, or death at which point the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office may become involved.
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To manage particularly violent and dangerous criminal cases, the sheriff’s office enlists the help of detectives within its Investigations Division. These detectives specialize in a wide variety of criminal investigations to ensure that justice is served and the guilty are punished, no matter what the nature of the crime.
Qualifications for Criminal Investigator Jobs with the FCSO
To become a criminal investigator with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, candidates will need to start by working as a deputy sheriff in the Corrections Division.
Next, if they have not done so already, they will need to become certified as an Ohio peace officer.
After approximately 8-10 years of service with the Corrections Division, deputies will be able to bid for an assignment with the Investigations Division.
When it comes to initial hiring, the FCSO prefers candidates who:
- Possess an associate’s degree or bachelor’s degree in Law Enforcement
- Have military experience
- Have experience in corrections
Applicants must all be at least 18 years of age and have a high school diploma.
Preparing for a career in the detective field can be augmented with college education in a field that is related to criminal investigations. Although this is not a stated requirement, candidates will gain important investigative skills by studying subjects such as:
- Police Science
- Criminal Justice
- Forensic Science
- Crime Scene Investigations
Criminal Investigator Training Requirements
Although sheriff’s deputies in the Corrections Division typically need to acquire 8-10 years of experience before they can transfer to the Investigations Division, during this time they can always indicate a preference to participate in special Patrol or Investigative Division activities, such as being on the SWAT Team or training to go on a Marine Rescue operation.
Taking advantage of special operations can give prospective detectives valuable job experience and present them with valuable training opportunities.
While candidates are serving their time as correctional deputies they can also take advantage of basic and advanced investigative training offered by the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy. This instruction covers such topics as:
- Advanced criminal investigations
- Undercover detective operations
- Working with informants
- Interviewing vulnerable victims
- Suspect interrogation
- Investigations and prosecutions
- Conducting domestic violence investigations
Specialized Units within the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office Investigations Division
Detective jobs with the FCSO’s Investigations Division are divided into several areas of specialization:
- Fugitive Unit
- Child Support Enforcement
- Special Investigations
- Federal Task Forces
- Internet Crimes Against Children
- Narcotics K9
- Detective Bureau
- Auto Squad
- Check Squad
- Crimes Against People
- Juvenile
- Stalking
- Courts Liaison
- Crimes Against Property
- Domestic Violence
- Electronic Forensics