How to identify and employ top performing
crime-scene examiners
(and why it matters in criminal justice)
Dr. Sally Kelty
&
Assoc.Prof. Roberta Julian
Tasmanian Institute of Law
Enforcement Studies,
University of Tasmania,
Hobart, Australia
Applied Research in Crime and
Justice Conference, Sydney
27-28 February 2013
tiles@utas.edu.au
What was Known About Top Performance
in Crime Scene Examination (CSE)
• Poor crime scene work is one contributory factor to
miscarriages of justice and ineffective police investigations.
• In the UK – 25% of CSEs collect higher quality evidence as
compared to their peers (2007 SWIM report findings)
• In US – 2009 National Academy of Science (NAS) report
noted wide variance in performance of CSEs.
• We were interested in who good CSEs were and why some
out perform their peers.
– The SWIM report did not provide details on why some CSEs excel
– Was it their training? Their previous work experience?
Their motivation/commitment to the job?
tiles@utas.edu.au
Methods Used to Identify Top CSEs
Between groups design – 4 groups across 5 state jurisdictions
• CSE and forensic scientists (colleagues/peers)
• Senior detectives from volume and serious crime
• The top performing CSEs from each of the States
• Supervisors
Established job analytical techniques (mixed method approach)
• Focus groups/interviews
• Repertory grid
• Psychometric test battery
Triangulation of methods to increase validity/reliability of results
• Data and investigator triangulation
• Theoretical and methodological triangulation
tiles@utas.edu.au
Methods Used to Indentify Top CSEs
CSE managers/
supervisors
Top 18
Performing
CSEs
(across 5
states)
CSE peers
tiles@utas.edu.au
Police
investigators
Data Analysis & Results
Two step analysis
• Qualitative sequential content and cluster analysis
• Quantitative analysis using SPSS
Results
• A critical skill-set was clearly identified
• The skills clustered into seven discrete groupings.
• Psychometric profile showed distinct differences between
top CSEs and general population samples.
tiles@utas.edu.au
The 7 key Attributes
Using clustering we found 7 key attributes that
differentiated top CSEs from their peers.
• Knowledge Base
• Experience
• Cognitive Abilities
• Work Orientation
• Approach to Life
• Communication Skills
• Professional demeanour & emotional management
tiles@utas.edu.au
The 7 key Attributes
Knowledge Base
• University degree (not necessarily sciences/ forensic science)
• Legal, policing and investigation (holistic) knowledge
• Knowledge of scientific principles
Experience
• Community policing crime scene to court or
• Service industry or critical incidents (‘rea’l life experience)
• Maturity (not age, but lived experiences, not closeted)
Cognitive Abilities
• Lateral thinker, curious, open to new ideas
• Objective, considered and consequential decision making
• Good multi-tasking and short and long term planning skills
Approach to life
• Fitness/health orientation and positive about life
• Clear life/work separation with social/family support
tiles@utas.edu.au
The 7 key Attributes
Work Orientation
• Good time-management
• Dedication to role (goes beyond job description)
• Self-motivated, persistent and patient, results driven
Communication skills
• Active listener. Good negotiation/ assertive interpersonal skills
• Inclusive and team orientated (teacher/trainers and mentors)
• High level written and verbal skills
Professional demeanour & emotional management
•
•
•
•
•
tiles@utas.edu.au
Ignores pettiness & internal politics, respected among peers
Willing to defend decisions
Admits errors and learns from mistakes
Not judgemental, not easily influenced by other factors/people
Consistent, grounded and stress resilient
Psychometric Tests used
tiles@utas.edu.au
•
The Action Control Scale (ACS-90; Diefendorff, Hall, Lord & Strean, 2000)
is a 22-item self-report scale that assesses an individual’s ability to make
timely decisions, commit to a course of action, avoid procrastination,
persist in tasks despite setbacks and handle multiple competing demands.
Evaluation of the ACS = 205 Marketing post-graduate students.
•
The General Self-Efficacy Scale Revised (GSE; Schwarzer & Jerusalem,
1995) Evaluation of the GSE in a pooled sample of over 18,000 adults = a
stable sense of personal competence and mastery to deal effectively with
a variety of stressful situations.
•
The Connor-Davidson Resilience scale (CD-RISC; Connor & Davidson,
2003) Evaluation of the CD-RISC in a sample of 577 adults = measures
resilience to negative situations and successful stress-coping ability.
•
The DASS-21 (Lovibond & Lovibond, 1995) Evaluation of each of the
DASS scales in a sample of 307 adults = Higher scores on the stress
subscale are indicative of symptoms such as being tense, irritable, easily
emotionally disturbed..
Psychometric Profile of Top CSEs
Table 2. Means and differences between top CSEs and Normative Samples.
Variable
Present Sample:
High-performing
CSEs
Normative
samples:
Community
sample
Clinical
outpatients
Police
recruits/officers
University
students
GSE
CDRISC
DASS
Stress
Scale
ACS-90
Precoccupation
Scale
ACS-90
Hesitation
Scale
ACS-90
Volatility
Scale
33.39*
81.28*
8.22*
7.77*
9.33*
9.78*
29.48*
80.4
10.11*
2.28*
2.37*
2.30*
71.8*
29.02*
4.74*
Notes: * difference between CSE and normative sample, all differences p <.05
tiles@utas.edu.au
Why policing / other agencies should
invest in hiring high-calibre CSEs
Benefits of expanding resources into a targeted
recruitment package – four distinct benefits
tiles@utas.edu.au
•
The potential to lower high attrition rates by hiring staff that are
potentially more stress resilient
•
Employing personnel with the scientific knowledge and ability to
collect higher quality evidence from crime scenes that in turn will
reduce the risk of miscarriages of justice
•
Removing additional occupational stress for existing top performer
CSEs
•
Reducing potential for organisational liability for poor recruitment
practices
Turning research into policy
Changes to Victoria Police recruitment practices
• May 2012 an interactive workshop outlining the results was held at
Victoria Police (CSEs and senior management attended)
• Amendments are being made to internal practices within VICPOL to
recruit new CSEs informed by the research and the 7 key attributes.
Changes to Australian Federal Police recruitment practices
• November 2012 commenced a collaborative research project to develop
a multi-stage recruitment package based upon the 7 key attributes for
recruitment of entry level CSEs
• Package to include interview, single and group tasks, medical,
psychometric testing
• Currently trialling a psychometric battery including the Ravens
Progressive Matrices and the Watson Glaser Critical Thinking
Assessment.
• Currently developing a virtual crime scene program as one of the
interview assessment tasks (in collaboration with the National institute of
Forensic Science, NIFS)
tiles@utas.edu.au
The Draft Recruitment Model
TABLE 1 - Critical Skills and Recruitment Strategy by Skill-Set Cluster for Top Performing CSEs
Skill category a
Critical skills b
Recruitment Method
Cognitive
Abilities
Lateral / critical/ creative thinking
Multi-tasking abilities, short/long term planning skills
High level consequential thinking
Psychometric assessment
Psychometric assessment
Psychometric assessment
Knowledge base
University degree
Legal, police culture/ investigation knowledge
Sound knowledge of scientific principles
Crime scene to court (policing/justice experience)
Worked in highly charged situations
Maturity and life experiences (not closeted)
Essential Selection Criteria
Essential Selection criteria
Direct interview question
Essential Selection criteria
Essential Selection criteria
Interview questions
Work
orientation
Good time-management
Genuine interest / dedication to role
Self-motivated, persistent and results driven
Confirmed by referees
Selection criteria / interview questions
Psychometric assessment
Communication
skills
Active listeners with good negotiation skills
Inclusive and team orientated
High level written and verbal skills
Confirmed by referees
Confirmed prior employer
Selection criteria/ Scoring of application
Professional
demeanour
(Leadership)
Unassuming and modest, respected
Potential for leadership
Confirmed by referees
Psychometric assessment
Approach to life
Fitness and health orientation
Consistent and stress resilient
Medical assessment
Psychometric assessment
Experience
Notes: a, b, Critical skills categories and skills by category as identified in Kelty, Julian and Robertson (2012).
tiles@utas.edu.au
Elements of The Draft Recruitment
Model
Selection Criteria (examples, can be addressed in written
format by applicants)
TABLE 2 – Essential and Desirable Selection Criteria for the Recruitment of Top Performing CSEs
Selection Criteria no.
Essential
1. Knowledge base a) A Bachelors degree (in science or related discipline,
or demonstrated scientific knowledge)
2. Work
Experience
a) Demonstrated policing and/or criminal justice
experience)
b) Demonstrated knowledge of the investigative process
Desirable
a) Forensic science or crime scene
qualifications
a) Police or emergency
management
background/experience in
managing highly charged
environments
3. Genuine interest a) Knowledge of the role and detailed expectations of
conditions and exposure to serious crime scenes
in role
4. Communication a) Demonstrated high level assertive abilities
b) Demonstrated verbal and report writing abilities
skills
5. Stress
management
tiles@utas.edu.au
a) Ability to deal with highly charged environments and
extended hours (at crime scenes) when required.
a) High level negotiation skills
b) Presentation of evidence in court
a) Prior experience with shift-work
Where to from here?
Further interest in the recruitment research:
-
UK - Keith Fryer, Head of Forensic Centre, National
Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) (now College of
Policing)
-
US – working with NIFS and NIJ to develop ‘After the
Fact’ virtual crime scenes (for recruitment and training)
-
the next pathway is into career progression
-
tiles@utas.edu.au
employing good people at entry levels does not mean they need less
training
there is a need for a focused career pathway to enhance these skills
we are working with AFP to follow this up
References
tiles@utas.edu.au
•
Adderley, R., and J.W. Bond. 2008. The effects of deprivation on the time
spent examining crime scenes and the recovery of DNA and fingerprints.
Journal of Forensic Sciences 53(1): 178–182.
•
Kelty, S.F. (2012). Professionalism in Crime Scene Examination:
Recruitment strategies using the seven key attributes of top crime scene
examiners. Forensic Science Policy and Management. 2(4): 198 - 204.
•
Kelty, S.F, R. Julian, and J. Robertson. 2012. Professionalism in crime
scene investigation: The seven key attributes of top performing crime
scene examiners. Forensic Science Policy and Management 2(4): 175–
186.
•
National Academy of Sciences (NAS). 2009. Strengthening forensic
science in the United States: A path forward. Washington, DC: National
Academies Press.
Acknowledgements and Thanks
We acknowledge the support of the Australian Research Council (LP0882797)
Thank you to Linkage Partners Victoria Police, ACT Policing, Australian
Federal Police Forensic and Data Centres, the National Institute of
Forensic Science and Forensic Foundations for funding this collaborative
research project.
The research team for this project include social scientists from The
Tasmanian Institute of Law Enforcement Studies (TILES) and the University of
Tasmania together with forensic science researchers from University of
Technology, Sydney, University of Canberra and the University of Lausanne,
Switzerland.
For more information about the project please see:
The Effectiveness of Forensic Science in the Criminal Justice System”.
http://www.utas.edu.au/tiles/research_projects/forensic_science_project.html
tiles@utas.edu.au
Questions ?
tiles@utas.edu.au
www.anzfss2014.com.au
tiles@utas.edu.au