Detective Training
Institute Mailing Address: P.O. Box 909,
San Juan Capistrano, California 92693-0909 Telephone: (888) 425-9338,
Fax: (949) 498-4751, website:
www.DetectiveTraining.com
Course: Private Investigator Objective: Become a
Private Investigator Type of Program: Non-Degree, Diploma
MISSION AND PURPOSE DTI’s provides valuable training to people who
are willing to work as private investigators but cannot do so without
proper training and instruction in the field of private investigation.
The school was founded to provide its graduates with the necessary job
skills to perform private investigations to the satisfaction of their
employers, or to work independently on their own after meeting their
state’s licensing requirements.
In DTI’s course, there is an
emphasis on different types of investigative work, and the role and
functions of private investigators. You’ll learn the various practices
and techniques used in private investigation, enhance your ability to
perform effective record searches through public information sources,
and learn how to decipher and summarize court files in public documents
and various types of investigations. You will also learn how to gather
and evaluate facts and properly gather evidence and develop witness and
statements through interviews. You'll develop further skills needed for
investigations in such specialized areas as background searches,
insurance fraud, personal injury, surveillance, skip tracing, and
missing persons. Finally, you'll learn about the investigative
opportunities in the business community. You’ll learn how to create
opportunities for employment through contacts, networking, and other
resources.
EMPLOYMENT PLACEMENT SERVICES
DTI does not
provide employment placement services. The school does not release graduate names to
private parties seeking to employ the student to conduct investigations
since the student would be required to be state licensed to offer such
services.
OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENTS You do not need to be
licensed to learn private investigation or conduct your own personal
investigations. However, if you intend to advertise your services to
solicit business from the general public, you must apply for a state
license. Generally, you will be required to work under another
investigator’s license for a period of two to three years to fulfill
your state’s experiential requirements before becoming licensed.
The following are general requirements for private investigators in
states with licensing laws for private investigators and for positions
in private industry. However, they vary from state to state and with
different private agencies. Verify the private investigator licensing
laws in your state before enrolling.
Applicants must be at least
18, 21, or 25 years of age depending on the state. Private industry
usually requires the applicant to be at least 18 years of age. There is
no maximum age limit. States with licensing laws usually give written
examinations, but never oral examinations. Private industry may require
written examinations and oral interviews.
Many states may require
a licensing fee and/or posting a bond. Some states require you to have
one to three years of work experience/internship as a private
investigator trainee before applying for a state license. Applicants
must be in generally good health although many minor handicaps that do
not severely affect the ability to perform the job are acceptable. These
same requirements apply in private industry. Candidates applying for
state licensing or for private industry must have a good moral character
with no felony convictions, no history of personal maladjustments, and
no treatment for mental and/or psychological disorders of any type.
ADMISSIONS DTI is an equal
opportunity institution and admits applicants without regard to race
religion, sex, age, color, national origin, physical disability, or
place of residence, and offers education to anyone who meets the
admissions standards and can benefit from the training.
To
qualify for admission to the school, a student must 1) be able to read
and write, 2) be a minimum age of 18 years old with a high school
diploma or equivalent, 3) be of good moral character with no felony
convictions, no history of personal maladjustments, and no treatment for
mental and/or psychological disorders of any type.
DTI accepts
admissions on any regular business day. The applicant will receive
prompt notification of acceptance or rejection of admission.
Instructional materials are emailed and mailed to the student when the
application is accepted, which marks the beginning of the enrollment
period. Additional materials are mailed as required to ensure
maintenance of student progress.
All course lessons and
communications are in English. DTI does not offer English as a Second
Language (ESL) instruction.
DTI grants no credit toward
completion for previous education or training. The school does not award
credit for prior experiential learning or other education or experience.
DTI has not entered into a transfer of credits agreement with any
other college or university.
COURSE LENGTH AND HOURS The
complete DTI course consists of 35 lessons—700 hours.
INSTRUCTIONAL METHOD The
educational program is conducted with combination of printed and online
correspondence instruction. We designed all of DTI's video instruction
and printed materials for guided independent study. This approach
requires constant effort on the part of the student, encouraged by
frequent evaluation from the teacher. Each lesson includes written
instructional materials with clear directions for the learning
assignments to be completed. Demonstration of mastery of the instruction
by the student is tied to the sequence of the presentation of the
material to measure the students’ learning of the material. This is
accomplished by in-field exercises that enable students to evaluate
their progress. DTI records evaluations of required
mail-in examinations and assignments and these form
a part of the student’s permanent record. DTI grants credit for coursework when a
student has passed all exams in the course.
ATTENDANCE
REQUIREMENTS DTI is a correspondence/distant learning school that
offers no classroom instruction and has no attendance requirements.
Students must complete the total course within two years maximum.
However, DTI encourages students to submit for correction and grading at
least one study unit (five lessons) per three-month period.
GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS You graduate the private investigator program
when you have completed all seven course examinations with an overall
grade average of C or better and have met all financial obligations.
DTI
has no final exam or internship requirements for graduation.
STUDENT RECORDS State law requires DTI to maintain student records
for each student, whether or not the student completes the educational
service, for a period of five years after the date of the student’s
graduation, withdrawal, or termination.
NOTICE CONCERNING
TRANSFERABILITY OF CREDITS AND CREDENTIALS EARNED AT OUR INSTITUTION
The transferability of credits you earn at Detective Training
Institute is at the complete discretion of an institution to which you
may seek to transfer. Acceptance of the diploma you earn in the private
investigator program is also at the complete discretion of the
institution to which you may seek to transfer. If the diploma that you
earn at this institution is not accepted at the institution to which you
seek to transfer, you may be required to repeat some or all of your
course work at the institution. For this reason you should make certain
that your attendance at this institution will meet your educational
goals. This may include contacting an institution to which you may seek
to transfer after attending Detective Training Institute to determine if
your diploma will transfer.
ENROLLMENT
PERIOD LIMITS AND LEAVES OF ABSENCE You may begin your enrollment
period on any business day, and progress at your own pace, but you must
complete the coursework within 24 months. The enrollment period may be
extended, upon written request of the student and approval by the School
Director.
DTI may grant a leave of absence up to six months to
students who are temporarily unable to continue their studies due to
personal circumstances or emergencies. During a leave of absence,
DTI
places a student’s enrollment period on hold. At the end of the
designated period, students are expected to resume course study.
To receive a leave of absence, you must send a request by email or
letter to the School Director, detailing the reasons for the request and
the time period of leave requested (not to exceed six months). Should
circumstances change at any time during the leave period, you may notify
the school that you wish to end your leave of absence, and you may
resume coursework at that time.
ACADEMIC PROBATION
DTI’s
Academic Probation system functions to warn students of impending
academic problems and to provide remedial assistance if needed. We give
all students the opportunity to succeed.
If you fail two exams,
DTI will send a letter to alert you of potential academic problems.
Failing three exams will make you a candidate for academic probation and
allow the school to step in and offer special instruction and counseling
with the opportunity to meet standards upon re-examination. Failure to
meet grade standards and the terms of probation will result in
dismissal.
STUDENT SERVICES
DTI offers students
instruction on “How to Study” and “How to Get the Most out of the
Instruction.” We make instructional assistance available to students for
help on lessons, exams, exercises, grades, transcripts, and lesson
shipments via email or fax. We give written consultation concentrating
on how to improve study skills and performance to
students who are having difficulty in completing
lessons satisfactorily. DTI gives students who ask for assistance the
appropriate time and attention to help them deal with their problems
satisfactorily.
DISMISSAL POLICY
DTI reserves the right,
subject to the Tuition and Refund Policy, to terminate a student from
the program for the following reasons:
- Criminal arrest record, falsifying Personal Background Data Form, history of personal maladjustments or treatment for mental/or psychological disorders of any kind
- Use of the training to subvert the law or cause harm or fraud to others
- Failure to demonstrate reasonable and successful progress in the program
- Inability to benefit from the instruction
- Failure to maintain tuition payment agreement
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STUDENT GRIEVANCES Students seeking to resolve problems or
complaints should first contact
Student Services.
STUDENT’S RIGHT TO CANCEL: DTI’S LIBERAL CANCELLATION AND REFUND
POLICY If, for any reason, you are unable to continue this course,
you are fully protected by our liberal cancellation and refund policy:
- 100% REFUND WITHIN 15 DAYS! The first 15 days are a trial period and it begins when you receive the
lessons. When the lessons arrive, please examine them carefully. Assure yourself that they are what you expected and that you will be able to do the work that is required of you. If you decide that you do not want to proceed, notify us by phone, email, or letter and YOUR MONEY WILL BE REFUNDED IN FULL.*
- If you must stop your training after the 15-day trial period, notify the school at once and return all unused
lesson materials. The school will keep the pro rata charge for each
lesson completed and serviced. All other paid-in-advance tuition will be subject to a prompt refund.*
- If you choose to have all course materials sent to you at one time, you will not be eligible for a refund.
This standard policy protects DTI against a
student ordering the entire course, photocopying it,
and then returning it for a full refund.
*All refunds made after receipt of the materials minus any non-refundable postage fee.
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COURSE SYLLABUS
Lesson |
Title |
Lesson |
Title |
Lesson 1 |
World of the Private Investigator |
Lesson 18 |
Arson
Investigation |
Lesson 2 |
Investigative Records and Resources |
Lesson 19 |
Workers
Compensation Investigation |
Lesson 3 |
Interviewing, Interrogation, and Statements |
Lesson 20 |
Writing
Reports and Testifying in Court |
Lesson 4 |
Private Process Servers |
Lesson 21 |
Missing
Persons Investigation |
Lesson 5 |
Marital Investigations |
Lesson 22 |
Parental
Kidnapping Investigation |
Lesson 6 |
Employee Theft Investigation |
Lesson 23 |
Skip Tracing |
Lesson 7 |
Undercover Operations |
Lesson 24 |
Bounty
Hunting |
Lesson 8 |
Surveillance and Surveillance Photography |
Lesson 25 |
Auto
Repossession |
Lesson 9 |
Automobile Surveillance |
Lesson 26 |
Asset
Investigation |
Lesson 10 |
Foot Surveillance |
Lesson 27 |
Business
Intelligence Investigations |
Lesson 11 |
Shoplifting Detection and Shopping
Investigations |
Lesson 28 |
Industrial
Espionage Investigation and Counter Measures |
Lesson 12 |
Vehicle and Foot Pursuit |
Lesson 29 |
Electronic
Surveillance and Counter Measures |
Lesson 13 |
Arrest Procedures and Tactics |
Lesson 30 |
Computer
Crime Investigation |
Lesson 14 |
Personal and Private Background
Investigations |
Lesson 31 |
Bodyguard
Training |
Lesson 15 |
Employment Related Background
Investigations |
Lesson 32 |
Executive
Protection Training |
Lesson 16 |
Legal Investigations |
Lesson 33 |
Investigating
by Computer |
Lesson 17 |
Insurance Fraud Investigation |
Lesson 34 |
Getting a Job
as a Private Investigator |
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Lesson 35 |
Starting and
Operating Your Own Agency |
SUPPLEMENTAL INSTRUCTION
AND RESOURCES |
MULTIMEDIA TRAINING LIBRARY You will have access to the school’s
multimedia library to receive video instruction. These self-paced
instructional videos give you the opportunity to observe investigative
practices that are difficult to demonstrate in printed lessons. You will
also receive the Detective Agency Tape Series instruction to hear
conversations between investigators and new clients and appropriate
responses, demonstrating the variety of reasons why clients hire private
investigators.
SPECIAL TOPICS You will receive short,
specialized, and independent instruction on a variety of related topics
essential to the development of your investigative skills. Topics range
from Dynamics of Eye-Witness Perception to Sexual Harassment
Investigations.
RESOURCE DOCUMENTS These important
directories, indexes, guides, and checklists outline the many procedural
steps needed to facilitate access to many government and private
agencies to obtain information necessary to conduct investigations.
EQUIPMENT CATALOG This comprehensive catalog illustrates the
many investigative aids and devices available to the private
investigator for conducting assignments. Students are not required to
purchase equipment to complete their training.
IN-FIELD
DETECTIVE FIELD EXERCISES Actual field assignments prepare you for
real-life, on-the-job assignments carried out as a private investigator.
Some of these assignments include performing auto and foot surveillance,
searching public records at government offices, and conducting online
research and investigations.
GRADING SYSTEM Detective
Training Institute uses a number-letter system of grading, with number
grades being assigned to mail-in assignments, and letter grades to
projects and completed courses. DTI determines the letter grade for each
course by obtaining a mathematical average of the course mail-in
assignments. We convert letter grades for courses to grade points for
the purpose of computing the grade point average. Grade points range
from 4.0 for an A grade to 0 for an F grade or I for incomplete.
Numerical Grade |
Letter Grade |
Rating |
Grade Point Equivalent |
90-100 |
A |
Excellent |
4.0 |
80-89 |
B |
Good |
3.0 |
70-79 |
C |
Average |
2.0 |
60-69 |
D |
Passing |
1.0 |
Below 60 |
F |
Fail (no
credit) |
0 |
You may convert a failing grade on a mail-in assignment to a passing
grade by satisfactorily completing a make-up assignment or examination.
COURSE TUITION Tuition: $799.00 Shipping: 49.00 Maximum Total
Cost: $848.00
FEDERAL AND STATE FINANCIAL AID The school
does not participate in any federal or state financial aid programs,
including grants, scholarships, student loans, or the GI Bill.
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