The Kansas City Police Crime Laboratory requires a bachelor degree in a science for all areas of forensic analysis. Competition is often fierce for each opening, therefore, preference may be given to those applicants with an advanced degree or previous scientific work experience. Additionally, DNA analyst applicants must have completed coursework in biochemistry, genetics, molecular biology, and statistics. Applicants will undergo an interview, fingerprinting, background investigation, and polygraph test before hire. This process can take several months to complete. Persons interested in applying should mail a cover letter and resume/CV to the corresponding
section supervisor as well as fill out a
job application through human resources.
The goal of the Internship Program within the Laboratory is to create a relationship with potential future employees and for the intern to gain experience performing a variety of tasks. These tasks can extend from routine functions to complex research. This program will be strictly voluntary and unpaid. In exchange for their time and energy, the laboratory will ensure the interns receive hands-on training with current techniques or validation studies on proposed techniques.
Top candidates will undergo an interview, and if selected for the internship, will be required to submit to fingerprinting and a criminal history check at the laboratory. Due to the nature of the content observed, each intern will be required to sign a confidentiality agreement. The laboratory also reserves the right to review and redact any papers the intern writes to ensure that sensitive information is not compromised.
Submit an Application packet by April 1st containing:
• completed
application form• resume
• copy of transcript (cumulative 3.0 GPA or higher required)
• 2 letters of recommendation
• Short essay on why you should be selected
Mail to:
Sgt. Paul Luster
Kansas City Police Crime Laboratory
Internship Program
6633 Troost Avenue
Kansas City, MO 64131
Paul.luster@kcpd.org
816-349-3224
The Kansas City Police Department accepts auxiliary volunteers to help in may areas of the department. Volunteer positions are unpaid and can incorporate almost as little or as many hours as desired. Volunteers at the Crime Laboratory could help with things such as:
• Creating rape kits for hospitals
• Filing of case information
• Assembly of training materials
• Preparation of court requested discovery file
If you are interested in volunteering at the Crime Laboratory, contact the
KCPD Employment Section at 816-234-5400 about how to complete a Volunteer Application Form, making sure to indicate "crime laboratory volunteer" as the position filing for.
The Kansas City, Mo., Police Department Crime Laboratory often receives inquiries about employment opportunities in forensic fields. If you have such an interest, here is some introductory information about the field as well as some pointers to locations with further information.
General Information
“Forensic science” is a broad term referring to nearly any application of scientific techniques to resolving an issue which might result in litigation (either criminal or civil). Several terms are used to refer to examiners in this field which are “forensic scientists”, “examiners”, or “forensic specialists”. Some broad areas that are commonly recognized:
Discipline | Description | Emphasis Area(s) |
Crime Scene Investigation | Process crime scenes for potential evidence, document and collect any evidence found at a scene | general science |
Chemistry | chemical analysis of substances | chemistry |
Trace Analysis | chemical, physical, and microscopic characterization and comparison of materials | chemistry/biology |
Serology/DNA | typifying serological fluids or other biological materials | chemistry or biochemistry; molecular biology preferred for DNA |
Firearms | identification and testing of firearms and their projectiles | general science |
Toolmarks | comparison of physical marks produced by various implements | general science |
Latent Fingerprints | processing for revealing and collecting fingerprints and other patterns from objects | general science |
Photography | use of specialized photographic methods to record and enhance the quality of evidence | general science |
Questioned Documents | determination of the source and validity of documents | general science, chemistry |
Note that these are technical positions where the objective should be uncompromising expertise. Although historically on-the-job training of non-professional persons was once considered acceptable to establish competence, now there is an expectation of a college degree or experience appropriate to the field; e.g., a chemistry degree for chemical analysis, or a degree in molecular biology for DNA analysis. In some areas such as firearms, toolmarks, and photography experience and specialized training still play a greater role, but a degree in some field of science would normally be desirable to establish a formal background in scientific methods.
With recent dramatizations of crime laboratories, when a laboratory has an opening, it can be bombarded with many applications. In order to limit the number of possible interviews, education is often used as a filter. Therefore, the minimum requirement may be a bachelor of science in a general science; however, a Masters in Forensic Science or some other science may give the applicant a better chance of obtaining an interview.
There are also additional specialized forensic fields, such as toxicology or pathology. In our jurisdiction, these specialties are overseen by medical doctors and are not maintained in the laboratory itself.
Duties and Responsibilities
In some laboratories, criminalists may be expected to be generalists that perform actual examinations across a broad range of disciplines. Our laboratory tends to categorize criminalists so that they concentrate on performing actual examinations within a limited number of these specialties; for example, a forensic chemist may not be expected to perform a detailed toolmark comparison. Even if they are not expected to conduct the actual examination, all criminalists are expected to have familiarity with all specialties in terms of the significance of evidence and how it should be processed and preserved, both within the laboratory and at crime scenes.
Criminalists may be asked to respond to crime scenes to help interpret evidence at the scene and advise on processing or perform specialized processing. However, crime scene technicians specialize in evidence collection and usually handle all but exceptional samples.
Criminalists should also be able to produce detailed reports suitable for submission to investigators and legal representatives, and they should be able to evaluate and interpret real and hypothetical situations and defend them under cross-examination. The ability to support any conclusions in the face of adversarial debate (including investigators, the media, litigators, or their peers) should be the benchmark of any criminalist.
Also, don’t be mislead by media dramatizations of the role of criminalists; there are boundaries between the responsibilities of criminalists, investigators (e.g., police personnel or insurance investigators), and the legal system (lawyers and judges). A good criminalist should be able to advise others of the import of the results of their observations and examinations, but they usually do not have unilateral power to drive an investigation or a prosecution. Normally it should be expected that everyone will contribute best within their area of expertise, but the interface can be a frustration when there is disagreement on how to proceed and the process becomes political rather than technical.
If you’re looking for some hard examples of the knowledge required, the American Board of Criminalistics [link to www.criminalistics.com] has an on-line study guide for their general knowledge examination that includes several working references.
In general, be wary of commercial entities offering training or advice in entering the fields of forensic science. There are many good and reliable commercial training resources, but as with any popular technical career there may also be companies wanting your money more than they want to improve the field. In beginning your search, it may be better to focus on professional and academic organizations. However, also realize that some pure academics may not embody a great deal of practical experience, which is essential to developing and refining skills. In general, look for organizations that are populated and administered by working scientists and not non-technical persons. (Lawyers and law enforcement personnel are definitely part of the process to be respected, but verifiable practical expertise is a different quality than knowledge only by association.)
Also be aware that many forensic laboratories are associated with law enforcement agencies, and as such in addition to your professional credentials there will likely be security and veracity concerns. Security checks such as a background investigation (which may include a polygraph examination) or job-related drug screening may be part of their hiring process and a condition for ongoing employment. You may wish to consider whether you would find such monitoring “intrusive”.
Here are some links to other forensic science organizations that could be helpful:
American Academy of Forensic SciencesThe International Association for IdentificationThe American Board of CriminalisticsThe American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors – Laboratory Accreditation BoardThe American Society of Crime Laboratory DirectorsZeno’s Forensic SiteSpecifically in our local (Kansas City metropolitan) area, there are a few working crime laboratories. These agencies can be accessed via the web at the following locations:
Kansas Bureau of InvestigationIndependence, MO Police Department Crime LaboratoryThe Missouri State Highway PatrolThere is a continuing need for good conscientious people to enter the field of forensics and it is hoped the above information will assist in both your decision and, if you wish to pursue it, in finding a path to your desired specialty.
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