International Association for Identification

Crime Scene Certification Board

CRIME SCENE CERTIFICATION PROGRAM

CODE OF ETHICS FOR CERTIFIED CRIME SCENE PERSONNEL




    Being certified by the International Association for Identification, and being actively engaged in the profession of crime scene investigation, I dedicate myself to serve mankind and to respect the constitutional rights of all people to liberty, equality, and justice.
    I will never act officiously or permit personal feelings, prejudices, and animosities or friendships to influence my decisions. With no compromise for crime, I will devote myself to unite, promote, and disseminate within the profession any advancement in my effort to make more effective analysis of the crime scene.
    I will apply my technical knowledge factually, with perseverance and conviction to preserve the ethical standards of the profession of scientific identification and investigation.
    I will constantly strive to achieve these objectives and ideals, dedicating myself before God to my chosen profession of law enforcement.

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE CERTIFICATION OF
CRIME SCENE TECHNICIAN/ANALYST

I. General Qualifications: An Applicant for certification must be of good moral character, high integrity, good repute and must posses high ethical professional standing.

II. Requirements (Tri-Level Certification):

LEVEL I - Crime Scene Technician (CST)
   (1) 1 Year in crime scene related activities, AND;
   (2) Completed 2 Crime Scene related courses, AND;
   (3) Must pass a written test, minimum score of 70.

LEVEL II - Crime Scene Analyst (CSA)
   (1) 3 Years in crime scene related activities, AND;
   (2) Completed 4 Crime Scene related courses, AND;
   (3) Must pass a written test, minimum score of 70.

LEVEL III - Senior Crime Scene Analyst (SCSA)
   (1) 6 Years in crime scene related activities, AND;
   (2) Completed 6 Crime Scene related courses, AND;
   (3) Must pass a written test, minimum score of 70, AND one of the following:
        (A) Authored an article on some phase of crime scene investigation in a professional journal, OR;
        (B) Made a presentation on some phase of crime scene investigation to a professional organization, OR;
        (C) Be an instructor in some phase of crime scene investigation, instructing at least once a year, OR;
        (D) Submit a court transcript from an actual case in which you testified on crime scene investigations.

The test for each level will be taken from 2 publications selected by the Crime Scene Certification Board.

III. In-house Training Requirements
For those applicants who are employed by departments, a structured training program approved by the Crime Scene Certification Board may be substituted for the educational requirements.

IV. Endorsements
All applicants MUST submit 2 letters of endorsement. One from your superior and the other from an associate who is a member of the International or State Division of the IAI.

TEST MATERIALS ARE TAKEN FROM THESE PUBLICATIONS

Level 1: Crime Scene Technician
Techniques of Crime Scene Investigation 5th Edition.
Barry Fisher
Elsevier Publishing Company, Inc. 52 Vanderbilt Ave. NY, NY 10017

Criminal Investigation: A Method of Reconstructing the Past
James W. Osterburg & Richard Ward
Anderson Publishing Company Cincinnati, OH

Level 2: Crime Scene Analyst
Criminalistics: An Introduction to Forensic Science 5th Edition
Richard Saferstein
Prentice-Hall, Inc. Englewood Cliff, NJ 07632

Scott's Fingerprint Mechanics
Robert D. Olsen, Sr.
Charles C. Thomas Publishing Company 2600 S. 1st Street Springfield, IL 62704

Level 3: Senior Crime Scene Analyst
Practical Homicide Investigation 1st or 2nd Edition
Vernon J. Geberth
Elsevier Publishing Company, Inc. 52 Vanderbilt Ave. NY, NY 10017

Forensic Science: An Introduction to Criminalistics
Peter DeForest, R.E.Gaensslen, & Henry C. Lee
McGraw-Hill Book Company New York, New York

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The application form is now available on-line!

Crime scene certification application form in PDF format

Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to read the PDF file format.
To get the free Acrobat Reader click here .......... 

If you are an investigator or a crime scene technician then this certification process is a
MUST for you. Join the elite, be certified by the IAI!

For additional information or application form contact:
Michael P. Flannery, Secretary
Crime Scene Certification Board, IAI
P.O. Box 47507
Indianapolis, Indiana 46247

PHONE: 1-317-327-3671
FAX: 1-317-327-3693

or if you want more information on the I.A.I. click here.

If you have comments or suggestions, email me at hbb@feinc.net

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