To become a Private Investigator in Maryland does not require a Private Investigator course.
In fact, no official Maryland state Private Investigator training of any kind is needed.
Furthermore, investigative experience is also not required. All you need is a PI sponsor/ employer and you can get a Maryland Private Investigator's license. However, you won't be able to work for yourself with a Maryland PI license.
Maryland Private Investigator Sponsor
To become a Private Investigator in Maryland, you need to be hired by a local Private Investigator agency as well as meet the basic requirements. Getting hired as a PI in Maryland 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.
Maryland PI Business License
To become a Private Investigator in Maryland and work for yourself you need a Private Investigator "business license," which requires verified experience.
Learning Investigation in Maryland
When you get your Maryland PI license, you'll need to know how to perform investigations. After learning how to perform investigations, you can simply work as a Private Investigator in Maryland. It is recommended that you first learn how to perform investigations relevant to the PI industry, such as surveillance. The fact that Maryland does not have Private Investigator requirements that regard PI education/ experience does not mean that the quality of investigations is less in Maryland than in other states. In fact, due to poor state industry standards, having a PI license in general does not make you a qualified Investigator regardless of experience/ education requirements. The poor industry standard come from the non-relevant experience most, if not all, states require of you to become a licensed Private Investigator. This non-relevant experience can be education degrees and non-PI investigative experience.
Maryland Private Investigator License Requirements
Maryland State Police: Private Detective Unit
Private Detective (PI Beginner) License Requirements
You must be 18yo or older.
You need a clean criminal and personal record.
You must be legally allowed to work in Maryland.
You will need a Maryland PI sponsor/ employer before applying.
The Maryland PI application will only be accepted if typed directly in the PDF before printing.
To get hired in Maryland you need PI experience. If you don't have experience, you should take a PI SKILLS COURSE.
Private Detective Aptitude Test
Private Investigator Salary Maryland
Maryland State Police
Licensing Division
1111 Reisterstown Road
Pikesville, MD 21208
Attn.: Licensing Services Section - Private Detective Unit
Maryland State Police: Private Detective Unit
Private Detective BUSINESS License Experience Requirements
Five years of PI experience.
or
Five years of law enforcement experience + a police training course.
or
Three years of investigative experience as a Police Detective.
Maryland PI Experience
An industry standard flaw most states have is regulations regarding law enforcement experience.
Most states allow you to obtain a PI license if you have law enforcement experience.
Some states also accept non-PI investigative experience to obtain a PI license.
The problem with states requiring previous investigative experience is that there is no such thing as equivalent Private Investigator experience. Sure, a career in law enforcement will gain you some transferable skills to bring to the PI world. However, an investigative career outside of PI work will not provide you the skill-set to perform what we do the most: single person surveillance for insurance fraud investigations. Furthermore, PIs typically obtain all evidence via quality and litigious video. This is uncommon for most other investigative careers. Being a police officer will not make you a good PI the same way being a PI will not make you a good police officer.
Some states also require you to take an approved PI licensing course. However, these courses typically focus on what laws you need to be aware of. This is of course useful, but new Private Investigators still need to learn how to perform surveillance investigations. The required courses do not focus on what we do most: single person mobile surveillance. Often, these courses do not not even mention single person mobile surveillance. If you are becoming a PI, you need at least 100 hours of surveillance experience to be able to perform safely and meet client's high standards.
Another requirement issue is the acceptance of post-secondary degrees. These degrees that are accepted for PI licensing are typically in the criminal justice field. However, some states accept any post-secondary degree. The issue is, having an educational degree will offer almost no help to you in the Private Investigation industry.
Novel Data Investigative Learning offers the only Private Investigator education courses that focuses on mobile surveillance and understanding the PI industry. For more information on PI education, click here.
Thinking of Becoming a Maryland Private Investigator?
“ICPI Level 100 online Private Investigator Training” is the ultimate blueprint to start your exciting and rewarding career as a real Maryland 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, Maryland 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!