So how would that work? Most PIs in literature are former police.
Yes, many are, and some who weren't actual municipal cops had similar jobs
in e.g., the military - but not all of them; one of the most famous,
Sherlock Holmes, was not, for example; neither was Jessica Fletcher, of
_Murder, She Wrote_ fame. Nor, to the best of my knowledge, were the Harts
of _Hart to Hart_, or Remington Steele. So, while it's quite common, it's
Jim Rockford, most notably, was an ex-coN not ex-coP.
Also, consider agencies, Pinkerton’s, for example, who is now a division of a Swedish multinational ‘security agency’. Or arguably, firms like Fusion GPS, or Black Cube.
And real-life PI’s have specialties , some, for example specialize in forensic accounting and such, tracking down hidden money, and rarely leave their office.
--
Bruce Johnson
University of Arizona
College of Pharmacy
Information Technology Group
Institutions do not have opinions, merely customs