Crime scene investigation p1 - Military Transition - Military Times EDGE

Forensic expert and former Army Maj. Michael Berkland likes to tell the story of the murder that wasn’t.

A man, high on drugs, dies in the middle of the street after shooting himself in the head. Before authorities can respond, someone takes the gun from the crime scene. The absence of a weapon leads to the initial assumption that a murder has taken place. Fortunately, law-enforcement interviews lead to a quick solution to this particular puzzle.

The moral of Berkland’s story: While solving crimes, things are not always as they seem. It’s a lesson that holds true when investigating careers in forensic science.

TV shows such as “CSI,” “Crossing Jordan” and “Law & Order” have popularized — and glamorized — the field.

Are the jobs depicted in these shows anything close to reality?

We separate fact from Hollywood fiction.

Forensics 101

Forensic science uses law-enforcement or science skills to assist in solving a crime, said Ronald Singer, president of the International Association of Forensic Sciences and crime lab director for the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office in Fort Worth, Texas.

Perhaps the best-known specialty within forensic science is crime scene investigation — jobs such as evidence technician, forensic investigator, crime scene technician and crime scene analyst. Crime scene investigators document, identify and collect physical evidence at crime scenes.

You might be surprised at the narrow description.

“What you see on TV is ... a synthesis of many different jobs,” Singer said.

Hollywood’s version of a CSI does the work of the investigator — usually a police officer — as well as the criminalist (or “lab rat”), and others such as entomologists and odontologists, all rolled into one.

Beyond CSIs

Like crime scene investigation, criminalistics — actually working in a crime lab — is a popular area of forensic science, Singer said. The work requires a background in science and, usually, additional training in a specialized area such as firearms and toolmarks, trace evidence, DNA analysis, toxicology or computer science, to name a few.

Other specialties within forensic science include pathology, the study of disease; odontology, the study of teeth; engineering and criminology.

Education requirements

You can start with a high school diploma or General Educational Development certificate in some CSI positions, but other jobs in forensics may call for bachelor’s and master’s degrees — for most criminalists — and even doctoral or medical degrees in highly specialized fields such as forensic anthropology and forensic pathology.

Requirements also differ depending on location and law enforcement agency, said Hayden Baldwin, director of Forensic Enterprises Inc. and executive director of the International Crime Scene Investigators Association.

The U.S. has more than 18,000 law enforcement agencies.

“Some are extremely small, and some are quite large, so the job requirements will be quite different,” Baldwin said. “In a town of 2,000, if you want your CSI to have a master’s degree, good luck. You couldn’t pay enough.”

Online degrees?

Hands down, the experts agree that the field of forensic science does not lend itself to online learning.

With the exception of CSI positions, all other forensic science specialties require experience in a laboratory.

“Hands-on is always vastly superior to doing something online,” said Berkland, who is chairman of the board of the Florida Division of the International Association for Identification.

Singer concurs.

“You can’t learn lab skills sitting at a computer,” he said.

And Baldwin said that while online degrees in the related field of criminal justice are acceptable, “if you are going for the forensic degree, lab work is a must.”

Forensics job hunt

Finding a job in forensic science is an investigation unto itself, Singer said. The competition is fierce, and the jobs are few.

“The problem is that everyone thinks every police agency has a crime-scene person,” Baldwin said. “That’s not true.”

More than 95 percent of agencies serve a population of less than 25,000. “That size of agency does not have a full-time crime scene person,” Baldwin said.

But there is some good news.

“Because [forensic science] is such a hot area right now, a lot of law-enforcement agencies are re-evaluating their needs, so a lot of jobs are opening up,” Singer said.

Further, there is more demand in the specialty areas such as digital evidence and forensic engineering.

Get a head start

The military has its own CSIs and criminalists who are sought-after in the civilian world, Singer said.

But for those whose military experience does not involve forensic work, there are still ways to break into the field. First and foremost, Berkland said, is to get started on your education.

“You want to amass a [curriculum vitae] that shows you are a self-starter, you have taken all the classes you possibly can, you are very serious about pursuing a career in forensics,” he said.

Another good idea? Volunteer — anywhere from the local police department or medical examiner’s office to a child advocacy center.

Doing so not only gives you real-world experience and exposes you to different jobs but also helps you establish contacts so that you’re the one the agencies think of when a job opens up.

What does it pay?

Salaries depend heavily on the job you do and where you work. In smaller areas, full-time crime scene investigators can expect to start out at $20,000-$25,000. In more populated areas with higher costs of living, such as parts of California, the starting salary could be more like $70,000, Baldwin said.

Similarly, a criminalist starting at a crime lab on either coast likely would earn a salary in the mid- to high $30,000 range. Most experienced forensic scientists in the crime lab can make from the mid-$50,000s to the high $70,000s, Singer said. Most government forensics jobs pay less than private-industry counterparts, but the benefits are usually better.

So you probably won’t drive a Hummer and wear designer duds like the CSIs on television, but “you can expect to make a decent living once you get up and established,” Berkland said.

ON THE WEB

These Web sites provide insight into the field of forensics:

• Crime scene investigators have a working, multidisciplinary knowledge of forensic science and apply it in identifying physical evidence left at crime scenes. Visit the International Crime Scene Investigators Association Web site to learn more about what it's like to work as a crime scene investigator.

• The American Academy of Forensic Sciences describes specialties within the field of forensics and provides links to college programs accredited by its Forensic Science Education Programs Accreditation Commission.

(Originally published Oct. 1, 2007)