Cybercops who work for consulting firms investigate corporate crimes. Cybercops at police departments earn the same amount as regular police officers or detectives. A background in computers and law enforcement is recommended. Also Internet skills and some security experience are important. To arrest Internet criminals, a degree from a police academy is required.
Every day is exciting because each case is different.
McMahon runs a consulting firm, finding it more lucrative to sell his skills as a computer crime investigator to corporations. Many police departments, especially in rural areas, still do not have computer crime units. Calif. He predicts that in the next three years, the number of cybercops will grow fivefold, to about 10,000 people. A wide range of jobs include collecting data, making forecasts, researching trends or historical patterns, and studying environmental change. Areas of research can range from cloud physics to hydrology to weather modification to air pollution.