Law and order are a very important part of every culture and every country. Every country suffers from criminals of all kind who leaves crime scenes behind. Law needs experts to read the crime scene and investigate clues to reach the criminals. These experts are known as crime scene investigators (CSI). As crimes are increasing in every country so are the demands for crime scene investigators. let us know about that the Salaries for CSI Crime Scene Investigator.
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crime scene investigators usually work with the government and are given salaries as per their experience. The range of salaries of crime scene investigators lies between $ 10K to $240K approximately. Like any other job this crime scene department also operates on a hierarchy and is paid based on qualification, experience and expertise. The average salary of crime scene investigators in the USA is $43K approximately. However, San Francisco pays the highest salary to their crime scene investigators which is approximately $72K which is 48 per cent higher than the average in the USA.
Journey to become a Crime Scene Investigator Observing crime scene investigators in movies and television series has sparked the interest of many youths to choose Forensic science as a career. This is the best job for people who have a passion to solve puzzles. Becoming a crime scene investigator is not difficult but becoming a successful Crime scene investigator takes a lot more than a simple degree.
Skills required to be a CSI
To be a crime scene investigator, the person should have the following skills
Instinct and Judgement
Instincts come from within and are honed with experience and so is judgement.
Physical and Mental stamina
collecting evidence from a crime scene is no small task it can take hours and needs a lot of bending and stooping while doing it.
Sturdy stomach
crime scene can vary from mere theft to brutal murder and therefore CSI need a strong stomach to deal with the gruesome reality of crime scenes.
Critical and Logical Analysing power
Collecting evidence is not sufficient adding them together in a way that leads to a true culprit is an art that only people with good analytical and critical thinking can achieve.
Academic Qualifications of Crime Scene Investigator
To become a crime scene investigator, a person is required to have some professional degree besides the skill to qualify for the job. Although there are many forensic science courses available in many universities to train people to become crime scene investigators but degrees like Bachelor of Science in computer science, criminal justice or Biology is also acceptable educational qualification.A person wanting to be a CSI can also become a police officer and later get promoted to the crime scene department based on his training and experience. A person can also become a CSI by applying and earning a state licence to become a CSI. There are various courses available with the International Association for Identification (IAI) that will help to climb the ladder of promotion in the department or become an expert in other fields of investigation like Latent, Print, pattern analysis of blood stains, forensic photography etc.
Designations of Crime Scene Investigator
As per the International Association of Identification crime scene investigator designation can be distributed into four parts:
Crime Scene Investigator
with a one-year experience being active in a crime scene and 48 hours of CSI Board- Approved directions for at least 5 years, one can apply for the designation.
Crime Scene Reconstructionist
with five years of experience reconstruction of the crime scene and 120 hours of Board Approved directions for at least five years, one can apply for the designation of Crime Scene Reconstructionist.
Crime Scene Analyst
with three years of experience working on the active crime scene and 96 hours Board approved direction for at least five years, one can apply for the designation of Crime scene Analyst.
Crime Scene Analyst senior
With 6 years of experience working on the active crime scene, 144 hours of CSI board-Approved directions for at least five years, working as a CSI instructor or authoring an article or making a demonstration to a professional organisation or presenting a court testimony of course transcription submission, a person can apply for the designation of Senior CSI Analyst.
Conclusion
The job of a Crime Scene Investigator is challenging and as well as crucial to the investigation of a crime. Therefore, the applicants have to go through a tough selection procedure to be selected for the job and have to keep updating themselves from time to time to get promotions. The hierarchy is based on the experience of the investigator as well as the talent and expertise. However, the crime scene investigator’s salary begins from $10k and the seniors can earn up to 240k approximately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What are the eligibility criteria for candidates’ crime scene Investigator job?
A. following criteria should be met by the candidate:The candidate should be 21 years of age The candidate should be a citizen of US.
Q. What are the roles and responsibilities of a crime scene investigator?
A. Crime Scene Investigator perform the following tasks to assist detectives in reading the crime scenes:Collecting fingerprints or lifting them Examining devices and weaponsDetermining the cause and time of deathCollecting DNA traces and documenting them.Giving testimony in the courtHelping to keep the crime scene protected from outside contaminationDocumenting the details and including photographs pieces of evidence and photographsWriting reports about the findings and sending samples to the laboratory. Taking interviews of the medical professionals, relatives and law enforcement officers.
Q. What universities are considered best to study courses related to Crime scene investigation?
A. Following ten universities are considered best to study courses related to Crime Scene investigation: The Ohio State UniversityGeorge Washington University University of AlabamaTowson UniversityEast Carolina UniversityPenn State University Cedarville UniversityMadonna UniversityVirginia Commonwealth UniversityUniversity of Central Oklahoma
