Open Blog Post

For my open blog post this week, I plan on research the web and answering the questions that I couldn’t find in my textbook.  These questions include:

·      What is the salary of the different levels of a crime scene investigator?

o   Crime Scene Technician: $51,204 — $63,444

o   Identification Technician: $44,740 — $73,965

o   Latent Print Technician: $38,822 — $64,704

o   Forensic Scientist Trainee: $46,815 — $78,319

o   Crime Scene Section Supervisor: $65,813 — $98,197

o   Criminalist: $65,645 — $102,190

·      Is it bad to get a crime scene investigation job online rather than at a university?

o   Many online programs have been improving to meet the same standards of a regular four-year university. Online degrees for crime scene investigators have been becoming more popular. This is due to the fact that they are considered more affordable, can be completed on your own schedule, and the availability of where you can learn your degree is desirable. It is best though to get hands on practice in labs and other experiments.

·      How is evidence introduced in courts?

o   Evidence is introduced in four different kind of exhibits: real evidence, demonstrative evidence, records, and writings. Before an exhibit can be offered into evidence a foundations must be laid. The first foundation must be authentic. This means that that the exhibit must be what it claims to be. The courts also have to decide if the evidence is an exception to the hearsay rule. The last step is to formally ask the judge in the form of a hearing.

This information to me seems to be obvious information to put in an introductory textbook.   I thought it would be in the book because normally this is information that students would want to know before deciding if this field of study is what they want to do and the way they want to retain that degree.  I found it frustrating that it was not in the textbook but the questions that I did not find were easy to find on the Internet.  The information that answered my questions is helping me decide that this is the career path I want to take. TV shows for example, Law and Order, joke about how the salary is not what they want but they enjoy their job enough to keep coming back to work each day. Even though I may not make the most money, I will enjoy getting my career at a 4-year college.

Marie. "Introducing Exhibits." Introducing Exhibits. Benchmark Institute, 2009. Web. 05 Feb. 2013.

 "Forensic Science Careers." Forensic Science Careers. Word Press, June 2010. Web. 05 Feb. 2013.