Identification technician vs identification officer

The differences between identification technicians and identification officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an identification officer has an average salary of $61,755, which is higher than the $47,423 average annual salary of an identification technician.

The top three skills for an identification technician include afis, fingerprint cards and criminal justice. The most important skills for an identification officer are patrol, background checks, and .

Identification technician vs identification officer overview

	Identification Technician	Identification Officer
Yearly salary	$47,423	$61,755
Hourly rate	$22.80	$29.69
Growth rate	3%	3%
Number of jobs	5,324	55,638
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 41%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	-	-

Identification technician vs identification officer salary

Identification technicians and identification officers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Identification Technician	Identification Officer
Average salary	$47,423	$61,755
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $88,000	Between $30,000 And $126,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between identification technician and identification officer education

There are a few differences between an identification technician and an identification officer in terms of educational background:

	Identification Technician	Identification Officer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 41%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	California State University - Bakersfield	Boston University

Identification technician vs identification officer demographics

Here are the differences between identification technicians' and identification officers' demographics:

	Identification Technician	Identification Officer
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 38.6% Female, 61.4%	Male, 63.2% Female, 36.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 2.8% White, 62.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 12.1% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.3% Asian, 2.8% White, 62.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between identification technician and identification officer duties and responsibilities

Identification technician example responsibilities.

Attach warrants and enter data into CJIS
Process evidence in-house for latent fingerprints, trace evidence and DNA evidence.
Assist in the training of new employees - fingerprint comparisons, AFIS input, crime scene techniques
Fingerprint arrestee's and take their photo, collect DNA samples if need depending on charges.
Monetize online content by placing advertisements on infringing YouTube videos or have videos remove via client's preference.
Perform bacterial identification routinely using the API system in conjunction with microscopic examinations.

Identification officer example responsibilities.

Perform subject interviews for personnel security investigations in order to determine whether DEA security clearance waivers should be grant.
Establish a review procedure with IRS and assign an analyst.

Identification technician vs identification officer skills

Common identification technician skills

Afis, 16%
Fingerprint Cards, 14%
Criminal Justice, 14%
Identification System, 11%
Law Enforcement Agencies, 9%
Data Entry, 7%

Common identification officer skills

Patrol, 74%
Background Checks, 26%

Identification Technician vs. similar jobs

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Protective Service Industry
Identification Technician
Identification Technician vs Identification Officer

Updated January 8, 2025

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