Crime Scene Technician vs. Crime Scene Investigator

A crime scene technician mostly focuses their time on analyzing crime scene evidence in a lab setting, while a crime scene investigator works the crime scene to find all of the evidence possible.

How To Become A Crime Scene Technician: What It Is and Career Path

What is a crime scene technician and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

You've probably seen a crime scene technician on a TV show or movie milling about in the background of a crime scene. But unlike their seemingly passive roles in media, crime scene technicians have significant responsibilities in law enforcement. They are in charge of collecting evidence on a crime scene, analyzing collected data, and providing detailed reports on their findings to officers and detectives.

In more detail, the tasks of a crime scene technician include processing fingerprints, analyzing physical evidence such as DNA, taking photographs of the crime scene, creating crime scene sketches, and ensuring all collected evidence is safely transferred to the crime lab.

Many crime scene technicians have a bachelor's degree in criminal justice or a similar field, but it is possible to attain this role with a high school diploma or GED. More than that, a crime scene technician must have excellent analytical skills, a keen eye for detail, and a strong grasp of forensics and critical thinking. Above all, they must have a strong stomach to analyze any type of crime scene in a professional manner--but this skill often comes with experience on the job.

ScoreCrime Scene TechnicianUS Average

Salary

4.0

Avg. Salary $51,741

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.9

Growth rate 11%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.98%

Asian 10.49%

Black or African American 9.48%

Hispanic or Latino 16.77%

Unknown 5.68%

White 56.59%

Gender

female 49.42%

male 50.58%

Age - 35

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 35

Stress level

7.9

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.0

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.7

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a crime scene technician

Explore crime scene technician education requirements

Most common crime scene technician degrees

Bachelor's

52.3 %

Associate

25.7 %

High School Diploma

9.6 %

Start to develop specific crime scene technician skills

Skills	Percentages
Biohazard	32.55%
Demolition	29.54%
Physical Evidence	12.85%
Crime Scene Investigation	6.04%
Latent Prints	2.63%

Complete relevant crime scene technician training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New crime scene technicians learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a crime scene technician based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real crime scene technician resumes.

Research crime scene technician duties and responsibilities

Process crime scenes for fingerprints, DNA (various types), trace evidence, bloodstain pattern analysis, bullet trajectory.
Collaborate with federal agencies, including the FBI, DEA, ATF, KBI and IRS.
Check SID numbers in RAS system.
Perform enrollment procedures in helping TWs acquire their TWIC card.

Prepare your crime scene technician resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your crime scene technician resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a crime scene technician resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable crime scene technician resume templates

Build a professional crime scene technician resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your crime scene technician resume.