Crime Lab Specialist Overview
Required Education and Training To Become a Crime Lab Specialist
Best Schools to become a Crime Lab Specialist in U.S. 2024
CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice
In-State Tuition:$6,930
Out-of-State Tuition:$14,880
Admission Rate:51%
Graduation Rate:54%
Total Enrollment:13,921
Arizona State University Digital Immersion
In-State Tuition:$10,978
Out-of-State Tuition:$13,248
Admission Rate:64%
Graduation Rate:52%
Total Enrollment:62,551
Walden University
In-State Tuition:$10,552
Out-of-State Tuition:$10,552
Admission Rate:N/A
Graduation Rate:N/A
Total Enrollment:42,312
University of New Haven
In-State Tuition:$42,610
Out-of-State Tuition:$42,610
Admission Rate:91%
Graduation Rate:62%
Total Enrollment:8,819
Miami Dade College
In-State Tuition:$1,987
Out-of-State Tuition:$7,947
Admission Rate:N/A
Graduation Rate:45%
Total Enrollment:47,245
The University of Texas at Austin
In-State Tuition:$11,698
Out-of-State Tuition:$41,070
Admission Rate:31%
Graduation Rate:88%
Total Enrollment:52,384
Crime Lab Specialist Job Description:
- 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.
Required Skills and Competencies To Become a Crime Lab Specialist
Job Duties for Crime Lab Specialists
Collect evidence from crime scenes, storing it in conditions that preserve its integrity.
Keep records and prepare reports detailing findings, investigative methods, and laboratory techniques.
Use photographic or video equipment to document evidence or crime scenes.
Technologies and Skills Used by Crime Lab Specialists
Data base user interface and query software
- Microsoft Access
- National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database
Graphics or photo imaging software
- Adobe Photoshop
- Graphics software
Presentation software
- Microsoft PowerPoint
Basic Skills
- Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions
- Reading work related information
People and Technology Systems
- Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it
- Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one
Problem Solving
- Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it