Why do detectives in the US have to start their careers as beat cops?

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I understand why it might have started out this way when police forces were first becoming established, but why does it continue to be this way?

These seem like entirely different skill sets, and surely it’s easier to teach them basic police skills as part of their training rather than having them stay as beat cops for several years first.

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Anonymous 0 Comments

You can train someone but you cannot simulate real life experience. Without having a solid grasp of the job and what the situation is on the streets, detectives cannot hope to be able to do their job well enough if they only have theoretical training.

If you’ve ever encountered a boss dictating his employees how to do their job without ever having done it himself, you can realise why that’s a good system.

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