Polygraph examiner to police detective
A polygraph examiner already meets 23% of what the police detective role asks for. The move turns on 10 required skills not yet in the profile.
71.9/ 100
1 How much of what a police detective is expected to do is already part of a polygraph examiner’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the police detective role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A police detective role treats 4 of its required skills as things a polygraph examiner already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- analyse legal evidence
- conduct research interview
- criminology
- investigation research methods
What stands in the way is 10 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 6 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A police detective role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a polygraph examiner background worth leading with.
- already held investigation research methods services
- already held criminology social sciences, journalism and information
- already held present evidence communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held analyse legal evidence information skills
- already held criminal law business, administration and law
- already held conduct research interview communication, collaboration and creativity
All 6 carried skills, including the 4 the police detective role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 27 missing skills fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn handle case evidence required
- still to learn hear witness accounts required
- still to learn maintain operational communications required
- optional, not held apply knowledge of human behaviour optional
- optional, not held conduct public presentations optional
- optional, not held write situation reports optional
- still to learn lead police investigations required
- still to learn develop investigation strategy required
- still to learn examine crime scenes required
- optional, not held investigate forgery cases optional
- optional, not held perform drug investigations optional
- still to learn form operational strategies for law enforcement required
- still to learn ensure law application required
- optional, not held apply first response optional
- optional, not held control crowd optional
- optional, not held detain offenders optional
- optional, not held ensure compliance with types of weapons optional
- optional, not held ensure information security optional
- optional, not held identify security threats optional
- optional, not held practice vigilance optional
- optional, not held restrain individuals optional
- optional, not held use personal protection equipment optional
- still to learn legal use-of-force required
- optional, not held legal requirements related to ammunition optional
- optional, not held legal research optional
- still to learn law enforcement required
- optional, not held first response optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a police detective role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 form operational strategies for law enforcement practise this
- 02 lead police investigations practise this
- 03 develop investigation strategy practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 6 skills that carry over
- already held analyse legal evidence skill
- already held conduct research interview skill
- already held criminology knowledge
- already held investigation research methods knowledge
- already held criminal law knowledge
- already held present evidence skill
17 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held first response optional
- optional, not held investigate forgery cases optional
- optional, not held legal requirements related to ammunition optional
- optional, not held perform drug investigations optional
- optional, not held apply first response optional
- optional, not held apply knowledge of human behaviour optional
- optional, not held conduct public presentations optional
- optional, not held control crowd optional
- optional, not held detain offenders optional
- optional, not held ensure compliance with types of weapons optional
- optional, not held ensure information security optional
- optional, not held identify security threats optional
- optional, not held legal research optional
- optional, not held practice vigilance optional
- optional, not held restrain individuals optional
- optional, not held use personal protection equipment optional
- optional, not held write situation reports optional
22 held skills the police detective role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role assess character skill
- not needed by the target role assist police investigations skill
- not needed by the target role comply with legal regulations skill
- not needed by the target role create criminal profiles skill
- not needed by the target role deal with aggressive behaviour skill
- not needed by the target role document interviews skill
- not needed by the target role forensic intelligence knowledge
- not needed by the target role human physiology knowledge
- not needed by the target role interrogate individuals skill
- not needed by the target role interview techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role maintain professional administration skill
- not needed by the target role manage tests skill
- not needed by the target role observe confidentiality skill
- not needed by the target role observe human behaviour skill
- not needed by the target role profile people skill
- not needed by the target role promote human rights skill
- not needed by the target role provide testimony in court hearings skill
- not needed by the target role psychology knowledge
- not needed by the target role psychophysiology knowledge
- not needed by the target role report analysis results skill
- not needed by the target role use technology for forensics skill
- not needed by the target role write work-related reports skill
5 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn law enforcement required
- still to learn legal use-of-force required
- optional, not held first response optional
- optional, not held legal requirements related to ammunition optional
- optional, not held legal research optional
Common questions about this move
Can a polygraph examiner become a police detective?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A polygraph examiner already covers 23% of what a police detective is expected to do: 6 skills carry over, 4 of which the police detective role treats as required.
What skills does a polygraph examiner need to become a police detective?
10 required skills are missing, plus 17 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is form operational strategies for law enforcement.
How hard is the move from polygraph examiner to police detective?
Its learning distance is 71.9 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.