Editing Detective (section)

==Techniques==

===Street work===
[[File:Edward Bonney.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Edward Bonney]], an American [[bounty hunter]] and amateur detective from [[Iowa]] who in 1845 infiltrated the "[[Banditti of the Prairie]]", wrote the 1850 book ''The Banditti of the Prairies: or, The murderer's doom, a tale of Mississippi Valley and the Far West''; woodcut from 1850.]]

Detectives have a wide variety of techniques available in conducting investigations. However, the majority of cases are solved by the interrogation of suspects and the interviewing of witnesses,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Adekola |first=Alex |title=A Majority Of Cases Are Solved By Detectives Interviewing Suspects And Material Witnesses |url=https://removemymugshot.org/criminal-cases-solved/ |access-date=2023-02-17 |website= |date=17 February 2023 |language=en-US |archive-date=2023-02-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230217172212/https://removemymugshot.org/criminal-cases-solved/ |url-status=live }}</ref> which takes time. Detectives may also use their network of informants, which they have built up over the years. Informants often have connections with people a detective would not be able to approach formally. Evidence collection and preservation can also help in identifying a potential suspect(s).

===Criminal investigation===
[[File:Day 293 - West Midlands Police - Child Online Safeguarding Team (8102352763).jpg|thumb|Detectives of the [[West Midlands Police]] in the United Kingdom surrounded by electronic devices seized as evidence]]

Investigation of criminal activity is conducted by the police. Criminal activity can relate to road use such as speeding, drunk driving, or to matters such as theft, drug distribution, assault, fraud, etc. When the police have concluded their investigation, a decision on whether to charge somebody with a criminal offence will (depending on legal jurisdiction) often be made by prosecuting counsel having considered the evidence produced by the police.

In criminal investigations, once a detective has suspects in mind, the next step is to produce evidence that will stand up in a court of law. One way is to obtain a confession from the suspect; usually, this is done by developing rapport and, at times, by seeking information in exchange for potential perks available through the attorney's office, such as entering for a lesser sentence in exchange for usable information. In some countries, detectives may lie, mislead and psychologically pressure a suspect into an admission or confession as long as they do this within procedural boundaries and without the threat of violence or promises outside their control. This is not permitted in [[England and Wales]], where interview of suspects and witnesses is governed by the [[Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984]] and its extensive Codes of Practice.

===Forensic evidence===
Physical [[Forensic identification|forensic evidence]] in an investigation may provide leads to closing a case. [[Forensic science]] (often shortened to forensics) is the application of a broad spectrum of sciences to answer questions of interest to the legal system. This may be in relation to a crime or to a civil action. Many major police stations in a city, county, or state, maintain their own forensic laboratories while others contract out the services.

===Records investigation===
Detectives may use public and private records to provide background information on a subject. Police detectives can search through files of fingerprint records. Police maintain records of people who have committed [[Felony|felonies]] and some [[misdemeanor]]s. Detectives may search through records of criminal arrests and convictions, photographs or "''mug shots''" of persons arrested, hotel registration information, credit reports, [[answering machine]] messages, phone conversations, surveillance camera footage, and technology used for communication.