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Step 1: Education Requirements
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Step 2: Internship or Apprentice
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Step 3: Licensing & Certifications
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Step 4: Continuing Education and License Maintenance
Step 1: Education Requirements
You can start a career as a crime scene technician with just a GED or high school diploma. While some police departments may require a graduate degree in forensic science graduate degree in forensic sciences, smaller departments often have less stringent requirements. Starting with a job in a local police department can provide an opportunity for training in forensic science, and you can later pursue certifications from organizations like the International Association for Identification.
Crime scene technicians often advance their careers with non-academic courses and certificates. To qualify for added certificates, they often need to pursue coursework and experience is a large part of their preparation. In fact, many certificates require that GED holders amass four years of full-time experience in any given specialty.
To become a crime scene technician, you should have strong attention to detail, knowledge of chemistry and biology, and the ability to identify patterns in chaotic environments. You may also need to start as a law enforcement officer. If you don't have an associate or bachelor’s degree, begin by working for a crime lab or local police department, and pursue transfers and training to advance your career in crime scene analysis.
Most crime scene technicians will be trained by their employer, but you can also seek a crime scene certification from an independent association or a university. There are no specific requirements for these certifications, but crime scene laboratories may require a bachelor’s degree or other academic credentials.
Step 2: Internship or Apprentice
Some colleges and universities offer crime scene technician internships in partnership with law enforcement agencies in the community or throughout their state. These internships may be for local, state, or federal law enforcement agencies. Students might intern with county sheriff’s offices, city police departments, state medical examiner’s offices, or even state departments that run the state crime laboratory. These partnerships are often reserved for students who are majoring in a crime scene technician degree programs and are usually designed to give students the widest breadth of experience. Internships for students in this field or others give them the opportunity to obtain real-life skills, experience, and knowledge within a real-world environment.
Step 3: Licensing & Certifications
While no government regulations exist for certification or licensure of crime scene technicians, these certifications may lead to more opportunities and higher pay for those who have been certified. The Forensic Science Accreditation Board (FSAB) offers three accreditations: Certified Crime Scene Investigator, Certified Crime Scene Analyst, and Certified Senior Crime Scene Analyst. Each may help a crime scene technician advance to a more-senior role. Below are some more certifications you might consider as you move into a crime scene technician role.
- Bloodstain Pattern Analyst Certification:
This certification comes from the International Association for Identification. To qualify for this training and examination you can have as little as a GED or high school diploma and four years of experience. Other requirements include 100 hours of training in bloodstain pattern analysis. - Crime Scene Certification:
To qualify to earn this IAI certification you need to have been working full-time in a position that involves crime scenes and related activities. This credential is available through the IAI and requires no college degree whatsoever. - Footwear Certification:
To qualify for this IAI certification, crime scene professionals need to have a bachelor's degree and two years of full-time experience as a footwear examiner. Alternately, you can have an associate degree and three years of full-time work or a high school diploma and four years of experience. Additionally, you will need to complete a training program and then pass an examination. - Forensic Art Certification:
This aspect of crime scene investigations involves collecting descriptive data from witnesses and compiling a composite sketch or other image of a criminal perpetrator or even a lost person. The field has evolved to include computer modeling software that can digitally emulate aging or other alterations to a person's appearance. To qualify for the written exam and practical test applicants need to complete approximately 150 hours of training and two years of experience as a forensic artist. - Forensic Photography Certification:
Photographic evidence is vital in making any criminal case. To qualify for this certification, you only need to have a high school diploma or a GED. You'll also need 80 total hours of photography training, 40 of which must deal specifically with forensic techniques. - Latent Print Certification:
Fingerprint evidence often is able to crack a case wide open. When a criminal leaves their fingerprints at the scene of a crime, investigators have probable cause to continue to consider them a suspect. To receive a Latent Print Certification, the educational requirements are a bachelor's degree and two years of experience or a high school diploma and four years of experience. Those with an associate degree need three years of full-time experience.
Step 4: Continuing Education and License Maintenance
Crime scene technicians can advance their careers by increasing education and earning certifications through the IAI. These certifications, such as analyzing footwear impressions, collecting latent fingerprints, or creating forensic artwork, allow technicians to specialize in specific areas. This enhances their skills, increasing both salary potential and responsibilities.
Those who have professional certifications will be sure to continue their education because they will need continuing education units (CEUs) to renew their credentials. Some certifications require as many as 80 CEU credits to renew a credential. They then need to pass a written test to affirm that their knowledge is current and to the standards of the issuing body. When crime scene technicians renew their certificates, they are sure to remain current with the ever-evolving forensic sciences and associated crime scene technology.
There is also the option of returning to school for an academic degree. Crime scene technicians might consider pursuing an associate, bachelor’s, or master's degree in biology or chemistry. This option can take them up the ladder in their lab and police department and each greater degree will help with professional certifications. Specializations such as genetics or toxicology can help them become even better technicians and investigators.