Salary of a Crime Scene Technician
Crime scene technicians collect physical evidence, such as fibers, hair and body fluids, at crime scenes. Formally known as forensic science technicians, these people often specialize in collecting and analyzing particular types of evidence, such as DNA or firearms evidence. Salaries earned by crime scene technicians vary by specialty and employer.
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Median Income
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The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics tracks the earnings of a wide variety of occupations, including forensic science technicians, and reported in 2007 that they earned a median annual salary of $47,680.
Considerations
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Forensic science technician is a broad occupational title that includes a wide range of specialties, the Bureau of Labor Statistics noted. Specialties include not only crime scene technicians, but also forensic document analysts, forensic toxicologists and firearms examiners, among others.
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Hourly Rates and Annual Salaries
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The website Inside Prison reported on average wage and salary levels for a wide range of forensic science specialists, including crime scene technicians. The website said crime scene technicians earned hourly wages ranging from $20.40 to $22. Based on a 40-hour work week, this translates to an annual salary ranging from $42,432 to $45,760.
Variations
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The Inside Prison website reported that crime scene technician salaries can vary, based on such factors as the employing agency and a forensic technician's experience. The website reported that a crime scene specialist for the Massachusetts State Police with 5 years' experience earned more than $52,000 a year and had received a starting salary of $30,000 a year. Meanwhile, the Pima County Sheriff's Department in Arizona pays a starting salary of $530 a week, or $27,560 a year, to its crime scene technicians.
Potential
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Projections by the Bureau of Labor Statistics suggest that jobs for forensic science technicians will increase about 20 percent by the year 2018. The bureau attributed this increase to a growing use of scientific techniques, such as DNA analysis, by state and local law enforcement agencies to investigate crimes.
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References
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