Advice for new detectives?

[Jeff22]

"Your new goal should be to think like a prosecutor. You want to learn what your prosecutors will file on and what they won't, what they want to see in a PC, anticipate their questions ahead of time, etc. If you get a good reputation with whoever screens your cases it's going to make your life a lot easier AND they'll give you the benefit of the doubt when you want a warrant, have PC, but don't have enough for conviction yet." --And then share that information with your smarter and more motivated patrol guys when you can. Help them to be better too

"If you don't have them already, get copies of your jurisdiction's' Uniform Jury Instructions . It will make writing warrants and complaints much easier and clearer for whoever signs off on your cases, saving you work and building your reputation. Digital copies on a work phone work well, along with cheat sheets of statutes, SOPs, etc.: Another great idea. The Jury Instructions can be your friend

"If your writing skills are not excellent, then get them to a level of excellence. Take a course if you have to, but learn to write clearly, concisely and with razor precision. Look for examples of great affidavits for search warrants, arrest warrants, case reports, etc. and learn from them. Be very cautious about using boiler plate language that you've cut/pasted unless you want to have the experience of having it stuck in your nether regions one day in court." The work product of a police officer is a written report. If you don't like writing reports and aren't good at it, you're in the wrong job

"Stay extremely familiar with your body of statutory and case law for your jurisdiction and assignment. Realize there is the statutory law, case law....and prosecutor's law! Know what the prosecutor wants/needs/demands for a case and what is their "no go" line. You won't like some of it, but it is necessary to get things done. Become the guy in your agency that folks depend on to make great cases that really stick." The prosecutor is your customer. It's good to find out what they need

"Be prepared to disprove all the suspect’s alibis as well as proving the elements of the crime."

One of the great regrets of my career is that I never had anybody well rounded and competent around to be a mentor and advisor in the early years of my career. As a result, I never learned all the things that maybe I could have. Select a good advisor (if there is one) and if you have the opportunity to mentor somebody who will actually pay attention to what to you tell them and apply it, then take that opportunity

[cmbarny2]

Don't forget you came from patrol.

Information sharing, especially when it pertains to officer safety you've learned on a case should be shared back with patrol.

That's the two things I have right now.

[spj]

5 TO 7 years max and then gtfo. I did 5 too many before moving on.