CSI & Forensic Careers

Crime Scene Investigation includes professions that specialize in analyzing evidence, not in preventing or solving crimes. It includes people who’s expertise is used partly or mainly in special laboratories, such as crime scene investigators, crime scene technicians, and forensic specialists. If you are considering a career in this field, you will most likely end up employed by a police department or federal agency.

Forensic scientists usually specialize in a specific area of analysis. For example, dealing only with DNA or firearms. This makes earning a related science degree or science-related technology degree a must. Studying relevant subjects, such as criminal justice, will round out your skills and make you even more attractive to potential employers.

Types Of Forensic Careers:

There are many different career opportunities available in the field of forensics. Below is a summary of a few of the most popular positions.

Crime Scene Investigator (CSI)
The CSI is responsible for gathering evidence at the scene of a crime and then examining that evidence in a lab. At the scene of a crime, the CSI searches for and secures physical evidence, such as hair, fingerprints and DNA samples, then writes a report with their detailed observations of the site scene.

Crime Scene Technician
A Crime Scene Technician is also known as Forensic Technician or Crime Scene Analyst. Most CSI’s begin their careers as a Crime Scene Techician prior to promotion. A Crime Scene Tech responds to crime scenes and performs a variety of investigative tasks to document a crime including taking photographs, recovering evidence, processing latent fingerprints, and other tasks assigned by superiors.

Forensic Medicine
Forensic medicine is a part of the medical profession which applies the principles, techniques and knowledge of medicine (including dentistry, clinical psychology, biology and chemistry) to a legal context.

Forensic Nursing
Forensic nurses cooperate with police and other law enforcement agencies in the clinical investigation of various crimes. Depending on their location and specific job responsibilities, they might collect evidence, diagnose trauma or treat people injured during the commission of a crime.

Forensic Scientist
Using scientific laboratory techniques, forensic scientists analyze physical evidence from crime scenes in an attempt to solve crimes and identify perpetrators.