The Pay Scale for a Criminal Profiler
Criminal profilers do not exist as a separate job, at least not as portrayed in popular culture. Instead, the task of profiling, or determining the possible characteristics of a criminal, are normally performed by detectives or criminal investigators. Much of this work is done by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, though state and local police forces also have this expertise. Pay depends on the type of work.
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FBI
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The task of criminal profiling falls to supervisory special agents who work at the National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crimes in Quantico, Virginia. They use methodical investigation, crime-solving experience, and deductive and inductive reasoning to determine criminal behavior. Special agents do not become eligible for this job until they’ve had at least three years of experience. However, because the position is so competitive, agents typically need at least eight to 10 years of service. The most important background is investigating violent crimes such homicides, rapes and abductions.
FBI Salaries
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Special agents are paid using the same tables for all government law-enforcement positions. These tables divide pay into grade levels assigned according to education and experience. Each grade is further divided into 10 steps to cover intermediate raises between levels. In addition, locality pay, which takes into account the costs of living in an assigned area, further affects pay. New agents normally start at Grade 10, which has an annual Step 1 salary of $58,752 for the Washington, DC, Virginia and Maryland area. However, supervisory special agents have typically reached Grade 14 or higher. Grade 14, Step 1 pay starts at $105,211 per year, while Grade 15, Step 1 compensation is at $123,758 per year.
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Detectives
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Detectives and criminal investigators at the state and local level also include criminal profiling among their investigative tasks. Those who want to reach this level, however, must start as police officers, which requires at least a high-school education, or in some departments, some postsecondary education or a college degree. Recruits then go through 12 to 14 weeks of a police academy before becoming fully employed. Promotion to detective usually requires several years experience as an officer, the passing of a detective exam and an opening for the job in the officer’s agency.
Detective Salaries
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The Bureau of Labor Statistics states as of May 2010 that detectives earned a mean $35.10 per hour, or $73,010 per year, with the lowest 10 percent making $18.68 per hour, or $38,850 per year, and the highest 10 percent at a mean $57.37 per hour, or $119,320 per year. Those working in local government earned a mean $29.78 per hour, or $61,930 per year, while those at the state level averaged $26.13 per hour, or $54,340 per year.
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References
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