Forensic Technician
By: Michelle Ing
Due: September 6th, 2013
Mrs. Panayiotou
IDC4U3-01
What is a forensic technician?
• Also known as a criminalist
• Specializes in the collection and analyzing of
physical evidence related to crimes
• Mostly work in labs or in the field
• Must be very focused, detailed and elaborate
• Must follow strict protocols and rules
• Is the binding role between the actual crime
itself and the evaluation of the evidence left
behind
What do they do?
• Works with physical evidence to evaluate further information
about a crime
• Writes up reports on their findings
• Figures out what evidence is relevant to the crime investigation
• Work with DNA, chemical substances and firearms
• Trace evidence in all sorts of items to come to conclusions (i.e.
body fluids, soil, glass, hair, etc.)
• Work with tools including cameras, microscopes, spectroscopes
and different lenses
• Often works with chemical substances and science equipment to
investigate
Who are they employed by?
• Mostly employed by the government, and
government agencies
• Some privately owned companies will hire
forensic technicians
• Labs that specialize in the evaluation of
evidence for the police
HIGH SCHOOL REQUIREMENTS
• Average grade range: high 70s – mid 80s
(depending on the post-secondary school)
• Six 4U/M credits – including ENG4U
• Recommended credits: SCH4U, SBI4U,
SPH4U, one of MHF4U, MCV4U or MDM4U
(varies per post-secondary school)
POST-SECONDARY REQUIREMENTS
• Obtain a Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Bachelor of
Science (BSc), or higher
• Master’s degree is preferred
• Some forensic technicians are also trained as
police officers
• Must also go through extensive on-the-job
training (similar to co-op)
Salary Range
• Earnings average anywhere between $50
000 to $90 000 per annum
• Depends heavily on the position,
experience, and employer
• Median salary in 2012: $52 840
• Median hourly wage in 2012: $25.41
Clea Koff: Who is she?
• One of the top 10 most famous forensic
technicians in history
• Works in the field of forensic anthropology
• Studied the deaths of bodies in advanced
stages of decay/decomposition
• Wrote an autobiography of her work
FORENSIC PSYCHIATRY
Maddie Theodorlis
CAREER DESCRIPTION & SALARY
• Ranges between $140,000 and $180,000
per year
• Specialize in how mental health can
affect the law
• They often appear in court for criminal
cases, giving insight on the mental
condition of the person found guilty
• They can work for hospitals, prison
facilities, or with the government
EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS
based on information from the Department of Psychiatry at Western University*
• Undergraduate: students participate in Psychiatry & the Behavioural
Sciences (Medicine 5207), PCCM (Patient Centred Clinical Methods) and
Psychiatry Clinical Clerkship
• Must earn a Bachelor’s Degrees
• Must earn a Medical Doctor (MD)
• Must go through 3 years of training in the form of a psychiatry residence
• Must go through 1 year of more specified training during a fellowship
• Must become Board Certified by passing an examination by the American
Board of Psychiatry and Neurology
DR. PETER IAN COLLINS
• Dr. Peter Ian Collins is the Forensic Psychiatrist in the Criminal Behaviour
Analysis Unit of the Behavioural Sciences
• He received his FRCP (C) (Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians Canada)
in Psychiatry from the University of Toronto
• He received his MD in Medicine from McMaster University
• He received his MCA in Criminology from the University of Ottawa
• He received his BA in Psychology at the University of Western Ontario
REFERENCES
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•
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Dr. Peter I. Collins - Department of Psychiatry. (n.d.). Psychiatry - University of Toronto. Retrieved September 4, 2013, from
www.psychiatry.utoronto.ca/people/dr-peter-i-collins/
Litherland, N. (n.d.). The Average Salary of a Forensic Psychiatrist | eHow. eHow | How to Videos, Articles & More - Discover
the expert in you.. Retrieved September 5, 2013, from http://www.ehow.com/facts_5799629_average-salary-forensicpsychiatrist.html
Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences - Graduate Educations (Faculty of Health Sciences). (n.d.). McMaster University .
Retrieved September 4, 2013, from http://fhs.mcmaster.ca/psychiatryneuroscience/education_graduate.html
Overview | Department of Psychiatry, Western University. (n.d.). Schulich Medicine & Dentistry. Retrieved September 5,
2013, from http://www.psychiatry.meduwo.ca/dir/content/overview-uge
Tronshaw, O. (n.d.). Educational Requirement for Forensic Psychiatry | eHow. eHow | How to Videos, Articles & More Discover the expert in you.. Retrieved September 5, 2013, from http://www.ehow.com/about_6638999_educationalrequirement-forensic-psychiatry.html
Cox, C. A. (n.d.). Job Description of a Forensic Psychiatrist | eHow. eHow | How to Videos, Articles & More - Discover the
expert in you.. Retrieved September 5, 2013, from http://www.ehow.com/facts_5290468_job-description-forensicpsychiatrist.html
Elisabeth Zoffmann, MD FRCP(C) | Forensic Psychiatry. (n.d.). Elisabeth Zoffmann, MD FRCP(C) | Forensic Psychiatry.
Retrieved September 5, 2013, from http://www.drzoffmann.com/services.htm
MEDICAL EXAMINERS
Yuchen Zheng
IDC4U3
Panayiotou
What do Medical Examiners do?
• In the field of forensics, medical
examiners are usually doctors who
primarily determine the most
probable cause of death for
victims through the use of a wide
range of knowledge of the sciences
in addition to data gathered from
autopsies. Often, it is the job of a
medical examiner to carefully
examine and determine what led
to the death of an individual who
was murdered or a victim to an
unexpected death.
• In addition to determining the cause of
death of the deceased, forensic medical
examiners are also responsible for
determining the identity of the
deceased, and the time of their death.
Using data from toxicology reports, past
medical records, concrete evidence from
police reports and lab results, these
medical examiners are capable of
gathering this information in order to
aid the process of finding the cause of
death of the deceased. In addition, they
are also responsible to prepare a formal
report regards the findings of the
autopsy.
Educational Requirements
• While it may be beneficial to realize
an interest in becoming a medical
examiner early on in one’s life, it is not
required. In fact, a bachelor’s degree
in Forensic Science is not absolutely
required to successfully become a
medical examiner. In terms of one’s
undergraduate years, students are
encouraged to explore the principles
behind pathology and focus on their
chemistry, biology, and physics
courses in order to receive the
education and experience required to
enter medical school.
•
After successfully obtaining a bachelor’s degree, one
must enter medical school in order to obtain a Doctor of
Medicine (MD) or a Doctor of Osteopath (DO). While
many medical schools do not offer programs that
specifically specialize in forensic pathology,
prospective medical examiners are free to choose to
major in any program within the medical field.
Proceeding the completion of medical school, students
are required to enter a residency program in both
pathology and forensic pathology, for a total of 5 years.
They are then qualified to write an exam
administrated by the American Board of Pathology to
become “board certified” in both forensic pathology
and pathology. In total, it requires 8-13 years after the
completion of a secondary school education to become
a medical examiner.
RECOMMENDED COURSES
• Throughout HIGH SCHOOL, consider taking
the following courses:
Science
Chemistry
Humanities
Anatomy
Physics
Foreign Language
• Throughout THE UNDERGRADUATE YEARS, consider
taking the following courses:
Humanities
Psychology
Anatomy
Pathology
Physiology
Science
Chemistry
Biology
• Throughout MEDICAL SCHOOL,
consider taking the following courses:
Forensic Pathology
Anthropology
Anatomy
Pathology
Physiology
Forensic Anthropology
Meet Dr. G, Medical Examiner
• Jan C. Garavaglia, M.D., known
generally to the public as “Dr. G”, is
the primary chief medical examiner
for the District Nine (OrangeOsceola) Medical Examiner's Office in
Florida.
• Dr. G graduated from St. Louis
University School of Medicine through
the completion of her fellowship in
forensic pathology and later became
certified by the American Board of
Pathology in a combination of
“anatomic and clinical pathology” and
“forensic pathology.”
• Throughout her career, Dr. G received the Hidalgo Award for "outstanding work
assisting agencies and providing forensic science services during a multijurisdictional capital murder investigation.“ She is also a member of the National
Association of Medical Examiners and the American Academy of Forensic
Sciences.
• Numerous presentations and lectures at a wide variety of institutions have been
presented by Dr. G and her work has been publically documented in the Journal
of Forensic Sciences and The American Journal of Forensic Medicine and
Pathology.
SALARY RANGE
•
The salary of the average medical examiner can
range anywhere from $23,000 to $102,000 which
varies due to differences in educational
qualifications, years of experience and certification
among other factors. As a novice medical examiner,
the salary usually hovers around $22,000 which
can then increase up to $82,000 with experience
after many years. Usually, those medical examiners
with 5 to 9 years of experience can expect to earn a
salary between $26,000 and $70,500. According to
the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median salary for
forensic science technicians, an industry that
encompasses medical examiners, was $51,570 in
May 2010. As the interest in the field of forensic
sciences continues to grow, an increase in
employment of 19% is predicted from years 2010 to
2020.
The REAL Crime Scene Investigators:
Forensic Pathologists
By: Michelle Lefebvre
What is Pathology?
• Pathology is the
medical study of
diagnosis and
disease.
• A forensic
pathology is used
to determine cause
of death in cases of
suspicious,
wrongful or
unnatural deaths.
What are a Forensic Pathologist’s
Responsibilities?
 Collecting evidence:
Certain crime scenes such
as sexual assaults require
the forensic pathologist to
gather evidence.
 Collecting trace evidence
such as secretions or
blood.
 Autopsies: a post-mortem
surgical procedure to
determine the cause and
manner of death.
 Testifying as an expert
witness
How do I become a Forensic
Pathologist?
• Education:
– High school: Sciences
and Math courses to
prepare for an
undergraduate degree
in Science.
– University: An
undergraduate degree
in Science.
– Graduate School: A
medical degree
followed by a
fellowship offered only
at University of Toronto
or McMaster.
• Salary: The salary for
a Forensic pathologist
in Canada varies
tremendously by
years of experience.
– Less than 1 year: $65
000
– 5 years: $90 000
– 10-20 years: $ 165
000
Frances McGill
• Frances McGill was a
trailblazer for women in
the field of Forensic
Pathology.
• McGill broke many cases
and set free innocent
individuals who otherwise
would have been
incarcerated or executed.
• With many convictions
under her belt, the RCMP
valued her at high esteem
and as an equal to her
male counter parts
Neutron Activation Analyst
(NAA)
Katerina Germanakos
JOB DESCRIPTION
• Samples (50mg) are taken from
the substance in question, then it
is entered into a machine that
bombards it with neutrons The
now-radioactive elements begin
to decay. After a certain amount
of time, the sample is placed into
a detector, which monitors the
gamma ray emission of the nuclei
in order to determine the
elements in the sample.
• This method is used in forensic
sciences to decide whether or not
two sample are the same. For
example, gun residue on the
sleeve of a shirt and bullet entry
wound. Using NAA it proves that
they are the exact same
substance. In the past proof
through NAA has been
inadmissible, only recently has it
become somewhat concrete.
Education
High school:
chemistry & math
Post Secondary:
Bachelor, master, and
doctoral degrees
Example (real):
Dr. Vincent P. Guinn
used NAA to analyze
the bullets and
fragments that were
used and found on JFK
after his assassination.
His studies had shown
that the bullets
fragments could be
distinguished because
of their levels of
antimony, silver, and
copper.
Salary
Canadian: $39,000 to $66,000
States: Upward of $100,000
Fingerprint Analyst
Rachel Beard
Salary Range of $38,639 to $56,911 Per
Year
Example of someone in the career:
Andres J. Washington
Fingerprint Analyst
• Career description:
•
•
Fingerprint analysts are forensic
science technicians who specialize in
finding, recording and analyzing
fingerprint evidence left at crime
scenes. They take impressions of
•
prints and compare them with
•
fingerprint databases to provide a
match.
• Skill utilization:
•
•
•
• How career relates to forensics:
must be detail oriented
a great note taker
compose detailed and accurate
reports that may be reviewed by the
courts as part of court cases.
"Forensic science" is science used to investigate
crimes. Fingerprint analysts use scientific
methods to evaluate fingerprints and identify to
whom they belong. Fingerprint analysts help
determine who is responsible for the crime.
Education:
You must have a high school diploma and a
bachelor's degree in forensic science or a
natural science like biology or chemistry.
According to the American Academy of
Forensic Sciences, it is best to take classes
that emphasize mathematics, chemistry and
biology to qualify as a fingerprint analyst. To
reinforce the skills you need to write concise
reports, you should also take writing courses
like English composition.
The Toxicologist
An $84,000+ Job
Ben Carson
•
Toxicology
in
a
Nutshell
Toxicology is the study of how
chemicals react with living
organisms. Toxicologists also
deal with treatments, poisons
and dosage of the toxin to the
organism.
• A few things the typical
toxicologist has; good
understanding of
chemistry and chemical
structures, a very good
understanding of
biochemistry, good
communication skills to people
who aren't biochemists or
toxicologists.
Continued…
•
•
Toxicologists can be involved in a
number of different cases including
DUIs, homicides and . They tend to
have a lot of cases that involve the
use of drugs.
To get into the right programs in
university, in high school you must
take the typical bio/chemistry
match. Then in university you can
take an undergraduate degree of
toxicology. Because there isn’t
usually an undergraduate degree
for toxicology, most students major
in biology or chemistry and then
apply to work in a research
lab. The labs can range from
pharmaceuticals to law
enforcement (forensics).
Henry Andrews (CSI)
(Firearm and) Tool Mark Expert
Thomas Lawlor
Career Description
The Tool mark expert’s job is to identify, collect, preserve,
examine and interpret physical evidence left at a crime scene.
The expert is often the same expert that collects ballistic data,
but this part of the job only deals with property damage (picked
locks ect.) The Firearm and tool mark expert uses his/her skills to
determine what tool did the damage shown. For example, if
there is a picked lock, this expert will determine what was used
to pick it.
Salary
The starting salary for a tool mark expert starts
at $25 000-$35 000. After 4 years it can range
from $30 000-$85 000.
Qualifications
In order to become a tool mark expert you must
have a degree in forensic sciences. Most tool
mark experts specialize in ballistics and ballistic
related fields.
Example
• Geoffrey Arnold
• Had 28 years with the metropolitan police
service as a firearm and tool mark examiner.
• Majored in forensics in University
Trauma Surgeon
Delaney Randle
What is a Trauma Surgeon?
• Examines, diagnoses and surgically treats critical
and life threatening injuries caused by blunt force
trauma or penetrating trauma
• High stress and high pressure job often
unpredictable
• Problem solving, critical thinking and quick
decision making required
• Performs surgery on possible crime scene victims
School
•
•
•
•
•
High school diploma (4 yrs)
Undergrad (4 yrs)
Med school (4 yrs)
General surgeon (3+ yrs)
Trauma fellowship (2 yrs)
– Total 10-15 yrs after high school
Money and Fame
• Range from $72,542- $323,584 CDN
• Median of $252,810
• Famous Trauma surgeon: Owen Hunt
– Grey’s Anatomy