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1. How do I get a job in forensics?

The specific education and experience requirements to be hired as a crime scene technician or forensic scientist are determined by each individual agency. In general, most law enforcement agencies look for a degree in criminal justice with a science emphasis. Any accredited laboratory is going to require a BA/BS degree in chemistry, biology or a natural science. Experience in the areas of photography, fingerprint examination, chain of custody, evidence handling and courtroom testimony can also be valuable and can be gained by completing an internship or joining local forensic organizations. It is helpful to research job listings and job descriptions for the city and state governments in the area you would like to work.

2. My house or car was broken into. Why didn't the Forensic Unit respond to process it?

Each officer in West Valley City is equipped with a digital camera and a fingerprint kit and is trained to document and process general crime scenes. They will call for assistance from the Forensic Unit if necessary. Although the Forensic Unit may not respond to the scene, all items collected by the officer are then submitted and assigned to a Forensic Investigator for further analysis. Any developed prints will be entered and searched through AFIS and the detective handling your case will be notified of any results.

3. How long does it take to search a latent print in AFIS?

It depends on the clarity of the print, but in general it takes a Forensic Investigator around 30 minutes to enter and mark a print. Candidate results for a local search (just the records for the state of Utah) usually are returned within minutes. A candidate search through the FBI records for all 50 states is usually returned within a few hours, but can take up to 24 hours depending on how busy the system is that particular day. Any latent prints which are not identified are registered and remain in the database to be searched against new records, which are added daily.

4. How many cases do you work a year?

The Forensic Unit averages 1200 requests for analysis a year and typically responds to 150 crime scenes. More than 800 latent fingerprints are documented and analyzed for quality in the lab. The number of latent prints entered and searched through AFIS per year continues to grow, particularly with the recent addition of palm print records, it has exceeded 300. The West Valley Forensic Unit has over 1,200 latent prints registered as unidentified that are being actively searched each day.