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Forensic Science as a Career

The Kansas City, Mo., Police Department Crime Laboratory often receives inquiries about employment opportunities in forensic fields. If you have such an interest, here is some introductory information about the field as well as some pointers to locations with further information.

General Information

 “Forensic science” is a broad term referring to nearly any application of scientific techniques to resolving a issue which might result in litigation (either criminal or civil). “Scientific techniques” refers to the scientific method of observation, formation of a hypothesis, testing of the hypothesis, and refinement of the hypothesis by processes that can be independently reproduced and verified. Several terms are used to refer to “forensic scientists”, “examiners”, or “forensic specialists”; in our laboratory, the normal term is “criminalist”.

Some broad areas that are commonly recognized:

Note that these are technical positions where the objective should be uncompromising expertise. Although historically on-the-job training of non-professional persons was once considered acceptable to establish competence, now there is an expectation of a college degree or experience appropriate to the field; e.g., a chemistry degree for chemical analysis, or a degree in molecular biology for DNA analysis. In some areas such as firearms, toolmarks, and photography experience and specialized training still play a greater role, but a degree in some field of science would normally be desirable to establish a formal background in scientific methods.

There are also additional specialized forensic fields, such as toxicology or pathology. In our jurisdiction, these specialties are overseen by medical doctors and are not maintained in the laboratory itself.

Duties and Responsibilities

In some laboratories, criminalists may be expected to be generalists that perform actual examinations across a broad range of disciplines. Our laboratory tends to categorize criminalists so that they concentrate on performing actual examinations within a limited number of these specialties; for example, a forensic chemist may not be expected to perform a detailed toolmark comparison. Even if they are not expected to conduct the actual examination, all criminalists are expected to have familiarity with all specialties in terms of the significance of evidence and how it should be processed and preserved, both within the laboratory and at crime scenes.

Criminalists may be asked to respond to crime scenes to help interpret evidence at the scene and advise on processing or perform specialized processing. However, in our jurisdiction we have crime scene technicians who specialize in evidence collection and usually handle all but exceptional samples.

Criminalists should also be able to produce detailed reports suitable for submission to investigators and legal representatives, and they should be able to evaluate and interpret real and hypothetical situations and defend them under cross-examination. The ability to support any conclusions in the face of adversarial debate (including investigators, the media, litigators, or their peers) should be the benchmark of any criminalist.

Also, don’t be mislead by media dramatizations of the role of criminalists; there are boundaries between the responsibilities of criminalists, investigators (e.g., police personnel or insurance investigators), and the legal system (lawyers and judges). A good criminalist should be able to advise others of the import of the results of their observations and examinations, but they usually do not have unilateral power to drive an investigation or a prosecution. Normally it should be expected that everyone will contribute best within their area of expertise, but the interface can be a frustration when there is disagreement on how to proceed and the process becomes political rather than technical.

If you’re looking for some hard examples of the knowledge required, the American Board of Criminalistics has an on-line study guide for their general knowledge examination that includes several working references.

In general, be wary of commercial entities offering training or advice in entering the fields of forensic science. There are many good and reliable commercial training resources, but as with any popular technical career there may also be companies wanting your money more than they want to improve the field. In beginning your search, it may be better to focus on professional and academic organizations. However, also realize that some pure academics may not embody a great deal of practical experience, which is essential to developing and refining skills. In general, look for organizations that are populated and administered by working scientists and not non-technical persons. (Lawyers and law enforcement personnel are definitely part of the process to be respected, but verifiable practical expertise is a different quality than knowledge only by association.)

Also be aware that many forensic laboratories are associated with law enforcement agencies, and as such in addition to your professional credentials there will likely be security and veracity concerns. Security checks such as a background investigation (which may include a polygraph examination) or job-related drug screening may be part of their hiring process and a condition for ongoing employment. You may wish to consider whether you would find such monitoring “intrusive”.

A good place to start would be browsing the website of the American Academy of Forensic Science (AAFS). AAFS is the most universal association of forensic scientists in the United States; it also encompasses members in many other countries:

            http://www.aafs.org/

and (for fingerprinting and other techniques for confirmation of identity) the International Association for Identification (IAI):

            http://www.theiai.org

Certification of forensic examiners is conducted by The American Board of Criminalistics:

            http://www.criminalistics.com/ABC

You should look at this site for certification requirements and sample questions.

Laboratories can also be accredited; this is done by the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors (ASCLD):

            http://www.ascld-lab.org

ASCLD has a page including links to many sites, including those of regional associations:

            http://www.ascld.org/forensiclinks.html

If you’re looking for other links, try this site:

            http://forensic.to/forensic.html

Specifically in our local (Kansas City metropolitan) area, there are a few working crime laboratories. These include:

Kansas City, Mo., Police Department Crime Laboratory
6633 Troost Avenue
Kansas City, MO  64114

            http://www.kcpd.org
 

Kansas Bureau of Investigation
1620 Southwest Tyler Road
Topeka, KS  66612

http://www.accesskansas.org/kbi/main.html

Independence, Mo., Police Crime Laboratory
Independence Police Department
223 N. Memorial Drive
Independence, MO 64050

http://www.ci.independence.mo.us/police/index.htm

Missouri State Highway Patrol
PO Box 568
Jefferson City, MO  65102

http://www.mshp.state.mo.us/hp32p001.nsf

Most laboratories are thinly staffed and need to focus on their normal tasks; phone numbers have been omitted to discourage casual calls (and some organizations do not seem to overtly publish them). Similarly, most do not maintain large informational web sites so references may refer to the parent organization’s site. In many cases, the application process is performed through the parent organization; if they have a need, they should be able to direct you to the proper resources.

Some independent testing laboratories may occasionally provide forensic services as well, and other companies may employ individuals with forensic skills as part of their services or internal security staffing.

There is a continuing need for good conscientious people to enter the field of forensics and it is hoped the above information will assist in both your decision and, if you wish to pursue it, in finding a path to your desired specialty.


Thank You from the Crime Lab Personnel.