Evidence technician vs computer forensics technician

The differences between evidence technicians and computer forensics technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an evidence technician and a computer forensics technician. Additionally, a computer forensics technician has an average salary of $50,698, which is higher than the $44,213 average annual salary of an evidence technician.

The top three skills for an evidence technician include law enforcement agencies, criminal justice and data entry. The most important skills for a computer forensics technician are extraction, physical evidence, and digital evidence.

Evidence technician vs computer forensics technician overview

	Evidence Technician	Computer Forensics Technician
Yearly salary	$44,213	$50,698
Hourly rate	$21.26	$24.37
Growth rate	11%	11%
Number of jobs	5,316	19,018
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

Evidence technician vs computer forensics technician salary

Evidence technicians and computer forensics technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Evidence Technician	Computer Forensics Technician
Average salary	$44,213	$50,698
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $61,000	Between $39,000 And $65,000
Highest paying City	West Valley City, UT	Lincoln, NE
Highest paying state	Alaska	Alaska
Best paying company	Federal Bureau of Investigation	Los Alamos National Laboratory
Best paying industry	Government	Government

Differences between evidence technician and computer forensics technician education

There are a few differences between an evidence technician and a computer forensics technician in terms of educational background:

	Evidence Technician	Computer Forensics Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	Stanford University	California State University - Bakersfield

Evidence technician vs computer forensics technician demographics

Here are the differences between evidence technicians' and computer forensics technicians' demographics:

	Evidence Technician	Computer Forensics Technician
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 47.0% Female, 53.0%	Male, 47.1% Female, 52.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 10.4% White, 56.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 16.6% Asian, 10.5% White, 56.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between evidence technician and computer forensics technician duties and responsibilities

Evidence technician example responsibilities.

Monitor the CCTV cameras, parking lot, and front entrance.
Use of LIMS to assign unique tracking case numbers to submit specimens.
Liaisoned and coordinate efforts with DIA, FBI, SAIC Intel, and military personnel.
Act as main liaison with the software development team for new LIMS features, as well as a mobile mass-disaster LIMS.
Increase customer satisfaction by validating a more sensitive extraction method which produce more informative results.
Perform liquid/liquid and liquid solid chemical extractions, following standard operating procedures.

Computer forensics technician example responsibilities.

Set up and manage all Linux labs campus-wide.
Identify, collect, preserve and impound evidence including developing fingerprints and/or footprints and collecting DNA and stain evidence.
Train employees and subcontractors on the use, maintenance and troubleshooting of genetic analysis and real-time PCR system instrumentation and software.
Compose comprehensive DNA analysis reports.
Increase customer satisfaction by validating a more sensitive extraction method which produce more informative results.
Serve statements of claims, subpoenas, summonses, jury summonses, orders to pay alimony, and other court orders.

Evidence technician vs computer forensics technician skills

Common evidence technician skills

Law Enforcement Agencies, 15%
Criminal Justice, 15%
Data Entry, 10%
Crime Lab, 8%
NCIC, 6%
Evidence Collection, 4%

Common computer forensics technician skills

Extraction, 21%
Physical Evidence, 12%
Digital Evidence, 11%
Laboratory Equipment, 8%
Maintenance Logs, 8%
Immunoassay, 5%

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Evidence Technician vs Computer Forensics Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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