Staffing a Crime Laboratory: Hiring Qualified Forensics Personnel
This paper outlines a comprehensive approach to staffing a new crime laboratory, with emphasis on human resources practices, credential verification, and candidate screening. Drawing on concerns raised by bogus online accreditation systems and the relative youth of the criminalistics profession, the paper argues that robust hiring procedures — including in-person evaluations, clearly defined job descriptions, managerial involvement, and periodic personnel assessments — are essential to laboratory quality. The paper also highlights the importance of professional development programs in technology-dependent fields such as forensic genetics, and stresses that the integrity of laboratory results, and ultimately the lives of citizens, depends on employing only properly credentialed and skilled personnel.
- Introduction: The Challenge of Staffing a Crime Laboratory: Bogus credentials expose need for rigorous hiring
- Building a Credible Human Resources Department: HR staff must verify candidate credentials carefully
- Defining Roles and Screening Candidates: Clear job descriptions and hands-on screening tests
- Managerial Involvement and Professional Standards: Managers ensure consistent, reliable hiring standards
- Professional Development and Ongoing Personnel Assessment: Periodic evaluations and training keep staff current
- Conclusion: Commitment to Quality and Qualified Staff: Only qualified professionals should be hired
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper grounds its recommendations in real-world context — the PBS Frontline exposé on bogus online credentials — giving its arguments immediate practical relevance.
- It moves logically from problem identification (fraudulent accreditation) to concrete solutions (HR training, job descriptions, managerial oversight, periodic evaluations), creating a coherent policy proposal rather than a simple list of ideas.
- Citations from field-specific sources, including the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors and Mihalovich & Matheson (2009), lend disciplinary authority to the recommendations.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates applied policy reasoning: the student translates academic and professional literature directly into actionable workplace recommendations. Rather than simply summarizing sources, the writer uses them as evidence to justify specific staffing decisions, showing an ability to synthesize external authority with original analytical judgment.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with a problem statement centered on fraudulent credentials and their consequences, then moves through HR department design, role definition, candidate evaluation, managerial involvement, and professional development before closing with a reaffirmation of the laboratory's commitment to quality hiring. Each section builds on the previous one, following a logical problem-to-solution arc that mirrors a professional policy brief.
Introduction: The Challenge of Staffing a Crime Laboratory
After Bartos's (2012) PBS Frontline story ran — exposing illegitimate online forensic credentialing programs — law enforcement agencies and private crime laboratories became aware of the need for improved human resources departments and more robust candidate screening programs. Given the proliferation of bogus online accreditation systems, human resources managers must remain cognizant of which institutions are credible. Background checks must include attention paid to the quality of the candidate's school and credentialing system. However, the most important aspect of staffing a new crime laboratory is screening individual candidates in person. Candidates may have misrepresented themselves on their resumes. Moreover, candidates might be unaware of the roles and duties expected of them, believing their background to be commensurate with the needs of the laboratory.
Human resources staff bear a grave responsibility to staff their laboratories with qualified personnel, because the results of testing have direct impacts on the lives of citizens. Crime laboratories also risk lawsuits and other serious problems related to untrained staff making preventable errors.
Building a Credible Human Resources Department
If tasked with staffing a new crime laboratory, the logical starting point would be a strong human resources department. HR staff must be completely aware of the problems with illegitimate online accreditation systems and coached on how to review resumes thoroughly by researching each institution listed. Only candidates who hold degrees and certificates from valid institutions should be considered for laboratory positions.
Some positions will be entry-level and open to staff willing to learn on the job. These staff members do not need to possess an advanced degree in forensics or criminology. However, an advanced forensic science or criminology-related degree at the master's level or higher should be required for all candidates working in the laboratory — especially those processing sensitive data.
Developing a team-based environment is essential, and all team members need to trust the credentials of their coworkers. Any weak member of the team will prevent the efficient processing of results and will hinder their accuracy as well. A team comprised of qualified individuals will improve the overall caliber of the laboratory and support its long-term success.
References
American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors. (2010). Program overview. Retrieved from
Bartos, L. (2012). No forensic background? No problem. ProPublica. Retrieved from http://www.propublica.org/article/no-forensic-background-no-problem
Mihalovich, J., & Matheson, G. (2009). Certification of criminalists. Retrieved from
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