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

Do you have to enter the police force before you want to become forensic scientist?

Asked by nana almost 10 years ago

That depends on the requirements of the agency you work for. Some will require you to go through the police academy, many won't.

What is your typical day like?

Asked by Renee over 10 years ago

When I was at the coroner's office, a typical day would be examining victim's clothing from a homicide or suicide, typing blood samples and testing gunshot residue samples. Now at the police department, a typical day is spent in front of the computer putting in latent prints that the officers or I have lifted from items and searching for a match, or checking past searches of new people put in the system. Then I might go out to process a burglary scene.

Has anyone ever done 3D construction of a skull from an MRI/CT of a living person with a 3D printer then had a blinded facial reconstruction done from the model to test accuracy of the procedure?

Asked by Andy about 9 years ago

I'm sorry but I have absolutely no idea. We don't have anything like those types of facilities where I work.

Two questions, really :) If a character shoots someone who later gets away and there is blood left in the snow, would that blood be of any use for a DNA analysis? And if so how should it be collected?

Asked by Kylie Brant over 9 years ago

Sorry I didn't answer this sooner! I'm sure the blood could be used for DNA analysis, and it should be collected in a sterile vial or bottle. But then it would need to be refrigerated.

Do you plan on trying to get a job in another field of forensics in the future?

Asked by Renee over 10 years ago

No, I'm happy where I am.

If I would like to work as a Forensic Scientist, how many years will it takes me and in what am i going to study?

Asked by Ally over 10 years ago

That depends entirely on where you want to work and what they require. At the coroner's office they required a bachelor's degree in one of the natural sciences like biology or chemistry. Where I work now, they only require a high school diploma, but give extra points in the interviewing process for higher education so we all have at least a bachelor's. If you want to do DNA work in a laboratory they will probably want you to have a master's or PhD in genetics. If you want to do crime scene work they might want an associate's or bachelor's in forensic science. So there is no one simple answer to that question.

Say that there was a crime scene with trama to the head and bleeding from the head and specialist forgot to take the temperature of that body, what is another way to determine the time of death?

Asked by bryce about 10 years ago

Time of death is not determined as precisely as it is on television, I know, and they often use a number of factors to make an estimate such as when the person was seen last, mail piling up at the door, rigor mortis, lividity, etc. But honestly a pathologist could answer that question much more accurately than I could. They are the ones that determine TOD.