In order to be a CSI, do you have to go to the police academy?...?

Question

Or is completing a program in criminal justice technology enough?

Answer 1

Speaking from a perspective of someone who is attempting to be a CSI, here is my point of view.

A small percentage of departments have non-sworn (non-officer) CSIs. Those departments hire individuals who are qualified, through either prior training or education, to fulfill the tasks of the job. In my state (Oklahoma) there are at least two departments which use this method. As far as the rest of the US goes, there are several, including Texas, California, and Ohio.

However, I believe the majority of departments in the US have sworn (officer) CSIs. They will either hire sworn officers from within to fill the position, or hire from outside and train them to become officers.

In addition, many criminal justice programs rarely have enough specialized classes to make one qualified for or even remotely trained enough to do CSI work. There are a handful of bachelor's degree programs which are criminal justice programs that allow specialization in CSI-relate material, however, as well as several associate degree programs which do the same. Be careful to choose your degree program VERY carefully, as not all degrees or degree programs are equal - and many of the criminal justice programs do not make one even remotely qualified to walk into the field of crime scene investigations.

Here is a comparison for you.

For the criminal justice bachelor's degree in my area (Central Oklahoma), only the following courses are required of the degree that have any relevance to CSI: SOC 3633 Criminology; CHEM 2503 Introduction to Forensic Science OR CJ 4023 Modern Criminal Investigations; POL 3613 Criminal Law and Procedure; CJ 3653 Police Administration and Organization; CJ 4013 Elements of Criminal Offenses; CJ 4940 Field Study in Criminal Justice (3 hours) - Total: 12 Credit Hours.

Compare that to the police science - CSI emphasis associates degree specialized requirements: PLSC 1213 Rules of Evidence; PLSC 1223 Penal Code and Related Criminal Laws; PLSC 1433 Crime Scene Photography; PLSC 2213 Principles of Investigation and Interview; PLSC 2413 Technical Investigation I; PLSC 2423 Bloodstain Interpretation; PLSC 2434 Fingerprint Identification; PLSC 2443 Crime Scene Reconstruction; PLSC 2503 Introduction to Forensic Science; PLSC 2533 Courtroom Testimony and Presentation; PLSC 2543 Occupational Proficiency; INDD 1513 Crime Scene Computer Aided Drafting; PLSC 1423 Interviewing Skills - Total: 36 Credit Hours.

In addition, there is one other crucial difference between these two degrees. The BA degree is almost entirely classroom only work, where as the AAS degree has more than half of its classes designed to be both classroom and hands on. This means you would be working with the same equipment, learning how to do the same things, learning how to look for the same things as actual CSIs. In addition, all of the professors for the second program are either current or former detectives or CSIs.

All that said, if I was to give advice to anyone wanting to be a CSI, here is what I'd say. First of all, find a school in your area that teaches specialized CSI classes and take them. Whether it is a bachelor's degree, a certificate, or an associate's degree, get it. If it is only a certificate or an associates degree, once you are done getting it, start a bachelor's program in criminal justice.

While in the process of getting your degree(s), get your self prepared to become a cop. Keep your criminal and driving records clean, find out the physical requirements for your state's officer certification program, and meet or exceed them.

The fact remains, at this point in time, most CSIs are cops. While it is possible to get a job as a CSI and not be a cop, your best way into the field is by being an officer. The reason I recommend getting education in the field of CSI prior to actual employment as an officer is two fold. One, it will teach you things about evidence and crime scenes that being trained as a cop won't fully satisfy. Secondly, when it is time to advance from an officer to a CSI (or detective), you will automatically be better trained than your fellow officers (most likely). Granted, they will possibly train you again, but you will have a better edge up than the rest, and the subject matter you will be trained in will be much easier to you.

I recommending you get a BA or some bachelor's degree because many of the major police departments are beginning to require all their new officers have bachelor's degrees prior to even considering them. Since most CSIs are found in major departments, it would be wise to meet that requirement. Furthermore, even if you don't have to go through being a cop to become a CSI, a bachelor's degree will make you more qualified to an employer.

Let me end with this. There are several jobs with in the forensics field. The degree program I referred to above trains you to become an evidence technician - not a detective, not an investigator. That is generally what the law enforcement community refers to when they speak of CSIs. If you've been watching CSI, and think that gives you a reasonable expectation of how things work in a normal CSI division, you're in for a big surprise. Most CSIs are not the main or even lead investigators for a department - they simply collect the evidence and present their findings to the detectives. While many are officers, they are often not the ones who go out and make the arrests, and may possibly not even take part in interviewing witnesses. Another difference between real life and CSI the TV show is that, often, their DNA people, their toxicology people, and other specialized forensics people did the same functions of all of the CSIs. In my experience, this is not the case. Those individuals who do toxicology and DNA specifically are more often than not non-sworn (non-officer) employees of a police department.

So, if you are interested in become a DNA technician, a toxicologist, or maybe even a fingerprint specialist, becoming an officer is not required (for the most part). What IS required, at least for the first two positions (though not often for the fingerprint specialist) is an advanced degree (a bachelor's at least, if not a masters) in science - preferably forensic chemistry. The good thing is, many universities have or are developing programs for forensic chemistry, so such a degree is readily available even with out having to revert to a private university. I've been told that if you have a degree in forensic chemistry from the University of Central Oklahoma you are almost guaranteed to get a good job with a police department as a forensic chemist as soon as you graduate. The demand in this field is, at present, very high for well qualified individuals.

I hope that helped you with your question! Feel free to email me if you have any other questions about becoming a CSI. It is a fun, exciting, and VERY interesting field, and I love it - even though I'm not currently a CSI.

-Saffyre

Answer 2

That would depend on where you want to be a CSI. In Rochester, NY CSIs are both sworn and non-sworn personnel. The forensic people at the FBI are not FBI Agents. Some departments use civilians for this task and some don't.

Answer 3

It helps to know that the characters on CSI do three separate jobs: detective, crime scene investigator, and forensic scientist. The job you want to do determines your educational path.

If you want to be a detective, you obviously have to become a police officer, which entails going to the police academy. Some departments require a bachelor's degree to apply, but most do not. If the department you want to work for requires one, it can be in any subject.

If you want to be a forensic scientist, you need a bachelor's degree in a physical science. The department I work for in Florida requires a degree in chemistry, physics, or biology to work in the lab. The "forensic science" degree offered by some schools is based on the chemistry degree and is also generally accepted. Laboratory disciplines include DNA, firearm and toolmark analysis, drug chemistry, trace analysis, forensic identification ("fingerprints"), and questioned documents. Every lab that is accredited, as mine is (see www.ascld.org for a description of what it takes to be accredited--they also have an Employment section), requires a minimum of a bachelor's degree to be a scientist. That means that after you do the work you go to court to testify about your analyses and findings. We are civilian employees, not officers.

Most crime scene investigators, at least in south Florida where I am, are civilians. They collect evidence and submit it to the lab for analysis, and they go to court to testify about what they did at the crime scene and about the evidence they collected. They take lots of photos, do some latent print processing, and produce diagrams of the crime scene as part of their reports. If this is what you want to do, a criminal justice technology program may be sufficient. Because the requirements aren't as specific as for a scientist or a detective, lots of people apply for civilian crime scene investigator jobs, so if you can distinguish yourself when you apply for a job you'll get farther. If photography is already your hobby, that's a good way to stand out because so much of crime scene investigation is photography--the pictures you take have to accurately document the evidence and the conditions under which it was found. If you have a portfolio of your work under different conditions (bright daylight, at night, macro photography, etc.) you can show that you already know some of the essentials of the job.

Once you know which one of the three jobs (detective, forensic scientist, or crime scene investigator) you want to pursue, your path will be clearer. If you want more info, go to www.aafs.org. They have a lot of links and information for students, plus an employment page, so you can see what employers are looking for. These jobs are very competitive. Good luck to you.

Answer 4

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Answer 5

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Answer 6

according to a federal marshall that i happened to ask that exact question the answer is yes.that is your first phase of training

Answer 7

I think you just have to be young and pretty like those people on TV.