The advent and popularity of television shows like CSI, Law and Order, NYPD Blue and Bones have created an enormous amount of interest in forensic science and the way crimes are investigated using forensic principles and the laws of science. The terms forensic scientist, forensic analyst, forensic investigator and forensic technician are used regularly, often with no description of what their job entails. But job descriptions overlap, and designations are accorded depending on the department you’re with and the protocols followed for their assignation.

A forensic technician is someone who is trained in scientific procedures and who has studied forensics with the sole purpose of analyzing evidence and gathering data and information from them. A technician is also responsible for first identifying and then collecting evidence according to procedure from crime scenes, preserving them in the right way, and then performing tests on them back at the laboratory.

A technician may or may not understand the scientific principle behind the tests and/or the reasons for the procedures and protocols to be followed in the identification, collection and analysis of evidence. He or she is usually involved in just performing the routine tests and providing the law enforcement officers with the results. Technicians are supposed to lend support to forensic science investigation outfits and are mostly trained and gather experience on the job.

A forensic investigator on the other hand is someone who has a thorough knowledge of both criminology and forensics. He or she is able to tie the evidence to the crime, or in other words, they are able to interpret what the evidence means in terms of the crime. An investigator must look at the evidence and try to see aspects beyond the obvious. For example, blood spatter patterns can tell you so much more that just that a person was killed with a great loss of blood. They can prove or disprove theories if the investigator is able to analyze them correctly and see how the victim and perpetrator were positioned.

Forensic investigators are also responsible for providing expert testimony in court during criminal trials. They must therefore be established as experts in their particular field through the necessary degrees and level of experience. A forensic investigator is usually a law enforcement officer who is trained specially in the field of forensic investigation. They are sometimes responsible for recreating crime scenes and also trying to get inside the mind of the perpetrator to imagine scenarios that would ultimately lead to the capture of the criminal.

Technician or investigator, both are part of the forensics team that is so important to the solving of brutal crime at the earliest.

If you have considered crime investigation or law enforcement as a career option, read more about these online criminal justice degrees that could provide you with the right tools for this job.

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What do crime scene investigators do?

Also called forensic science technicians, crime scene technicians, or crime scene analysts, crime scene investigators handle the technical aspects of crime investigation by collecting, testing, identifying, classifying, documenting, and analyzing physical evidence, including weapons, fibers, hair, and bodily fluids. Along with photographing potential evidence, crime scene investigators also write reports and may testify in court about their findings.

If you are interested in a particular aspect of crime scene investigation, after gaining experience, you may be assigned to a department that deals exclusively with ballistics, handwriting, or DNA analysis.

How do I become a crime scene investigator?

Crime scene investigators are usually required to have certificates, associate degrees, or bachelor degrees as well as practical training. Many crime scene investigators start out as forensic technicians, but keep in mind that you can earn an online degree or certificate while working full-time and speed up your climb of the career ladder.

Although knowledge of the law and law enforcement may be helpful, you usually do not have to be a police officer to become a crime scene investigator.

What should I study to become a crime scene investigator?

While an online criminal justice degree can give you a head start as a crime scene investigator, you should also have knowledge of forensic science, chemistry, computers, evidence collection, fingerprinting, logic, mathematics, and photography; if these courses are not included in your criminal justice program, you should consider taking some of them as electives to make yourself a more attractive job candidate.

What are the salary and job outlook for crime scene investigators?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports than in 2007, the middle 50 percent of forensic science technicians earned between $36,560 and $61,210; “much faster than average” growth is expected in the career over the next decade.

Guest post by freelance writer Michelle Fabio, the About.com guide to law school, who also shares tips on an online education at OnlineEducation.net.

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Related Posts:

• The Difference Between Crime Scene Investigators and Technicians
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• Grad School or a Job – Which Should You Choose?
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Post tags: CSI, forensic science, guest post

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