Most Often Full Time Gigs. Crime Scene Investigator Pam O’Neill

Most Often Full Time Gigs

Crime Scene Investigator

Pam O’Neill

Crime Scene Investigator

Process the crime scene by: Locating items of evidence that

pertain to the crime Documenting the scene

(photographs, sketches, and detailed notes)

Collecting evidence for further analysis

Education College degree in general studies,

criminal justice, or forensics Courses in basic computer

training, drafting, and photography recommended

Different levels of certification Level I -- Crime Scene Technician Level II -- Crime Scene Analyst Level III -- Senior Crime Scene

Analyst.

Responsibilities

Processes all evidence at the scene and distributes for proper analysis

Criminalistics

A Criminalist Job Description

Analyze, compare, identify & interpret physical evidence

Identify evidence & link: Suspect Victim crime scene …through the physical evidence

Education Bachelor’s in chemistry, biology,

physics, molecular biology or a related science

Can be general or get into many specialties like: Hair & fibers DNA Glass Fingerprints

Forensic Laboratory Director

Drake Kelley

Forensic Laboratory Director

Job Description: Plan and direct the work of others

working in the lab as well as instructing them in their duties

Also must be effective in dealing with governmental officials and the general public in order to establish and maintain effective working relationships

Forensic Laboratory Director Knowledge and Education Required:

Must have at least a bachelor’s degree in a physical/natural science.

Most directors intern for little or no pay to gain their experience

Chemistry, physics, and mechanics Criminal court procedures and practices State, federal, and local criminal laws Budget management and leadership

experience

Forensic Laboratory Director

Examples of work: Plan, organize, and direct the crime

lab Develop and administer a budget for

the lab Assure compliance with operating

standards in the lab Source:

State of MN Job Class Specifications

Forensic Toxicology

Amie Barber

What is Forensic Toxicology??

In simplest terms, Forensic Toxicology looks at everything pertaining to any toxins or poisons that may have legal significance. Three main areas: Postmortem Drug

Testing, Workplace Drug Testing, & Investigation of Contraband Materials.

Toxicologists use blood, urine, gastric contents, bile & liver, & hair as specimens for testing.

I need an Education!

Forensic Toxicologists need many of the things found vital within any Forensic field: a bachelor's degree — SCIENCE, chemistry,

biology, math, English composition good speaking skills - take public speaking, join

the drama club,  the soccer team, or the debate team

good note-taking skill the ability to write an understandable scientific

reports intellectual curiosity

Crime Scene

The evidence from the crime scene would be anything from blood, in which a blood test can be performed, to hair, where a forensic toxicologist can tell a whole persons’ lies, or truths. Pretty much any bodily fluids can be

used in order to determine whether justice is being served or not.

Forensic Pathologist

Chris Lyle

Forensic Pathologist WHAT DO THEY DO? A PATHOLOGIST IS USED TO INVESTIGATE THE

DEATHS OF PEOPLE WHO DIE SUDDENLY OR UNEXPECTEDLY OR AS A RESULT OF INJURY, THEY ALSO EXAMINE CRIME SCENES, PERFORM AUTOPSIES, AND MUCH MORE

THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF PATHOLOGISTS – ANATOMIC PATHOLOGISTS: PERFORM AUTOPSIES

AND EXAMINE TISSUES THROUGH MICROSCOPES CLINICAL PATHOLOGISTS: MANAGE LABORATORIES

WHERE BODY FLUIDS ARE TESTED, MANY PATHOLOGIST WORK IN HOSPITALS.

Education Needed MEDICAL SCHOOL: 1ST REQUIREMENT ….4 YEARS $25,000 TUITION / YEAR POSTGRADUATE TRAINING IN PATHOLOGY: AT LEAST 4

MORE YEARS OF POSTMEDICAL SCHOOL TRAINING SALARY OF $20,000 PER YEAR OF TRAINING

ADDITIONAL FORENSIC PATHOLOGY TRAINING: ONE MORE YEAR OF TRAINING IS REQUIRED AFTER

COMPLETION OF POST-GRAD TRAINING….. SALARY OF $50,000 PER YEAR

UPON COMPLETION OF TRAINING PATHOLOGIST MUST PASS A 2 TO 3 DAY EXAMINATION TO BECOME CERTIFIED.

(ROUGHLY 500 FORENSIC PATHOLOGISTS PRACTICE IN THE USA)

Example IN DEALING WITH A SUPSECTED CHILD

ABUSE CASE…. A DISSECTION OF THE VICTIIM’S NECK

WOULD BE PERFORMED TO SHOW INJURY TO MUSCLES, LIGAMENTS, AND SPINAL CORD. ALSO INCISIONS WOULD BE MADE TO DEMONSTRATE BRUISES THAT DO NOT SHOW UP EXTERNALLY.

Full time…Part time???

Forensic Document Examiner

Jessica Cabellaro

Forensic Document Examiners

To examine documents and related materials to discover what was used to create the document, and most importantly, what could have been used to alter it.

Forensic Document Examiners

Education: Bachelor’s Degree in a Science

No degree program available in the US; Usually part of criminal justice or

forensic science degree programs 2 Year apprenticeship is often required under a member of the

American Board of Forensic Document Examiners

Forensic Document Examiners

Some cases handled by Forensic Document Examiners involve the

study of pens, papers, handwriting analysis and other materials used to create documents in order to answer

questions involving authenticity.

Think Catch Me If You Can

Forensic Computer Science & Digital Evidence Examination

Danny Ellison

• What a forensic computer scientist does is recover evidence used for a crime that has been erased or deleted from the suspects computer.

• That information is stored somewhere when it is deleted it just isn’t erased permanently.

• It is stored in the archives of the computer and this forensic department deals with this.

Education• Start with attending the Federal Law

Enforcement Training Center (FLETC). • Train and gain the valuable skills in order

to pass the certification program for The International Association of Computer Investigation Specialists (IACIS).

• This association is by far the largest association for computer investigation specialists and the one the government uses to gather the individuals to collect the digital evidence and then analyze the information collected.

Evidence from a crime A typical scenario would play out something like

this example: A man who is writing love emails to a woman

who in turn he is having an affair with. His wife finds out about the emails and

confronts the man with the evidence. The man so embarrassed about getting caught

decides to write the woman he is having an affair with that he plans on killing her by making it look like a suicide. He does this by cutting the brake lines on her car so she can’t stop and dies.

The man not wanting to be a suspect deletes all of his emails and tells the woman to stop writing for awhile. While he has deleted the email a forensic computer scientist can recover these emails and then prove the motive and the case.

Forensic Engineering

Meghann Carreiro

Forensic Engineering A quick description of the career: A Forensic Engineer is responsible for answering the

following three questions:1. What happened?2. Why did it happen?3. How could it have been prevented?

They ultimately reconstruct the crime scene like a puzzle applying engineering principles.

After an accident, a Forensic Engineer would examine all broken parts and construct a list of probable failure mechanisms to be investigated. They will also conduct interviews to determine a sequence of events.

Following this, their drawings, specifications, and operational procedures are reviewed and then the final step is to use analytical and testing tools to confirm their findings.

Education Needed: A Forensic Engineer must have mastered the

basic technical skills of engineering in addition to being very knowledgeable in the codes and industry standards relating to construction, manufacturing and selling products.

Along with the Engineering degree, they also usually specialize in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, civil engineering, materials engineering and traffic engineering.

An ideal Forensic Engineer candidate will have: A good honors degree in a scientific or engineering

discipline Post-graduate experience in a technical role involving

on-site experience A willingness to relocate The ability to communicate clearly both orally and in

writingMeghann Carreiro

Example After a automobile accident a Forensic

Engineer would examine all broken parts of the cars involved and also examine all available evidence, including eyewitness accounts.

Then, they will try to piece together a sequence of events and generate a time line leading to the accident.

Should they need to defend their findings in court as an expert witness, then they would also proceed to do so.

* The work is much like that of a crime scene examiner but with fewer bodies and better hours and generally much higher pay.

Meghann Carreiro

Most Often Part Time Gigs

Forensic Nursing

Grant Jordan

What is Forensic Nursing? By definition, Forensic Nursing is the application

of forensic science combined with the biological and psychological education of the registered nurse in the scientific investigation evidence collection and preservation, analysis, prevention, and treatment of trauma and death-related medical issues.

Education needed

Some nursing jobs may be acquired after short training courses, in order to achieve greater responsibility further training, on the job experience as well as advance degrees in nursing or forensic science are needed.

What does a forensic nurse do? There are several different jobs with in the realm or

forensic nursing depending on the subspecialty of the nurse. However, in summary a forensic nurse collects evidence. initiates chain of custody as well as begins the process of documentation.

Other jobs of forensic nurse specialist: Forensic nurse photographer prepares photographs

for use in the courtroom. A forensic psychiatric nurse deals with individuals

who have court ordered psychiatric evaluations. They asses evaluate and plan treatment for these individuals.

Forensic nurse reconstructionist specialize in recreating crime scenes and accidents based on the mechanism of injury

Forensic Anthropologist

Dem bones

Scott Wilkie

Career Description 3 focuses of career

1) Identifying victim or providing a biological profile – age, sex, stature, individual features…

2) Reconstructing postmortem features based on condition of remains/recovery context

3) Providing data regarding death event including evidence of trauma

Other Parts of Career

Forensic anthropologists are sometimes consultants to medical examiners, coroners, and law enforcement officials

They also are frequently asked to testify in court

Education Governing body is the American Board

of Forensic Anthropology (ABFA) To join the board:

PHD in physical anthropology Minimum 3 years of postdoctorate

practice in forensics Pass a rigorous written and practice exam

Only 60-70 in USA

Evidence

Recover bones from a crime scene Once recovered, process these bones Examine the skull to obtain a dental

record and a facial re-creation Collect evidence about the person’s

racial/cultural background to create a biological profile

Forensic Taphonomy

Zach Hasenyager

What is it? Study of the history of a body after

death

Affects estimates of time since death, ID of the body, and ability to determine cause and manner of death

Examines the decomposition of a body after death from individual, cultural, and environmental factors.

Education Needed

Forensic Taphonomy is very broad

Archaeology/Biology/Earth Sciences are all useful

Types of EvidenceTaphonomic Evidence

-Individual factors-Age, sex, body weight, properties of bones, cause of death

-Cultural factors-Burial Practices-Allterations due to unusual circumstances

-War-Environmental factors

-Temperature-Higher temps. Means more decomposition-Moisture Content-pH levels-Properties in the soil

Forensic Entomology

Maria Andrews

Forensic Entomology

Entomology: the study of insects. Forensic Entomology: the study of

insects associated with a dead body.o After 72 hours, entomological evidence is the most accurate,

and often the only way to determine the time since death.o Can be used to determine if body has been moved after

death, whether it was disturbed, the presence of position of wound sites, and whether the victim used drugs or was poisoned.

o Do NOT work fulltime in a crime lab, but mostly in research and teaching (most are research scientists)

Education Needed B.Sc. In biology, zoology, or entomology Followed by an M.Sc. and Ph.D. in

entomology, preferably in forensic entomology, insect ecology, and taxonomy.

Five years in case work are required following the Ph.D.

Most active forensic entomologists are university professors, and conduct ongoing research.

Example of Evidence

Drugs: because insects feed on body tissues, they also feed on any unnatural substances in the victim’s body, including alcohol, drugs, or poison.

Insect is likely to be affected by poison or drugs.

Analysis of the insect can often reveal the toxin, when body is severely decomposed.

Forensic Odontology

Lauren McClain

*Forensic Odontology*

(Forensic Dentistry)

Specialized field of dentistryDeal with:

Mass disaster victim identificationMissing peoples databases and identification Bite-mark analysisOther legal issues

*How to become an Odontologist*

At least 3 years of college 4 years of dental school 1 to 4 years of training

Earn a Certificate Once certified & practice 3 to 5 additional

years, they then take a series of exams Earn a specialty board certification by ADA

Examples of evidence

Forensic Psychology

byLucy Meliksetian

Career Description Deals with application of psychology

to legal issues and the criminal justice system.

Key roles:- piloting and implementing treatment programs- expert witness- modifying offender behavior

Education

Receiving a Master’s or Doctorate Key classes for undergraduates:

- criminology- criminal law- statistics- social psychology* motivational psychology

Examining Evidence?

Criminal profiling Crime analysis

Forensic Psychiatry

Forensic Psychiatry

Description Forensic Psychiatry involves the

assessment and evaluation of individuals rather than the treatment of psychiatric patients, although there is occasional involvement with treatment of criminal offenders. Treatments are limited to the assessment of individuals involved in legal matters.

Three major subgroups

There are three different types of forensic psychiatry:

Criminal forensic psychiatryCivil forensic psychiatryAdministrative forensic psychiatry

Administrative Forensic Psychiatry

Administrative forensic psychiatry addresses confidentiality, privileged communications, privacy issues, patients rights to treatment or the right to refuse treatment, and newer considerations involving commitment or involuntary hospitalization.

Civil Forensic Psychiatry

Civil forensic psychiatry encompasses personal injury cases, domestic relations matters, and competency issues.

Criminal Forensic Psychiatry

Criminal forensic psychiatry emphasizes the competency to stand trial, legal insanity, sentencing issues, and treatment of the mentally ill offender.

Education

A board certified psychiatrist (M.D. plus residency)

For an individual to be certified in forensic psychiatry, the person must take a 1 year accredited program of training in forensic psychiatry. There are over 25 accredited programs in the U.S.

Case Example A serial murderer was also suffering from dissociative identity disorder. The man was accused of killing four prostitutes, but had no memory of the killing. He had a rich fantasy life, but was found to have a number of distinct personalities, one of which was amoral and homicidal. Once he learned of his murderous tendencies, he agreed to spend his life in a hospital or prison. Through a diagnosis, other alternative personalities emerged. With the help of psychiatric treatment, the alters were combined into one personality. He rests comfortably in prison, thus preventing the homicidal alter to emerge.

Wildlife Forensics

Sarah Gilham

Wildlife Forensics Wildlife forensics is

criminal forensics when the victim is an animal

They analyze, compare, identify, and interpret physical evidence from all species of animal

•Always developing new ways of identifying evidence

Education

bachelor's degree in chemistry, biology, physics or other related science

At least 24 semester hours of chemistry or biology

Math classes are necessary

Evidence carved ivory objects fur coats Endangered animal’s

blood on a hunter’s jacket

While most criminologists have very small samples to work with, often wildlife evidence is seized in large quantities