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ANNUAL REPORT
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Frequently
Asked Questions About the crime laboratory Answers
by Bill Dean Crime
Lab Director May
2007 1.
Do
you have any job openings in your laboratory? Our
laboratory employs about 16 scientists, two evidence technicians
(administrative specialists) and me. There
are about five more positions in the toxicology laboratory headed by the
Chief of Toxicology. Turnover
is low but for each of the past few years we have hired one or two people.
Openings are advertised on the websites of professional
organizations most often viewed by forensic scientists.
These include AAFS, ASCLD, MAFS and other sites depending on the
discipline of the vacant position. For
example, a need for a firearms examiner will be posted to the AFTE site or
a toxicologist to the SOFT employment listing.
Typically we receive 50-120 applications for an opening but only
interview a small number of them.
We do try to promote from within whenever possible.
A typical career path is to come into the lab as an entry level
drug analyst and then cross-train in some other discipline. When we need
to hire someone with experience, however, this approach is not
appropriate. If you want to
know if we have any openings, check the websites listed above. 2.
What
educational background is needed to work in a crime lab? Forensic
Scientists are scientists. For
most disciplines, our accrediting body, the American Society of Crime
Laboratory Directors Laboratory Accreditation Board (ASCLD/LAB) stipulates
a minimum educational requirement of a Bachelor’s degree in chemistry,
biology, physics, or forensic science.
For some disciplines such as questioned documents or firearms
examiners, it is only necessary to have a BA or BS with “some” science
courses. Auditors define
“some” as at least two science courses.
The questioned document examiners and firearms examiners, however,
must have had extensive additional training under a qualified examiner.
Degrees in criminal justice, anthropology, or criminology are
usually not sufficient unless the person has had additional scientific
training or experience. Our
own laboratory over the past 20 years has tended to hire graduates with an
MS or BS in forensic science who have also done an internship in a
forensic lab. DNA
analysts must meet additional criteria.
Strict quality control regulations require at least 12 credit hours
in the specific areas of: 1) biochemistry, 2) genetics, and 3) molecular
biology. The analyst must also have had training in statistics or
population genetics. A
master’s degree is required for a DNA Technical Leader (supervisor
position). Every other year
the laboratory undergoes an external DNA audit during which the auditors
inspect the college transcripts of the analysts. My
personal recommendation has always been for an aspiring forensic scientist
to pursue a BS degree in a basic science (chemistry is best) and then seek
a MS in forensic science. This
not only distinguishes you from other candidates but also increases your
technical competency. 3.
What schools offer programs in
forensic science? In
our area the closest schools offering BS degrees in forensic science are
Ohio University in Athens, OH and Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond,
KY. Also Michigan State
University in Lansing, MI offers a master’s program.
These schools have been in operation for over 30 years and are well
respected. Of course many
other programs have sprung up in the past few years.
You should only consider schools that are accredited by FEPAC.
Remember, however, that you only really need a science degree to be
able to apply to a crime lab for most entry level positions.
Good programs in chemistry, biology, and physics are everywhere. 4.
How
can I get a job in a crime lab? There
are only about 350 publicly supported crime labs in the U.S. so the job
market is very competitive. You
should be prepared to travel to where the jobs are.
Check the openings listed on the websites for AAFS, ASCLD, IAI,
AFTE, MAFS, SOFT etc. to get an idea of the locations of jobs and the job
requirements. Application
procedures vary widely among government agencies.
Some require taking a test, others require polygraph examinations,
and most require employee drug testing.
Obviously, applicants must have no criminal history or history of
drug abuse (to include marihuana). Employers
are also looking for a professional appearance and good verbal
communication skills that will hold up well on the witness stand.
Be especially careful about drafting cover letters.
They represent an opportunity to demonstrate your writing ability
to communicate clearly and concisely.
Our laboratory issues about 15,000 technical reports a year.
Many are introduced into evidence and must stand on their own.
Clearly communication skills are important. 5.
Does
your lab offer internships? We
offer two, unpaid internships each summer to senior forensic science
students from Ohio University or Eastern KY University.
These are students who have already made a substantial commitment
to a forensic career. They
need only some practical experience before entering the job market.
School has provided them with sufficient skills to benefit from
being in a forensic lab. They
have been exposed to basic evidence handling requirements so we can trust
them around evidence. Even
though we are not an educational institution, we have a professional
obligation to insure the quality of forensic graduates is maintained.
Because we are a tax supported government entity charged with the
examination of physical evidence, we focus on that mission.
We have no plans to increase the number of internships. 6.
Can
I or my group visit your lab? Normally,
the answer is NO. We also must
refuse requests for “Shadowing.” It
may, however, be possible to arrange for a phone interview with an analyst
if the caller has a prepared list of questions.
Like most crime labs, we tend to be understaffed and overworked;
hence we have to concentrate on why the taxpayers hired us---to process
physical evidence in serious criminal investigations.
We limit tours to those people such as investigators and
prosecutors who have a direct need to see how we function.
The laboratory is a secure, limited access area because we must
insure the evidence is not disturbed, changed, contaminated or lost.
Also, because we are part of the Coroner’s Office, the laboratory
is a bio-hazardous environment. Visitors
are not always aware of the chemical and biological risks. 7.
Can
someone from the crime lab come speak to my group? We
respond to a limited number of such requests.
School requests should be from a Middle School or higher.
The requester must mail or fax a written request to the lab
director stating when, where, who and why the speaker is being requested.
If the lab director can identify an analyst who is willing to give
the talk, the Coroner must approve it.
Requests for pathologists from the Coroner’s Office to talk about
autopsies and forensic medicine should be directed to the Coroner’s
Administrator. 8.
How
much money do forensic scientists make? The
best way to answer this question is to look at the job notices on the
forensic websites. In our own
lab, however, we have three basic pay ranges: Forensic Analyst I, II, and
III. The entry level is FAI
and the range is about $34,133 to $46,405 depending on experience.
The county commissioners typically allow supervisors to grant merit
pay increases of 1% to 3% a year. There
is no automatic cost of living increase in Hamilton County.
After about five years, an analyst is eligible for promotion to
FAII. The range for this
position is about $42,619 to $58,011.
After ten years employment, promotion is possible to FAIII.
This pay range is $53,082 to $74,360. Salaries and benefits vary of
course between geographic regions. 9.
Do
crime lab analysts go to crime scenes? In
our jurisdiction, we respond to crime scenes only in very rare situations.
Law enforcement investigators are responsible for collecting and
preserving evidence for submission to the crime laboratory.
Analysts normally spend all their time in the lab examining
evidence. The laboratory
processed about 15,000 cases last year so we were too busy to go to crime
scenes. In some jurisdictions,
forensic scientists do collect evidence, so it varies from place to place. 10.
What
do analysts actually do in the laboratory? Most
lay people do not appreciate the fact that there is a differentiation of
labor in the laboratory as well as in the criminal justice community.
Drug analysts identify confiscated controlled substances (illicit
drugs) using scientific instruments. Toxicologists
identify those same substances, as well as many other poisons, in body
fluids and tissues. Serologists
examine dried blood, semen, and other biological stains on clothing,
weapons, and vehicles. Serologists
also perform DNA testing and enter DNA profiles into the national database
(CODIS/NDIS). Questioned
document examiners analyze forged signatures, altered documents, and
perform handwriting comparisons. Firearms
examiners compare known and questioned bullets, determine firing
distances, restore obliterated serial numbers, and enter information into
the National Integrated Ballistics Information Network (NIBIN).
Trace evidence examiners handle a wide range of microscopic
materials to include paint, glass, fibers, hairs, cosmetics, adhesives,
primer residues and soils. Arson
analysts focus on identifying ignitable liquids in fire debris samples.
The statistical information elsewhere on this site will give a more
detailed breakdown of the types of cases each section processes.
Each discipline, or laboratory section, requires special skills,
but much of the work revolves around chemical instrumentation such as
chromatographs and spectrometers as well as optical and electron
microscopes. The analyst
usually knows very little about the facts of the investigation and is
merely providing an analytical service for the investigator.
Each analyst prepares a written report which is returned to the
investigator with the evidence. The
police integrate this report with other findings of their investigation
and present the information to the prosecutor’s office for adjudication.
The prosecutor or defense attorney can call the analyst to testify
at trial if necessary. Analysts
also spend time performing equipment maintenance, quality control, safety
and administrative functions, reviewing scientific literature, dealing
with phone and e-mail inquiries and training police.
In general crime laboratories are becoming “forensic factories”
because much of the casework is processed as batches of samples using
auto-samplers or other automation applications..
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