student asking question

I assume the word "detective" is used for police and private investigator. However, how do I distinguish them in plain text?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

Yes, that's correct. A detective is a kind of police officer that specializes in investigation. A private investigator, also known as a private detective, does similar work to detectives, but they are privately employed and not by any government agency. Basically, detectives are police officers that belong to a government agency, and private investigators take work from citizens that hire them. If a person is described as a detective, they are likely a police officer. If they are employed by a private citizen, they are a private investigator. Ex: The detective is investigating several murder suspects. Ex: I hired a private detective because I suspected my husband was cheating.

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