How To Become A Latent Print Examiner: What It Is and Career Path

What is a latent print examiner and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a latent print examiner. For example, did you know that they make an average of $30.41 an hour? That's $63,258 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 3% and produce 20,600 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreLatent Print ExaminerUS Average

Salary

4.9

Avg. Salary $63,258

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

9.4

Growth rate 3%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

2.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.69%

Asian 2.97%

Black or African American 12.82%

Hispanic or Latino 11.30%

Unknown 5.11%

White 67.11%

Gender

female 51.32%

male 48.68%

Age - 44

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 - 44

Stress level

9.4

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.4

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.7

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a latent print examiner

Explore latent print examiner education requirements

Most common latent print examiner degrees

Bachelor's

66.1 %

Master's

14.3 %

Associate

14.3 %

Start to develop specific latent print examiner skills

Skills	Percentages
Latent Prints	19.82%
Afis	16.64%
Processing Methods	8.32%
Physical Evidence	7.76%
Identification System	7.07%

Complete relevant latent print examiner training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New latent print examiners 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 latent print examiner based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real latent print examiner resumes.

Research latent print examiner duties and responsibilities

Help UI, WIA, and WP staff with data entry when need.
Evaluate and enter suitable prints in the AFIS.
Water and mold restoration including demolition, moisture and humidity readings.
Serve as firstresponder for accidents and disasters, applying cardiopulmonary resuscitation and other life- saving procedures as needed.

Prepare your latent print examiner resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your latent print examiner 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 latent print examiner resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable latent print examiner resume templates

Build a professional latent print examiner 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 latent print examiner resume.