To Become a Private Investigator in Colorado is similar to most other places: you need to meet basic Private Investigator requirements such as age, language proficiency, and other usual PI requirements of this nature.
Furthermore, to become a Private Investigator in Colorado, you need to take a government Colorado Private Investigator's license test but not a Private Investigator course or official state Private Investigator training.
PRIVATE DETECTIVE APTITUDE TEST
Colorado PI Sponsor
To become a Private Investigator in Colorado, you need to be hired by a local Private Investigator agency as well as meet the basic requirements. Getting hired as a PI in Colorado requires experience. If you do not have investigative experience, you should take a PI course that focuses on practical skills: Intro to a Career as a PI 100.
Colorado Office of Private Investigator Licenses
In Colorado, the government body that controls licensed Colorado Investigators is the Office of Private Investigator Licenses under the purview of Department of Regulatory Agencies. So, it is the OPIL that will administer the PI test. Once you submit the proof of your ability to meet the requirements and completion of the licensing test to OPIL, you will get your Colorado PI beginner’s license. This is where your struggle will begin.
Colorado PI Beginner License
Your PI beginner’s license in Colorado is called “Level 1 Private Investigator.”
This license means you must work "under supervision" of a fully licensed Colorado PI.
However, the term “under supervision” will be in namesake only. You will not be supervised or guided by an experienced Colorado PI. In fact, PI agencies are not economically structured to have mentor/ student surveillance teams. And that Colorado licensing test you took? It does not teach investigation/ surveillance, only what laws Colorado Private Investigators need to be aware of. This is of course useful; however, new Colorado Private Investigators still need to know how to be successful working surveillance operations.
Colorado Private Investigator License Requirements
LEVEL 1 Colorado Private Investigator
You need to be 21yo or older.
You need to be an American citizen/ legal resident.
You cannot have a history of mental illness.
You must have a clean criminal and personal record.
You need to take and pass the Colorado Private Investigator test.
You must get hired by a Colorado Detective agency.
To get hired in Colorado you need PI experience. If you don't have experience, you should take a PI SKILLS COURSE.
Private Detective Aptitude Test
Private Investigator Salary Colorado
Apply For a Colorado Private Investigator License Online
Office of Private Investigator Licensure
1560 Broadway, Suite 1350
Denver, CO 80202
So, the time comes for you to work investigations in Colorado with no Private Investigator experience or education. The licensing test you took focused on legal matters with no real practical Private Investigator training or topics. You will always be told by employers that “soon you will get some PI training,” which never happens. It took me over five years to figure out the industry and get good at a few specialized fields. During that time, I struggled and probably lost several hundred thousand dollars due to losing work opportunities from a lack of skill and education. What is sad is that this is a common story in the industry. If you make it through this meat grinder with over 4000hrs of Colorado PI experience, you will qualify for a full PI license (Level 2). This basically means you can open your own PI agency. Hopefully, when you are hiring new Private Investigators, you will appreciate the importance of proper PI education.
Full Colorado Private Investigator License (Level 2) Requirements
You need 4000hrs of Private Investigator or law enforcement experience.
You need to take and pass the Colorado Private Investigator test.
Thinking of Becoming a Colorado Private Investigator?
“ICPI Level 100 online Private Investigator Training” is the ultimate blueprint to start your exciting and rewarding career as a real Colorado Private Investigator.
ICPI will help you start successfully in this amazing new career, even if you know nothing about investigations.
Our team has vetted out the best training and investigative methods so that you can jump-start your journey towards having the meaningful career you’ve always wanted, immediately.
This training system will provide you, a successful detective, with all the templates that you need to succeed. A clear path on becoming a PI, understanding the PI business, becoming a successful PI, and thinking like a detective- all the tools you need to make six figures being an investigative Operative.
To date, this online training system consists of over 100 informational slides, videos, exercises and quizzes that provide a step-by-step path on how to achieve your dream job as a Private Investigator.
ICPI Level 100 takes about two weeks to complete with over 30 hours of high-quality training content that will make you a Private Investigator well on your way to becoming an expert in this fascinating career.
Certification
Get a certificate that "actually" matters. When you get certified by Novel Data in the 100 Level course, Colorado Private Investigator agencies will be aware that you understand the PI industry. This will give you a great competitive edge in the PI job market. Most PI applicants know very little about the PI job they are applying to. Not you. A PI hiring manager will not want to risk turnaround by hiring someone unfamiliar with the industry, they will choose an applicant who is familiar with what will be expected of them. With Novel Data's certification, that applicant will be you!
Become a Great Colorado PI
Yes, you can become a great Colorado Private Investigator. How? Through Private Investigator education. Not through the short Colorado government licensing course, but through at least 100hrs of practical Private Investigator education. This can be online Private Investigator training classes or in an in-class training environment. In order to become a successful Colorado Private Investigator and meet Private Investigator requirements, you need to become educated on the complexities of the private investigation industry (this will also help you decide if you want to pursue the PI career) and how to set yourself up to become a successful Private Investigator. Secondly, you will need to become educated on how to perform investigations.
To learn the complexities of the Colorado private investigation industry you will need to understand a few Private Investigator industry topics. Regional licensing requirements for Private Investigators will teach you what you need to obtain your Colorado Private Investigator license. To help you decide if you want to enter the career of private investigation you, will have to learn the common misconceptions about the Private Investigation industry. Understanding the learning curve of a Private Investigator will set you up to become a successful PI.
Before entering the Colorado PI industry, it is useful to know the challenges encountered as a Professional Private Investigator. This will also help you make career decisions. Then you need to learn what you will be doing as a Private Investigator. Learning the areas of specialization as a Professional Private Investigator and types of clients and corresponding file requirements will help with this. You will need to learn how Colorado Investigators obtain assignments and hours of work to determine if this work environment is right for you.
If you are concerned about your ability to perform as a Colorado Private Investigator and how to be a Private Investigator that is successful, learning what factors will determine your aptitude as a Professional Private Investigator and what makes a “good” Professional Private Investigator will be essential. It is also important to know the physical and health requirements and health considerations. Then there is equipment. Learning about equipment needed in order to get started in a career as a Professional Private Investigator is a must.
Furthermore, you will need to educate yourself on communication devices and their role in private investigation. Lastly and most importantly, you must learn “The Investigative Mindset.” This will teach you how to think like a Private Investigator. After you learn these concepts, you will be well on your way to becoming a Private Investigator even without experience.
After learning the complexities of the Colorado private investigation industry, you will need to develop practical skills in various areas. The most important areas are Desk Investigations, Pre-surveillance, surveillance, mobile vehicle surveillance, on-foot surveillance, obtaining evidence, and litigious reporting. To learn Desk Investigations, you will need to understand what is a Desk Investigation, Desk Investigation nomenclature, corroborated/ circumstantial evidence, The Evidence Document, The Desk Investigators Mindset, Google Basics for North America, and social media search basics for North America. Surveillance will be the largest subject to learn. Under this field you should learn about setting up a proper surveillance vehicle, surveillance spot checks, and surveillance set ups for various investigative operations.
As a Colorado Private Investigator, you will spend the majority of your time performing investigations solo. This is why learning single person surveillance is crucial. Furthermore, you will occasionally work in surveillance teams, so you will need to learn how to perform surveillance with two or more surveillance operatives. Colorado Private Investigators perform a lot of their surveillance from a surveillance vehicle, but also on foot, you will need to learn this also. The entire reason Colorado Private Investigators are hired, is to obtain evidence. Obviously, learning how to obtain evidence, mostly in video form, is a must. As a Colorado Private Investigator, you will need to obtain quality video that is litigious and that will satisfy your client. At the end of all this, you will need to learn how to create an investigative report that will most likely be used in litigation. After you learn all of this, you will have no trouble becoming a successful Colorado Private Investigator.
It should be apparent now, why and how you can become a Colorado Private Investigator. Yes, the government licensing course is necessary but it will not set you up for success as a Private Investigator. You will always need at least 100hrs of practical Private Investigator education. You will need to learn the PI industry, as well as how to perform. In fact, becoming a Private Investigator through proper education will set you up to become more successful than Investigators with many years of experience but who have not developed a strong foundation with proper Private Investigator education.
What You Need to Learn to Become a successful Colorado PI
Regional licensing requirements for Colorado Professional Private Investigators
Common misconceptions about the Private Investigation industry
The learning curve of a Professional Private investigator
Personal challenges encountered as a Colorado Professional Private Investigator
Areas of specialization as a Colorado Professional Private Investigator
Types of Colorado clients and corresponding file requirements
How Colorado Investigators obtain assignments and hours of work
What factors will determine your aptitude as a Professional Private Investigator
What makes a “good” Professional Private Investigator?
Physical health requirements and health considerations
Equipment needed in order to get started in a career as a Professional Private Investigator
Equipment Map
Computers, tablets and peripherals
Common terminology
NATO Phonetic Alphabet
The Investigative Mindset
What You Need to Learn to "Perform" Colorado Investigations
How CO Desk Investigations are performed
Finding people who intentionally disappear
Corroborated & circumstantial evidence
What is evidence & how to structure it
The Evidence Document
Google as an investigative tool
Background checks in CO
Daily Gear Protocol
Data & evidence security
CO surveillance
Pre-surveillance research