Career Colleges » Maryland » Criminal Justice and Law » Forensics and Crime Scene
Looking for accredited career colleges, technical schools, and universities in Maryland offering Forensics and Crime Scene degrees. Colleges, universities and career schools offer associate and bachelor's degrees in criminal justice and fields related to forensic investigation and techniques.
Going to college in the friendly Tidewater state of Maryland means being just a hop, skip and jump from Washington D.C., one of the nation's most interesting cities. You are also a short drive from the Chesapeake Bay, our country's largest inland waterway and estuary, with its abundant birdlife, delicious clams, oysters and crabs, and outstanding opportunities for boating, waterskiing and kayaking.Crime scene technicians assist in law enforcement cases, collecting, analyzing and interpreting physical evidence.
The role of a crime scene technician is to ensure that the scene of the crime is uncontaminated during a search and that equally; no evidence is destroyed or inadvertently removed or lost. Meticulous attention to detail and methodical working practices are essential. The knock on effects of errors, omissions, or mistakes can be devastating and catastrophic. While traditional methods of fingertip searches for evidence and fingerprinting are still popular, there are many more highly sensitive tests for all sorts of forensic evidence from body fluids to DNA. These tests have become extremely sensitive, and DNA can now be extracted from minute amounts of blood or sweat. It is crucial that the crime scene is isolated to prevent contamination.
As well as different techniques involved in gathering evidence, you will need to learn about various setting and testing techniques to lift and preserve evidence. Other subjects might typically include: firearms testing for establishing that a particular weapon was used in a crime. If a case goes to court, you may also be expected to draw up a report and give evidence in front of a jury concerning your findings. Training as a crime scene technician generally requires four years of training as opposed to the two, standard science technicians are required to undergo.
Crime scene technician training is a fairly specific type of education that will prepare you for a narrow range of roles within criminal investigations. The vast majority of crime scene technicians are employed by state or local government agencies.