How to Become a CSI

The City of Santa Fe, New Mexico has an opening for a crime scene investigator. Goggle to the city site and go to the jobs link. It will list the requirements. You can call the police department and ask to talk to one of the crime scene investigators. I know that one of them graduated from Nebraska Wesleyan University with a Master's Degree in Forensic Science. She can give you a good perspective from a person who did a lot of extensive job hunting and finally found a job.

[Poseidon]

Larry,
What you're saying is the truth but you're forgetting that civilians are able to become CSI's as well. The difference between sworn officers and civilians doing the same job is a) economics and b) powers of arrest. Police officers are generally paid more than their civilian counterparts and usually have better benefits as well as an available career ladder. Civilian CSI's, on the other hand, have little career opportunities and less benefits but still work in the same perilous surroundings as their sworn counterparts.

[Boyd Baumgartner]

Considering Crime Scene jobs fall into that 'you've got to have experience to get experience' category, I think the easiest ways are to go get a job as either a Police Officer or a Corrections Officer if the police route isn't for you. You'll also demonstrate the ability to successfully navigate the 3 ring circus that is the testing process and background check for law enforcement/law enforcement support positions. I've got a group on facebook.com called 'so you want to be a fingerprint examiner' that deals with the interview process a lot more, if you're interested.

Either way, you'll get experience dealing with difficult people, biohazards, and forensic topics. Some agencies Police Officers double as CSI's anyway, so that may be the only in road for someone in a more rural setting.

The thing to remember is that every agency has a different operations setup for field work and lab work. Lab work is forensic science, and field work is not necessarily performed by forensic scientists, although it can be.

I'm putting together a Crime Scene Investigation overview with a concentration on fingerprints, I'll will be complete within the next couple of weeks. I'll post more information as it's available.

I'm a retired cop and was a Senior Detective/Senior Forensic Scientist. Back when I started, there were no civilian crime scene techs. Everyone was a sworn cop with a great deal of specialized training. Now, things are becoming different. Unlike what I read in an earlier post, I see most of the CST's are civilians with a minimal amount of training. I see many who have never had a classroom or gone to a crime scene or worked a mock scene. I know several who have recieved their certification via online courses only. Okay, it is a basis for learning...but certainly not enough to become certified. These same people are hired by agencies where they receive more on the job training. Unfortunately, the training they received are from those who started with the same degree of knowledge that they had. For many, agencies don't spend a lot of money to send them to advanced training. In other words, even with all of the crappy shows like CSI (insert your favorite city here), many agencies do not put enough emphasis on Forensic Science training.

I am currently a student with Everest University. I am currently pursuing my BS in Criminal Justic with a concentration on Criminal Investigation. I would like to specialize in DNA. What other avenues would you suggest that I pursue in order to acheive this specialty?

[Poseidon]

Hey, guess what? I also will be a student of Everest U and my associate degree will be on Criminal Investigations.

[Hoganduo]

Originally Posted by Boyd Baumgartner

Considering Crime Scene jobs fall into that 'you've got to have experience to get experience' category, I think the easiest ways are to go get a job as either a Police Officer or a Corrections Officer if the police route isn't for you. You'll also demonstrate the ability to successfully navigate the 3 ring circus that is the testing process and background check for law enforcement/law enforcement support positions. I've got a group on facebook.com called 'so you want to be a fingerprint examiner' that deals with the interview process a lot more, if you're interested.

Either way, you'll get experience dealing with difficult people, biohazards, and forensic topics. Some agencies Police Officers double as CSI's anyway, so that may be the only in road for someone in a more rural setting.

The thing to remember is that every agency has a different operations setup for field work and lab work. Lab work is forensic science, and field work is not necessarily performed by forensic scientists, although it can be.

I'm putting together a Crime Scene Investigation overview with a concentration on fingerprints, I'll will be complete within the next couple of weeks. I'll post more information as it's available.

Jaimejh,

I am currently looking in the Forensic Field as an Evidence technician not a crime scene invesitgator. Any tips for getting hired? I'll even work in a lab. I just want my foot in the door. I'll be graduating in two months and need some leads, could you help?

[Hoganduo]

Originally Posted by Boyd Baumgartner

Considering Crime Scene jobs fall into that 'you've got to have experience to get experience' category, I think the easiest ways are to go get a job as either a Police Officer or a Corrections Officer if the police route isn't for you. You'll also demonstrate the ability to successfully navigate the 3 ring circus that is the testing process and background check for law enforcement/law enforcement support positions. I've got a group on facebook.com called 'so you want to be a fingerprint examiner' that deals with the interview process a lot more, if you're interested.

Either way, you'll get experience dealing with difficult people, biohazards, and forensic topics. Some agencies Police Officers double as CSI's anyway, so that may be the only in road for someone in a more rural setting.

The thing to remember is that every agency has a different operations setup for field work and lab work. Lab work is forensic science, and field work is not necessarily performed by forensic scientists, although it can be.

I'm putting together a Crime Scene Investigation overview with a concentration on fingerprints, I'll will be complete within the next couple of weeks. I'll post more information as it's available.

Jaimejh,

I am currently looking in the Forensic Field as an Evidence technician not a crime scene invesitgator. Any tips for getting hired? I'll even work in a lab. I just want my foot in the door. I'll be graduating in two months and need some leads, could you help?