LIsa Black
Cape Coral, FL
Female, 49
I spent the five happiest years of my life in a morgue. As a forensic scientist in the Cleveland coroner’s office I analyzed gunshot residue on hands and clothing, hairs, fibers, paint, glass, DNA, blood and many other forms of trace evidence, as well as crime scenes. Now I'm a certified latent print examiner and CSI for a police department in Florida. I also write a series of forensic suspense novels, turning the day job into fiction. My books have been translated into six languages.
A 'forensic science technician' can refer to anything from someone who works in the Property Department to someone who does DNA analysis to someone who investigates death scenes. A good way to get a handle on the situation is to look at online job postings from places where you might want to work--the local police department, the county morgue, the state crime lab. They will post the duties and requirements for each position. You can also check the same information on the websites of professional organizations such as the American Academy of Forensic Sciences or the International Association for Identification. That should give you a good start.
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Most people die in their homes, so that's the 'normal' place to find them, but there are plenty of more unusual incidents as well. It's never scary, though, since when I go there I'm surrounded by cops, EMS workers, possibly firemen, Medical Examiner staff etc. I always observe the body where it is found, since that is my job. The Medical Examiner's or Coroner's office staff examines the body at their lab, so they can choose to come to the scene or not. If the death appears to be straightforward and natural, they will often not come to the scene and simply have the body transported to them.
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If you page up to the very first question, the answer goes into this in some detail.
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Sure, I will email you.
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MBA Student
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She should try to get an internship with a local agency--city, county, state police or medical examiner's. Practical experience will count for a lot. However much depends on what kind of forensic scientist she wants to be--does she want to do crime scene work, in which case most of the training is on the job, or does she want to work in a lab, in which case she'll probably need at least a BA in biology or chemistry. She can check forensic organization websites and government websites for job vacancy postings to get an idea of what the job requirements are. She might also check out entry level positions. At our department we have PSA--Public Service Aides, a paid position that's basically a step between community volunteers and sworn officers. They do more cop-type things, but will make contacts and learn a lot. They do things like direct traffic at accident scenes, take burglary reports and process scenes for fingerprints. She might also want to consider that forensic positions involving crime scene work often have unpredictable hours and sometimes overtime, which might be difficult to juggle with child care arrangements.
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I have no idea. They didn't have forensic science degrees when I went to school. But I will check with a friend of mine who teaches.
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