LIsa Black
Cape Coral, FL
Female, 49
I spent the five happiest years of my life in a morgue. As a forensic scientist in the Cleveland coroner’s office I analyzed gunshot residue on hands and clothing, hairs, fibers, paint, glass, DNA, blood and many other forms of trace evidence, as well as crime scenes. Now I'm a certified latent print examiner and CSI for a police department in Florida. I also write a series of forensic suspense novels, turning the day job into fiction. My books have been translated into six languages.
An excellent site is my friend Dr. Lyle's "The Writer's Forensic Blog" - https://writersforensicsblog.wordpress.com/
You also might attend any public events at your local police department, such as a citizen's academy. There you might meet members of the crime lab and see if any might be amenable to you emailing them questions now and then. Feel free to email me as well via my website: www.lisa-black.comBest of luck!
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You have to have good attention to detail, can work under stress and unpredictable circumstances, be patient and cautious.
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That all depends on where you work and what your job duties are. I spent about 90% of my time sitting in front of a computer looking at fingerprints. When I was at the coroner's office I probably spent 40% of the time examining victim's clothing, 10% on gunshot residue testing, 30% on hairs and fibers, and 20% everything else.
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Being 'on call' and knowing you can be interrupted at any moment of the day and have to go to a crime scene, even if it's the middle of the night or a holiday. I've also had to change vacations because I have to testify in a trial. I hate that.
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SWAT Team Commander (Retired)
How much protection do those bomb disposal suits really provide?
Sr. Software Engineer
Is it basically impossible for a skilled programmer to be out of work these days?
Wills and Estates Lawyer
Can I leave everything to my pets?
Yes. Unless I could make it as an architect. I would really like that too.
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Okay I will email you. I also suggest you give yourself more lead time on future assignments....
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How much chemistry you need depends on what type of work you do. As long as you're not actually working in toxicology or DNA, you shouldn't need to be a great chemist as long as you can reliably work with chemicals and combine them properly (like following a recipe). And as long as you are a reliable and honest employee then the job is secure, once you get it, but I will be honest--there's a lot of competition in this field right now so getting into a position might be difficult. You should definitely have a back-up plan.
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