Crime scene technician vs crime scene specialist

The differences between crime scene technicians and crime scene specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a crime scene technician and a crime scene specialist. Additionally, a crime scene specialist has an average salary of $58,467, which is higher than the $51,741 average annual salary of a crime scene technician.

The top three skills for a crime scene technician include biohazard, demolition and physical evidence. The most important skills for a crime scene specialist are physical evidence, evidence collection, and patrol.

Crime scene technician vs crime scene specialist overview

	Crime Scene Technician	Crime Scene Specialist
Yearly salary	$51,741	$58,467
Hourly rate	$24.88	$28.11
Growth rate	11%	11%
Number of jobs	5,535	283
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

Crime scene technician vs crime scene specialist salary

Crime scene technicians and crime scene specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Crime Scene Technician	Crime Scene Specialist
Average salary	$51,741	$58,467
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $80,000	Between $36,000 And $92,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between crime scene technician and crime scene specialist education

There are a few differences between a crime scene technician and a crime scene specialist in terms of educational background:

	Crime Scene Technician	Crime Scene Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	Stanford University	California State University - Bakersfield

Crime scene technician vs crime scene specialist demographics

Here are the differences between crime scene technicians' and crime scene specialists' demographics:

	Crime Scene Technician	Crime Scene Specialist
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 50.6% Female, 49.4%	Male, 45.8% Female, 54.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 10.5% White, 56.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 8.5% White, 58.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between crime scene technician and crime scene specialist duties and responsibilities

Crime scene technician example 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.
Require to run NCIC on all persons requesting their weapons return.
Produce clear and classify fingerprints for immigrants applying for U.S. citizenship.

Crime scene specialist example responsibilities.

Manage customer information in customer management systems CIV.
Collect evidence using various collection and detection methods including photography, ALS and chemical processing.
Serve as firstresponder for accidents and disasters, applying cardiopulmonary resuscitation and other life- saving procedures as needed.

Crime scene technician vs crime scene specialist skills

Common crime scene technician skills

Biohazard, 33%
Demolition, 30%
Physical Evidence, 13%
Crime Scene Investigation, 6%
Latent Prints, 3%
Crime Lab, 2%

Common crime scene specialist skills

Physical Evidence, 46%
Evidence Collection, 13%
Patrol, 12%
Latent Prints, 5%
Diagramming, 5%
Law Enforcement Agencies, 4%

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Crime Scene Technician
Crime Scene Technician vs Crime Scene Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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