Longtime private investigators say the Massachusetts State Police is denying their license renewal applications. The PIs say the department is disqualifying police officers and preventing them from working, leaving criminal cases in jeopardy and putting some private eyes out of business.
Television shows like Magnum PI glamorize the life of private investigators. In reality, the job is often not as exciting, but it is rewarding. Joe DeSimone is a retired Cambridge sergeant detective and has been a licensed private investigator for nearly a decade. “Most of my business is criminal defense work,” DeSimone said, “and most of those clients are indigent.”
DeSimone keeps up his Peace Officer Standards and Training or POST certification so he can do traffic details in Cambridge. Recently he applied to renew his PI license and thought it would be easy because he says, “I was probably one of a handful of guys in the state that had the license prior to retirement.”
POST certification
Months ago, the Massachusetts State Police, the agency that certifies private investigators, added language to the requirements on its website. It says, “The applicant shall not be currently certified by the Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission.”…