CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATOR
Do you have a burning desire to become a crime scene investigator, but you have no idea what is involved? Do
you ever wonder what background a CSI has? Are you looking for a pathway to enter the business of being a crime
scene investigator? The information on this page was written by a profesional investigator with over twenty years
of experience. It is a straight forward and simple look at the questions most people ask about crime scene
investigation. Click on any question below to immediately jump to the answer. You can click on "Return To Index"
anywhere on the page to get back to the list of questions. Or just scroll down through them at your liesure, reading
each one.
If you decide that the qualifications are too stringent or that you don't want to put in that much time to become a
crime scene investigator, then click on the link at the bottom and you will be taken to a web site, Safe Harbor
Investigations, which is an established detective agency in Atlanta, Georgia.
The
Safe Harbor Investigations web
site contains a lot of information related to becoming a private investigator including:
performing surveillance, using GPS tracking, countersurveillance, finding people, using the courts, and many other
aspects of being a PI.
INDEX TO QUESTIONS
I want to become a Crime Scene Investigator (CSI). What should I do first?
What kind of degree should I get to become a CSI?
How long will it take to become a crime scene investigator?
Are there any books I can read to help become a CSI?
Do I have to become a Police Officer first before becoming a crime scene investigator?
How much money do CSI’s make a year?
What does a Crime Scene Investigator do?
How can I find out about the specific job description and salary of a CSI in my area?
What are the working conditions like for a crime scene investigator?
I want to go to college and major in Criminal Justice. What are the best schools to attend?
I want to go to college and major in Forensic Science. What are the best schools to attend?
Other than education requirements, what else should I know about becoming a CSI?
I want to
become a Crime Scene Investigator. What
should I do first?
First and foremost, finish high school and get your
diploma. The best way to become a CSI is
to get a college education. Once you
have your degree, you can become a police officer, and then become a CSI. You will find a more detailed explanation in
the sections below.
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What kind of
degree should I get to become a CSI?
Forensic Science is the best
major to choose if you wish to become a CSI.
You can get an Associate’s degree (2-year) or Bachelor’s degree
(4-year). Keep in mind that many police
departments will require a Bachelor’s degree. However, you could also study Criminal Justice or Criminology, but you
will still want to have a focus on Forensics. If you have a Bachelor’s degree, go after a Master’s degree, which will
greatly improve your value when you are applying for the job.
In general, you will also earn a higher
salary with a Master’s degree.
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How long will
it take to become a CSI?
It can take anywhere from
6 to 10 years from the time you graduate high school. This includes the time at college. Many CSI’s will have a Bachelor’s
degree. Some people can become CSI's
without a college education, but the education makes a person more competitive
to get the job that they want. The vast
majority of CSI's are police officers. They must be hired by a police department and complete the police
academy training and work for many years in lower positions before
being able to apply for a CSI position. Once a person is
selected to become a CSI, they will receive advanced training at an academy,
and serve as an apprentice. While working as a police officer, you
should take all the opportunities you can to assist in crime scene
processing. This will improve your
chances of becoming a CSI and give you experience that will help in obtaining a position as a
CSI.
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Are there any
books I can read to help become a CSI?
The most widely recommended
book is Techniques of Crime Scene Investigation by Barry A. J.
Fisher. This book is widely
considered the "bible" of Crime Scene Investigation. Reading this book will give you a great deal
of knowledge on crime scene investigation before you enter the
field. Another good book is "Crime Scene
Evidence: A Guide to the Recovery and
Collection of Physical Evidence", written by Mike Byrd. If you have not had any courses on
photography, you might need a good photography book like "Black and White
Photography: A Basic Manual", by Henry Horenstein & Carol Keller. Another good photography book is "The
Crime Scene and Evidence Photographer's Guide" by Steven Staggs. It goes beyond basic photography and into
the specifics of crime scene photography. It contains step-by-step instructions for
photographing crime scenes and evidence, as well as example photographs for
different situations. Fingerprints are an important part of crime scene investigation, so you may also
want to read "Introduction to Fingerprint
Comparison". These books will give you a
great advantage when applying for a position as a CSI. It isn't necessary to read every single book,
but the more you read the better. You
may find many of these books at your local public library. Having studied the field on your own
will definitely make you stand out as a prime candidate when you apply for a CSI
job.
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Do I have to
become a Police Officer first before becoming a CSI?
Yes. We have yet to find a
way around this. The only “technicality”
is becoming an “un-sworn” Crime Scene Investigator. Un-sworn CSI’s will work as an investigator
without becoming a police officer first. However, almost all “un-sworn” CSI’s work for the FBI, and although they
were not technically “police officers”, they did serve their time as regular
agents. Don’t expect to jump right out
of high school (or college for that matter) and become a CSI your first day on
the job. Because of the extremely
sensitive daily job of CSI’s, you must have extensive knowledge and
understanding of the legal system, laws, and law enforcement before you
can investigate crime scenes. Remember,
CSI’s have a huge responsibility of solving delicate crimes and serving justice
to the victims.
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How much money
do CSI’s make a year?
A CSI
can expect to make around $40,000 a year. However, this figure will vary depending on several factors. As a rule
of thumb, the more college
education you have, the more money you will make. Although this may not always be the case, a
person with a Bachelor’s degree will usually make more than someone with just
an Associates’ degree.
It is
also important to know that a CSI working in a large city will make more money
than a CSI working a small town. For
example, you will make more money as a CSI in New York City than you will in a
rural area of Alabama.
As
with any other job, the more experience you have, the more you will get
paid. A veteran CSI with over 25 years
of experience can make two or even three times the salary as someone who
just become a CSI.
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What does a
Crime Scene Investigator do?
In a
nutshell, a CSI will handle more complex crime scenes, such as homicides,
sexual offenses, and robberies. They
will evaluate the crime scene using advanced equipment and techniques. In processing crime scenes, a CSI will be
responsible for collecting, handling, and packaging evidence. A CSI will also have the responsibility for
photographing the crime scene (or evidence at the crime scene) whenever
necessary.
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How can I find
out about the specific job description and salary of a CSI in my area?
The best
thing to do is contact a local police department. The city or county police
departments may offer more opportunity than the Sheriff’s office. Tell them that you are interested in becoming a CSI, and you want to
find out more information from someone working as a CSI. Usually there are
people willing to talk with you about their job, especially if you show a keen
interest in their career. Don’t
worry if you aren’t able to talk with a CSI right away; their days are
extremely busy. It may take
several days or even a couple of weeks for one to call you back, but you’ll find that they will
normally talk about their job and give you valuable insights. Be sure to ask what the minimum requirements
for applying in thier agency are, because these requirements will vary significantly between agencies.
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What are the
working conditions like for a CSI?
Typically,
a crime scene investigator will work standard hours — Monday through Friday from
8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Most police departments
will require a CSI to also work “standby” hours. This means that during those hours, they are available at all times to
respond to calls. A crime scene investigator must
be ready to respond to “emergency calls” whenever necessary.
In addition to processing crime scenes, a CSI
will have to appear in court as an “expert witness” and be
able to explain their findings to a jury.
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I want to go to
college and major in Criminal Justice. What are the best schools to attend?
Since
there are so many great schools offering degree programs in Criminal Justice,
there is not really a “top list.” However, some of the more prestigious schools are
John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Michigan State,
and Boston University. But there are many more.
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I want to go to
college and major in Forensic Science. What are the best schools to attend?
There
aren’t as many schools that offer a Forensic Science degree as there are
schools that offer a Criminal Justice degree, but some of
the better Forensic programs can be found at George Washington University and The University of
Central Florida. Naturally there are many others.
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Other than
education requirements, what else should I know about becoming a CSI?
Because
CSI’s will spend nearly all of their time processing crime scenes, so they should
be in good physical condition. Processing a crime scene will be a more physically demanding than
you would expect. The job normally
involves extensive kneeling, climbing, and crouching, as well as lifting and
carrying heavy objects.
Photography is a must-have skill for becoming a CSI. Since you will photograph a lot while on the
job, you should know about all types of cameras, how cameras work, and
advanced techniques of photography. Check out a few books on photography if you want to learn more.
You do
not have to be an expert, but you should know how to write
and speak effectively. CSI’s are required
to document the crime scene and their investigative activities in written reports. “Documenting” the scene will also
include sketching and photography. Once the case goes to trial, CSI's are placed on the witness stand to
describe their findings to the judge and jury in layman's terms.