Also called: Vice Detective, Undercover Officer
Poses as a buyer or criminal to investigate drug dealing and organized crime from the inside.
Undercover officers grow out their hair, adopt fake identities, and buy drugs from dealers while a cover team watches. Cases can take months. The work is stressful and requires excellent acting and judgment.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 5 years after high school. Police academy plus several years as a patrol officer, then selection and specialized training.
Ways in: On-the-job training. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Criminal Justice, Psychology.
Growing about average (about 3% over 10 years). Police and detectives 2024-34 (approx.); specialty units are small.
Low risk for 10 years. Phone analytics and wiretap transcription speed cases; earning trust inside a crew stays human.
Classes: Theater / drama, Psychology, Spanish, Sociology.
Official data: O*NET occupation 33-3021.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.