Forensic Scientist

Forensic Scientist

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.

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Last Answer on July 21, 2022

Best Rated

What would you suspect the average IQ of a criminal is? What are some of the dumbest and smartest you have dealt with?

Asked by Carlene about 5 years ago

I don’t even know what my IQ is. It’s hard to judge stupidity, since most crimes seem really stupid if you look at the benefits versus the risks. And if the criminals were brilliant, ideally, they could keep anyone from knowing a crime was even committed. Most murders are not premeditated—an argument gets out of control, so suddenly the killer has to figure out what to do, this is a situation they didn’t expect, and they’re highly agitated, so they don’t do a great job of covering up. And then more intentional crimes, burglary, vehicle theft, drug dealing—well, if they were smart, they’d get into more lucrative lines of work.

276 Votes

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Asked by sd about 5 years ago

If you're trying to ask something, you need to be more specific.

276 Votes

So you wanna be a Forensic Scientist?

Check our Jobstr's career page for salary information, educational requirements, suggested reading and more!

Why do many films try to make it out like the good guys always when when that is not always true? Many people get away, many cases go unsolved, many people are never found, etc. I know God has his vengeance but you know what I am saying

Asked by Joker about 5 years ago

Because films are entertainment, and stories are more satisfying when they have a definite end.

276 Votes

I am in school for my a.s. in criminology because my school had no alternatives for forensics, I am now 2 semesters away from graduating with my a.s. and my school now has a crime scene technology a.s. degree. Should I change programs or continue?

Asked by Jozalyn over 3 years ago

That’s a tough question. If you want to work crime scenes, then the cs tech major might be better. If you want to work in the lab, it might not be very important. I would advise you to call the forensic units at the agencies you’d like to apply to and ask their opinion. With either degree, they may more likely place more emphasis on whether the courses had a lot of hands-on experience, if you have any work experience in the field, labs, internships, etc. That’s how my agency would feel.

Best of luck to you!

276 Votes

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Are your books related off of real cases you have done and of corse maybe a little more realistic then many other books that are out there?

Asked by AJ about 5 years ago

I try to make them realistic, but they’re not based on real cases. Except for Trail of Blood, which is partly about the unsolved Torso Murders in Cleveland in the 1930s.

276 Votes

What did you think of that man who was killed? Was it just a cop on a power trip? Did the cop do anything wrong in the first place? Was it racism? What do you think?

Asked by Lisa about 5 years ago

I don’t know anything more than you do.

275 Votes

Can “teen” porn on the internet be considered child pornography even if the people in them are not children but prenteding to be young teens/children

Asked by Sammy about 5 years ago

I don’t know. Luckily I don’t have to deal with those cases other than assisting in a search warrant, since I am not trained in downloading computers and phones (my coworker does that). I think you’’d have to ask a lawyer.

275 Votes

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