How Much Does a Crime Scene Investigator Make?

Crime scene investigators (also known as CSIs) are the people in charge of the examination of crime scenes. They gather and process evidence from the scenes.

Their salaries vary on the type of duties that they perform. In addition to these, the wages that they receive are based on their current job position.

To know how much a crime scene investigator makes, it is best to have a look at the occupations and salaries given to experts in the field of forensic science.

Salary

How much does a crime scene investigator? The amount of salaries that these people receive depends on the length of stay in a particular agency as well as the responsibilities and tasks that they do.

In the United States, the average annual salary of CSIs ranges from $30,000 to $60,000. When the duties assigned to them become more specialized, their salaries increase.

For instance, crime scene analysts receive a daily salary of $31.87 while the daily salary of crime lab analysts is $16.75.

How to Become a CSI

For those who are satisfied with the average salaries received by CSIs and want to become one of them, there are some qualifications and requirements that they should satisfy.

There are police departments in the United States that prefer applicants who have completed a bachelor’s degree in forensic science.

To be considered for the position, applicants should pass a series of training that will test and evaluate their skills and knowledge of evidence collection and investigative procedures.

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Job Description

The position calls for individuals who have extensive understanding and knowledge of tasks related to crime scene investigations.

The duties of crime scene investigators include a thorough examination of the scene of the crime, the proper collection of evidence, the use of various tools and equipment in collecting and analyzing evidence as well as the use of appropriate methods to process the evidence.

In addition to these, CSIs testify in courts about the results of investigations and the approaches used in the analysis of evidence.

CSIs are expected to be present at crime scenes at all times. To analyze the crime, investigators should have a sufficient understanding of the reconstruction of events before, during, and right after the crime happened.

To avoid the evidence from being contaminated, they should properly store them in the police department.

Above all, CSIs should have a thorough understanding of previous court cases as well as state and federal laws in order to lead the police officers to the right suspect or suspects.