Much has been written about the pros and cons of joining professional organizations. An excellent article in UMass Global, a nonprofit affiliate of the University of Massachusetts, defines an organization or association as "groups of people from the same industry or profession gathered to represent the industry or profession."
These groups help champion new standards within the profession and serve as key advocates regarding municipal legislation affecting the industry.
Building Skills and Growing Businesses
Whether coming from law enforcement, private security, or business sectors, investigative skills form the foundation of a professional's toolkit. Upon retiring from law enforcement, the authors opened investigative firms and applied for licensing. As small to moderate company owners, we sought organizations to help us grow and prosper.
Pursuing Specialty Credentials
Like the medical profession, investigators can pursue many specialties — but achieving specialty status requires credentialing. Private corporate entities such as the American Society for Industrial Security (ASIS) and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) offer courses leading to professional credentials:
ASIS offers the Certified Protection Professional (CPP) certification.
ACFE offers the Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) certification.
Intellenet offers the Board Accredited Investigator (BAI) credential, founded by Harvey Morse and Ar Morse.
Beyond credentialing, joining investigative organizations allows professionals to share expertise with peers and build professional networks — both of which pay dividends well beyond what any single training course can provide.