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Career Details
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Career Details
19-4092.00 - Forensic Science Technicians
19-4092.00 - Forensic Science Technicians
Collect, identify, classify, and analyze physical evidence related to criminal investigations. Perform tests on weapons or substances, such as fiber, hair, and tissue to determine significance to investigation. May testify as expert witnesses on evidence or crime laboratory techniques. May serve as specialists in area of expertise, such as ballistics, fingerprinting, handwriting, or biochemistry.
Key Facts
Bright Outlook
1
Career Details
Green Job
Career Details
Current Employment
14,400
Estimate
Forecasted Employment
18,200
Estimate
Change in Employment
+3,800
Estimate
Change in Employment %
+26.6%
Estimate
Tasks
Tasks
The tasks listed below can be performed to prepare you for a career in this field.
Core
- Testify in court about investigative or analytical methods or findings.
- Operate and maintain laboratory equipment and apparatus.
- Prepare solutions, reagents, or sample formulations needed for laboratory work.
- Collect evidence from crime scenes, storing it in conditions that preserve its integrity.
- Reconstruct crime scenes to determine relationships among pieces of evidence.
- Visit morgues, examine scenes of crimes, or contact other sources to obtain evidence or information to be used in investigations.
- Confer with ballistics, fingerprinting, handwriting, documents, electronics, medical, chemical, or metallurgical experts concerning evidence and its interpretation.
- Keep records and prepare reports detailing findings, investigative methods, and laboratory techniques.
- Train new technicians or other personnel on forensic science techniques.
- Use photographic or video equipment to document evidence or crime scenes.
Supplemental
- Interpret laboratory findings or test results to identify and classify substances, materials, or other evidence collected at crime scenes.
- Identify and quantify drugs or poisons found in biological fluids or tissues, in foods, or at crime scenes.
- Collect impressions of dust from surfaces to obtain and identify fingerprints.
- Analyze gunshot residue and bullet paths to determine how shootings occurred.
- Examine physical evidence, such as hair, fiber, wood, or soil residues to obtain information about its source and composition.
- Examine firearms to determine mechanical condition and legal status, performing restoration work on damaged firearms to obtain information, such as serial numbers.
- Compare objects, such as tools, with impression marks to determine whether a specific object is responsible for a specific mark.
- Use chemicals or other substances to examine latent fingerprint evidence and compare developed prints to those of known persons in databases.
- Examine and analyze blood stain patterns at crime scenes.
- Review forensic analysts' reports for technical merit.
- Determine types of bullets and specific weapons used in shootings.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Knowledge
Knowledge
The items listed below are organized into sections that contain knowledge useful for pursuing a career in this field. Each section also contains a "Percentage of Importance" statistic that shows how relevant an item is to the occupation.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Tools
Tools
The tools listed below include machines, equipment, tools, and software that is useful for individuals who are interested in this career.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Technology
Technology
The technologies listed below include machines, equipment, tools, and software that is useful for individuals who are interested in this career.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Certifications
Licensing
Licensing
The licensing information below is organized into sections and is useful for pursuing if you are interested in a career in this field.
No specific licensing information is listed for this occupation in the area you have selected.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Related Programs
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