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Protective Services · Updated Aug 2026

Detectives and Criminal Investigators

Conduct investigations related to suspected violations of federal, state, or local laws to prevent or solve crimes.

JVS 2.0.0-phase4b
AI Exposure
59/100
Moderate

How much of this occupation’s work can be materially affected by current AI systems.

Replacement Risk
42/100
Moderate

How likely exposure is to translate into reduced human demand.

Includes provisional estimates for AI adoption pressure and labour-market resilience. How this is measured

Evidence quality
Confidence80/100
Task coverage81%

Confidence reflects task coverage, mapping and capability-evidence quality, and how much of the score rests on provisional inputs.

Task-level evidence

What is driving the score?

Occupation scores are built from the task mix—not a single prediction about a job title.

JVS 2.0.0-phase4b
TaskImportanceAI impactExposure
Analyze completed police reports to determine what additional information and investigative work is needed.High
67
Record progress of investigation, maintain informational files on suspects, and submit reports to commanding officer or magistrate to authorize warrants.High
66
Identify case issues and evidence needed, based on analysis of charges, complaints, or allegations of law violations.High
68
Prepare charges or responses to charges, or information for court cases, according to formalized procedures.High
68
Collaborate with other offices and agencies to exchange information and coordinate activities.High
66
Obtain facts or statements from complainants, witnesses, and accused persons and record interviews, using recording device.High
59
Obtain and verify evidence by interviewing and observing suspects and witnesses or by analyzing records.High
63
Search for and collect evidence, such as fingerprints, using investigative equipment.High
66
Examine records to locate links in chains of evidence or information.High
50
Preserve, process, and analyze items of evidence obtained from crime scenes and suspects, placing them in proper containers and destroying evidence no longer needed.High
67
Obtain summary of incident from officer in charge at crime scene, taking care to avoid disturbing evidence.High
68
Note, mark, and photograph location of objects found, such as footprints, tire tracks, bullets and bloodstains, and take measurements of the scene.High
67
Examine records and governmental agency files to find identifying data about suspects.High
36
Secure persons at scene, keeping witnesses from conversing or leaving the scene before investigators arrive.High
68
Provide information to lab personnel concerning the source of an item of evidence and tests to be performed.High
68
Maintain surveillance of establishments to obtain identifying information on suspects.High
68
Block or rope off scene and check perimeter to ensure that entire scene is secured.High
68
Organize scene search, assigning specific tasks and areas of search to individual officers and obtaining adequate lighting as necessary.High
67
Summon medical help for injured individuals and alert medical personnel to take statements from them.High
72
Notify, or request notification of, medical examiner or district attorney representative.High
37
Check victims for signs of life, such as breathing and pulse.High
68
Question individuals or observe persons and establishments to confirm information given to patrol officers.High
20
Testify before grand juries concerning criminal activity investigations.High
68
Perform undercover assignments and maintain surveillance, including monitoring authorized wiretaps.Medium
32
Secure deceased body and obtain evidence from it, preventing bystanders from tampering with it prior to medical examiner's arrival.High
31
Most exposed

Where AI can do more

Routine, digitized, and highly repeatable tasks face the greatest pressure.

  1. Summon medical help for injured individuals and alert medical personnel to take statements from them.72
  2. Identify case issues and evidence needed, based on analysis of charges, complaints, or allegations of law violations.68
  3. Prepare charges or responses to charges, or information for court cases, according to formalized procedures.68
  4. Obtain summary of incident from officer in charge at crime scene, taking care to avoid disturbing evidence.68
Hardest to automate

Where people still matter

These tasks score lowest on automation feasibility—physical presence, judgement, accountability and real-world variability all resist end-to-end automation.

  1. Question individuals or observe persons and establishments to confirm information given to patrol officers.01
  2. Secure deceased body and obtain evidence from it, preventing bystanders from tampering with it prior to medical examiner's arrival.02
  3. Examine records and governmental agency files to find identifying data about suspects.03
  4. Perform undercover assignments and maintain surveillance, including monitoring authorized wiretaps.04
  5. Analyze completed police reports to determine what additional information and investigative work is needed.05
Where else this work leads

Related occupations

Occupations O*NET links to this one. Relatedness reflects shared work, not a claim that these roles are safer.

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Beyond AI capability

Adoption and labour-market outlook

Structural factors are kept separate from raw capability so you can see what actually resists automation. Adoption pressure and labour-market resilience are still provisional models—25% of this occupation’s replacement-risk weight rests on them.

Human dependency87
Physical dependency60
Adoption pressure61
Labour-market resilience77
Methodology & sources

O*NET 30.3 occupational data interpreted through the JobsVsAI capability, automation and structural-constraint models.

Confidence80/100
CalculatedAug 21, 2026
Read methodology →