Feature -- by Shane Clements

Since the introduction of the television show CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, interest in all things forensic have captured the imaginations of career seekers. In the show, the investigators do a variety of work 'in field' gathering evidence, interviewing suspects, creating reenactments, coming up with theories to explain the crime and sometimes making arrests. Along with the exciting and varied field work, characters in the show display a dizzying collection of specialized laboratory/science skills: entomology, auto mechanics, computers, chemistry, toxicology, psychological profiling, ballistics, genetics and any others as needs crop up.

In reality, forensic professionals tend to be specialists in a particular area. Each person contributing one piece of a puzzle which the police (most likely a Homicide Unit) use to solve the case. Since these professionals may be called to testify in court as expert witnesses, specialists who work with the police tend to be the most experienced and best educated among their peers.

There are four general categories of professionals involved in forensics:

1. Experienced Police Officers with special training

As you might guess, these aren't exactly entry level jobs. Only Police Officers who have several years experience (typically 5 to 10) and have received in-house training can become officers in the: Crime Scene Unit, Homicide Unit or the Ident Unit. Much of the 'field work' that you see in the TV show (CSI) is conducted by these officers. They gather the evidence, identify, question and arrest subjects involved in crime. If this is where your interests lie, forensics won't be your first job, you must become a Police Officer first.

Check out careers in Policing:

Calgary Police Service Recruiting
The Calgary Police Service is set to hire up to 150 new officers this year - nextSteps, January 1999

2. Laboratory Scientists

These are the folks who would do the kind of lab work that you see on CSI. They are typically scientists, medical lab technicians or technologists with a degree/diploma in a science like chemistry, biochemistry, biology, pharmacy, pharmacology, or genetics. Generally, people with years of experience and perhaps advanced degrees are the ones that criminal investigators approach for expert opinions. The RCMP, Ontario Centre of Forensic Sciences and Laboratoire de sciences judiciaires et de médecine légale in Quebec employ scientists in a variety of fields including:

(quoted from SoYou Want to be a Forensic Scientist? byDr. Gail S. Anderson, Associate Professor, Associate Director Simon Fraser University)

Forensic biology - Identification of the suspect and the victim through body fluids and hair. Today, this mostly involves DNA analysis.
Forensic chemistry - Identification of a non-biological substance found at a crime scene. This can involve paint, glass, liquids etc. Forensic chemistry is involved in many crimes from break and enter, hit and run and arson, to terrorism.
Forensic Toxicology - The analysis of body fluids to determine the level of a drug or alcohol present, and the effects these toxins would have had on the person.
Questioned Documents Examination - The analysis of documents and writing to determine who wrote something, as well as looking at printers, fax machines, lottery tickets etc. They do NOT determine personality from handwriting.
Firearms and tool mark examination - Matching a gun to bullet or a tool mark to the tool that produced it. Firearms examiners have a variety of backgrounds but usually have their degree in engineering or physics.

Labs that specialize in the above areas process evidence collected from crime scenes. If your interests lean towards this type of forensic activity you will likely first be employed as a:

Biochemist
Lab Technician
Chemist
Pharmacologist
Toxicologist

3. Science/Medical Consultants

Most cases can be quite readily handled by the Police and by the RCMP lab. However, there are a small number of cases where professionals from other disciplines are called in for their expertise on specialized subjects. Normally, these professionals wouldn't work in forensics. They are involved in day to day business of their own, seeing patients, teaching at a University or doing research in their particular field. They are called upon by the Police for expert opinions on rare or unusual cases. Some examples of professions that might be consulted are:

Entomologist
Dentist(Odontology )
Anthropologist
Psychologist

4. Specialized Medical Professionals

In Alberta, the Medical Examiner is responsible for determining the cause of death when death occurs suddenly, unexpectedly or where the circumstances aren't clear. The Medical Examiner is a doctor who likely specializes in Pathology and has a substantial number of years experience in determining cause of death in a Hospital setting. The Medical Examiner is assisted by investigators who are often Nurses. Nurses are branching into other areas of forensic work as well. An emerging occupation is Forensic Nursing or SANE's Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners who provide care to rape victims. These are experienced Nurses who are trained specifically in collecting evidence from victims of violent crimes. At this time, there are few of these specialized positions in Canada.

For people considering the above occupations, ask yourself: would I enjoy being a psychologist, even if I couldn't be a forensic psychologist? Or would I enjoy being a Chemist even if I couldn't work in forensics? Would I enjoy being a police officer even if I never worked as an investigator? If you think that you would be good at and enjoy the occupation even without 'Forensic' or 'investigator' in the title, then you are probably on the right track.

SEE ALSO: Crime Scene Work