Crime specialist vs forensic investigator

The differences between crime specialists and forensic investigators 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 specialist and a forensic investigator. Additionally, a forensic investigator has an average salary of $52,267, which is higher than the $35,227 average annual salary of a crime specialist.

The top three skills for a crime specialist include criminal justice, anti-money laundering and secrecy. The most important skills for a forensic investigator are incident response, windows, and FTK.

Crime specialist vs forensic investigator overview

	Crime Specialist	Forensic Investigator
Yearly salary	$35,227	$52,267
Hourly rate	$16.94	$25.13
Growth rate	11%	11%
Number of jobs	1,239	5,032
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

What does a crime specialist do?

The duties of a Crime Specialist usually depend on their place of employment. Their responsibilities include visiting crime scenes, gathering and analyzing pieces of evidence, conducting interviews with witnesses, utilizing forensic equipment and techniques, taking photographs or videos, and preparing reports and other paperwork. They may also attend court hearings, provide insights, and train new members of the workforce. Crime Specialists work together with law enforcement, which requires an active communication line for a smooth and efficient workflow.

What does a forensic investigator do?

A forensic investigator is responsible for collecting evidence and pieces of a clue to solve a complicated incident. A forensic investigator must have strong critical-thinking and problem-solving skills to handle various cases that would require intensive research and scientific principles application. Forensic investigators usually work closely with law enforcement personnel to identify all possible sources and secure evidence for further examination. They also study the scene where the incident happened, document observations, creating investigation reports, and communicating with several witnesses that would support possible claims.

Crime specialist vs forensic investigator salary

Crime specialists and forensic investigators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Crime Specialist	Forensic Investigator
Average salary	$35,227	$52,267
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $47,000	Between $27,000 And $98,000
Highest paying City	Salt Lake City, UT	-
Highest paying state	Alaska	-
Best paying company	Collabera	-
Best paying industry	Finance	-

Differences between crime specialist and forensic investigator education

There are a few differences between a crime specialist and a forensic investigator in terms of educational background:

	Crime Specialist	Forensic Investigator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common major	Business	Criminal Justice
Most common college	Stanford University	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Crime specialist vs forensic investigator demographics

Here are the differences between crime specialists' and forensic investigators' demographics:

	Crime Specialist	Forensic Investigator
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 35.1% Female, 64.9%	Male, 65.1% Female, 34.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 10.4% White, 56.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 17.1% Asian, 10.4% White, 56.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between crime specialist and forensic investigator duties and responsibilities

Crime specialist example responsibilities.

Manage customer information in customer management systems CIV.
Lead major initiatives in 3concurrent roles successfully manage affluent personal and business portfolio to proactively cross-sell additional products and services.
Perform general account handling functions such as close account determination, holds, restraints, among other job responsibilities.
Navigate multiple systems for information to perform general account handling functions, such as closing accounts, holds, and restraints.
Update the organization about the current AML relate industry standards, procedures, and practices
Used decision making skills to process claims for debit card/ATM and ACH fraud claims.

Forensic investigator example responsibilities.

Receive multiple letters of commendation for effective investigations that lead to successful prosecutions.
Prepare investigative reports, scientific forensic analysis reports and other documents in support of civil litigation.
Perform in-depth forensic analysis of Macintosh computer hard drives and prepare expert report for use in ongoing litigation.
Prepare affidavits of information and apply for investigative or grand jury subpoenas and other legal orders necessary for a thorough investigation.
Present to schools, community organizations, and local corporations prevention techniques in a PowerPoint format.
Evaluate impressions for AFIS (automate fingerprint identification system) potential.

Crime specialist vs forensic investigator skills

Common crime specialist skills

Criminal Justice, 7%
Anti-Money Laundering, 7%
Secrecy, 6%
Bank Secrecy Act, 6%
AML, 6%
Direct Communication, 4%

Common forensic investigator skills

Incident Response, 17%
Windows, 12%
FTK, 11%
Litigation, 8%
Physical Evidence, 6%
Digital Evidence, 5%

Crime Specialist vs. similar jobs

Crime Specialist related careers

Crime Specialist related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Life, Physical, and Social Science Industry
Crime Specialist
Crime Specialist vs Forensic Investigator

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse life, physical, and social science jobs