A forensic science technician handles evidence from crime scenes for police departments. These technicians are essential in helping to catch and convict suspects in criminal matters. Forensic science technicians collect evidence and analyze the evidence in a laboratory and summarize their findings in written reports. They often testify in court, particularly if they have specialized areas of expertise such as fingerprinting, biochemistry, DNA analysis, blood spatter patterns, chromatography analysis, or handwriting analysis. Forensic science technicians may work for local, state, or federal law enforcement agencies, crime labs, the coroner’s office, and hospitals. Techs may also offer their expertise as independent forensic science consultants. A forensic science technician may work in the field, in the laboratory, and in a legal setting.
The starting salary for a forensic science technician is not known. This is because the cost of living varies in each state and county, which affects the wages that employers offer. In addition, it depends on the degree level of a person hired, as well as his or her field of study.
The starting salary for forensic science technician can be between $42,000 and $45,000 annually. Depending on the employer, a forensic science technician may receive benefits like health insurance and sick days. If the training is provided by a Federal agency then the employee will have access to leave with pay as well as any bonuses that are available to employees.
Starting Salary For Forensic Science Technician Overview
If you’re looking to become a forensic science technician, it’s important to know what kind of education and training you’ll need. The field is growing rapidly, and there are lots of different types of forensic science technicians.
Forensic science technicians are highly trained and experienced professionals who provide vital services to the criminal justice system. These workers work in a variety of settings, including crime scene investigations, hospitals, morgues, and laboratories. They collect evidence, analyze it, and present their findings to the court system or law enforcement agencies.
Forensic science technicians help law enforcement professionals investigate crimes by collecting evidence at crime scenes. They can work in many different types of careers, including police departments and crime labs.
The job requires a lot of physical labor, so it’s important that you’re physically fit before entering this career. You’ll also need to have good interpersonal skills because you need to be able to work with other people on the same team.
The best way to become a forensic science technician is through an associate degree program in criminal justice or forensic science technology. These programs can take about two years to complete, depending on whether or not you attend full-time or part-time classes. Some schools offer online options as well.
You’ll learn about all aspects of forensics during these programs—from how evidence is collected and analyzed at crime scenes, how DNA testing works and much more!
After graduating from one of these programs, there are many different jobs available for those who want
What Is A Forensic Science Technician?
Forensic science technicians play a critical role in criminal investigations. They may collect evidence at crime scenes or process evidence in a laboratory. Their findings are used to help determine who committed the crime and may be presented in court after someone is charged with the crime. Tasks they may be responsible for can include photographing or sketching the crime scene or collecting evidence.
Those who work in a lab will use chemistry, biology, and microscopes to perform tests on samples from the crime scene to identify DNA or other evidence that may have been left by the perpetrator. Some technicians even work with digital evidence to help solve computer-based crimes.
What Do Forensic Science Technicians Do?
As a forensic science technician, you would compile evidence and use it to solve crimes. You might choose to focus on DNA analysis, firearm examination or testing of weapons or substances. You would gather evidence from the scene of a crime and use the correct procedures to preserve clues. You might also take pictures of evidence, collect fingerprints, visit morgues and examine crime scenes to find clues and information.
By examining the evidence, you would figure out how it is significant to the reconstructed crime scene and report your discoveries, laboratory techniques and investigative methods to officials. As a forensic science technician, you might contribute your expert opinion during a trial as a witness, describing how you came to your conclusions.
Average Forensic Science Salary
Forensic Science Technician’s salary depends on their education, their experience, their geographic location, private sector or government employee, and their reputation within the industry. As such, like with any other industry, the pay scale a forensic scientist will earn will range in accordance with their skills and experience. If you are going to get involved with this career path, you could earn a salary that fits into the range below:
Lowest 10% made less than $32,900
Median Wage was $51,570 (May 2010)1, $55,660 (May 2011)2
Top 10% earned more than $82,990
As specified, the salary information doesn’t include an exact salary for those who fall within the lowest tier range and the upper tier range. Thus, depending on your ability to market yourself within this chosen field you could make less than $32,900 per year, or you could earn above 82,990 per year. This creates an excellent opportunity for a forensic science technician to earn a better salary as they mature in their professional work experience.
Forensic Science Salary by Industry
You may find employment in many different industries while working as a forensic scientist. Some of those industries include:
Local Government: Median Income: $54,990
State Government: Median Income: $54,550
Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals: Median Income: $67,310
Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation): Median Income: $95,240
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services: Median Income: $62,710
Forensic Science Salary by Degree
Theoretically, a higher college education should provide you with a higher forensic science salary. Research suggests that this may not be the case though, at least not at this time. Here are some of the most common forensic science degrees in the country, along with the money people make with those degrees after graduation:
Salary by Similar Job Occupations4
Biochemists and Biophysicists: Median Income: $79,390
Chemists and Materials Scientists: Median Income: $69,790
Medical Scientists: Median Income: $76,700
Police and Detectives: Median Income: $55,010
Private Detectives and Investigators: Median Income: $42,870
Forensic Science Salary by Location
Some areas of the country have better paying work for forensic scientists than others. Here are some fo the top paying states for forensic scientists in the country3:
(1) Washington, D.C.: Annual Mean Wage – $74,050
(2) Illinois: $44,020 – $102,280
(3) Washington: $36,280 – $72,100
(4) California: $42,530 – $104,930
(5) Virginia: $37,320 – $103,870
(6) Conneticut: $47,930 – $87,080
(6) Conneticut: $38,220 – $76,800
Forensic Science Technician Salary by Top Metropolitan Areas3
In our previous section, we provided statistics regarding the salary of employees in this field per top paying states, now we will provide the annual mean wage of salaries within some of the top cities (more options for higher paying salaries in CA):
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Division: $79,930
Springfield, IL: 76,540
Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, CA Division: 76,060
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA: $75,390
Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL Division: $72,080
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA: $65,680
The information above provides any person desiring to be a Forensic Science Technician with enough information to potentially know what they will earn in this career. If you should decide to pursue this career, then take the opportunity to learn more, and potentially locate, research, what schools will offer you the best educational experience to help you obtain your vocational goals.
Steps for Becoming a Forensic Science Technician
To become a forensic science tech, there are several key requirements. Forensic science techs typically have a bachelor’s degree, or an acceptable combination of education and experience; applicants who have graduated from applied sciences technology programs and who have been extensively trained on using laboratory equipment will have an edge. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the vast majority of aspiring forensic science technicians hold bachelor’s degrees in the natural sciences and a master’s degree in forensic science. If you are interested in becoming a forensic science technician, you should expect to follow steps similar to the ones below:
- Acquire the education and/or experience needed for a forensic science technician job.
- Apply for a job as a forensic science technician.
- Undergo a background check.
- Be drug tested.
- Be interviewed.
- Get hired as a forensic science tech.
- Be trained on-the-job once hired.
