Salaries for Crime Scene Investigators
Although a rash of recent science-based police programs have put the spotlight on forensic investigations and applied criminalist techniques, a traditional police detective still handles the bulk of crime scene investigations, calling on forensic investigators to help unravel clues and provide additional help for solving crimes. Police detectives typically earn more than either plainclothes officers or forensic technicians.
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Detective and Criminal Investigator Salary
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Although detectives may call on the help of a forensic expert, detectives supervise an investigation and do many of the preliminary, non-forensic investigations at a crime scene. The 110,380 police detectives and criminal investigators employed in departments around the country earn an median annual salary of $62,110 as of May 2009, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, or BLS. The 50 percent of detectives with salaries closest to the average earn between $47,070 and $83,650 each year. Investigators who work for a federal agency earn higher salaries than those at state and municipal departments and receive $73,390 each year on average.
Detective Salaries by Region
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Although police work varies more by the size of the city or town than geographically, being generally the same no matter where it's performed, compensation for the job varies significantly among regions of the country and is affected by cost-of-living pressures and union policies, among other things. The highest paid detectives work in Illinois, where they receive an average annual salary of $80,476 as of February 2011, according to Salary Expert. Detectives in North Carolina report some of the lowest salaries in the nation, averaging $48,368. Of the states Salary Expert surveyed, six reported salaries between $60,315 and $76,154.
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Average Forensic Specialist Salary
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Forensic technicians may be called on to collect evidence, such as fingerprints or hair samples, from a crime scene, but the bulk of their work is scientific analysis of that evidence using the tools of a modern crime lab. Far fewer forensic science technicians work in law enforcement than detectives -- 12,800 as of May 2008, according to the BLS -- and most don't earn nearly as much as detectives. The average hourly wage for forensic science technicians is $23.97 as of May 2008, or the equivalent of $49,857.60 annually.
Forensic Specialist Salaries by Region
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Forensic specialists face even wider salary gaps between regions than detectives do. The top paid forensic technicians work in Chicago, where the average salary reached as high as $68,779 as of February 2011, according to Salary Expert, while Miami also reported an average salary well above the norm, at $60,925. Forensic scientists in Orlando, Florida, however, earn one of the smallest salaries, and receive $40,743 annually. Seven of the 10 cities Salary Expert surveyed report average salaries for forensic specialists between $47,975 and $52,548.
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References
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