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.
Temporarily, with sandpaper or chemicals, but they will grow back in the same pattern.
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All the interesting, different, bizarre stories that make up the crimes that have happened that we have to investigate.
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Usually the biggest worry is getting sick or faint around dead bodies. But actually they rarely do.
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Sending it through the mail is not a problem if packaged properly. The color of the top depends on what kind of testing is requested, drug, DNA, etc.
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Private Detective
Have you ever turned down a job because you thought it was too dangerous?
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In trading, does an educated person have an advantage over an uneducated one?
Help Desk Technician
What's the closest you've come to "losing it" on someone you were helping?
Yes, we do it every day.
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Most agencies do not have huge staffs like on TV, and people tend to stay in the field. Thanks to the TV shows there is a universe more competition than I faced. On the other hand thanks to the current emphasis on forensics, agencies are always expanding--the federal government will be setting mandates and providing grant money to expand labs and services Check out every level (city, county, state, federal) in your area that you can find and also private labs. Check the websites for the International Association for Identification and the American Academy of Forensic Sciences.
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I'm not sure what you mean by 'specialize in homicide'. Forensic techniques can be utilized to investigate any crime, but if you mean you only want to work on homicides, then I don't know of any positions like that. The closest thing would be to work for an agency where the work is mostly homicides, such as a medical examiner's office. But even they would also investigate suicides, industrial accidents, etc.
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