What is unique about a homicide detective?

Answer 1

Okay, to answer this question, let's break it into two questions: What is a detective, and what is homicide?

A detective, also known as an investigator, is a police officer whose job is to investigate crimes. They often interview witnesses and suspect(s) in order to solve a case (crime).

Homicide is defined as the taking of one life by a member of the same species (homo= same, -cide = to kill). A homicide ranges from one of two justifiable offenses (self-defense or accident), to one of several degrees of criminal homicide, which severity of offense ranges from manslaughter by culpable negligence to capital murder.

So a homicide detective, or homicide investigator, in short, is a police officer who is a member of the Homicide division of a law-enforcement agency, and accordingly, whose job is to investigate homicide cases.

Answer 2

In police heirarchy the homicide detective reins supreme. Many started as patrol cops and worked their way up the ladder. The good ones work very hard. Many people don't realize that when assigned a case the detectives may work around the clock until it's resolved. Unless of course those cases that drag on for months or years. It really is true that the first 24 to 48 hours after a murder is the best time to solve the crime. If it goes over a few days, the chances of resolution dwindle as time goes on.