• Crime Scene Technician Certificate
• Crime Scene Technician Profile
• Crime Lab Analyst Career

How to Become a Crime Scene Technician - Crime Scene Tech

Crime scene technicians are highly trained and hold, at least a certificate, associate degree or bachelor degree. Check with the agency your are interested in working for to learn more about their specific education and experience requirements. Many law enforcement agencies give preference to those applicants with an associate or bachelor degree in criminal justice, biology, forensic science, crime scene investigation, or chemistry. Experience in a forensic laboratory, crime scene investigation and/or photography will make you a more attractive candidate as well. Most law enforcement agencies will require candidates to successfully complete a background check, polygraph examination, physical examination and psychological evaluation. Current law enforcement professionals can supplement the degrees they currently hold and specialize as a crime scene technician by earning a crime scene technician certificate.

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Crime Scene Technician Job Description

Crime scene technician responsibilities include detection, collection and preservation of physical evidence found at crime scenes, fingerprint processing and analysis, photography, physical evidence examination and analysis. Crime scene technicians can work along side law enforcement professionals at all levels, from the local and county police officers and prosecuters to special agents at the Federal Bureau of Investigations and other government agencies. There is a growing need for crime scene technicians and the employment outlook, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, is promising. Those with a 4-year college degree related to criminal justice or science and specialization in the field of crime scene technician will have the most opportunity.

Crime scene technicians and crime scene investigators are similar professions and require similar education and experience. Learn more about a crime scene investigator career.

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Crime Scene Technician Salary

Crime scene technician salaries vary widely depending on the agency or department you work for and the education and work experience you possess. One crime scene technician job posting we found, in a midwestern city with a population of about 195,000, listed a salary of $40,265 to $52,785 for a crime scene technician that woul dbe working for the city and police department. Another job posting for a county in North Carolina posted a salary of $30,812 - $46,443 for a crime scene tecnician that would be covering the entire county.

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Crime Scene Technician and Related Programs

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Kaplan University:

Crime Scene Technician Certificate (Designed for Law Enforcement Professionals)
BSCJ Crime Scene Investigation
AAS in Criminal Justice
BS in Criminal Justice

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Everest College Online: Our online Criminal Investigations program provides students with the fundamentals of crime scene investigation science and theory. Take the first step toward a criminal investigations career today.

Criminal Investigations
Associate's Criminal Justice
Bachelor's Criminal Justice