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Forensic Investigation Unit
There are four types of technicians in the unit: Crime Scene Technician, Latent Fingerprint Specialist, Photo Lab Technician, and Office Support Specialist. In addition to skills required by their specialization, each technician must have a exceptional understanding of law enforcement techniques and needs to perform their assigned tasks in a way that assists future courtroom proceedings. Crime Scene Technician
Latent Fingerprint Specialist
A vital role of the specialist is to enter and compare prints in the Automated Fingerprint Identification System or AFIS. This computer capability allows more comparisons in shorter time periods but it is ultimately the specialist who make the identification. Specialists must also be prepared to testify to their identifications in court. Photo Lab Technician
Office Support Specialists
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The Forensic
Investigation Unit provides
expertise at crime scenes through the use of photography, identification, evidence
collection, processing and preservation. Technicians also perform latent
fingerprint comparisons, forensic artistry and provide expert court
testimony.
Highly trained and
capable Crime Scene Technicians provide mobile crime lab services at major
crime scenes by scene photography, processing for latent fingerprints and
collecting, identifying, classifying and preserving evidence. Crime Scene
Technicians perform presumptive blood tests, gunpowder residue tests, and
plaster cast impression molds. They process bodies of the deceased for
trace evidence and fingerprints when necessary. They also fingerprint
living and deceased subjects for identification. Technicians must be ready
to testify in court to their findings and methods in criminal and civil
cases.
Fingerprint Specialists examine
and evaluate the latent prints developed and lifted at crime scenes. They
search for ridge detail and clarity to determine whether the print is
sufficient for comparison. Comparisons are made between the print from the
scene and prints of known individuals at the request of detectives and
officers with the department for identification of the perpetrators of
crimes.
The Tampa Police photo lab is responsible for
processing and printing all Fire and Police Department crime scenes along
with public relations photography. These technicians are very proficient
in photography and photographic development techniques, both of which are crucial
in the assignment they occupy. These technicians are responsible for a
wide variety of complex and expensive equipment and maintain photographic
negatives for future examination.
A sometimes neglected aspect of any organization or function is the
record keeping and data management. Our Office Support Specialists play an
essential in successfully achieving ID's goals. These technicians work to
quantify data about arrests made, maintain city personnel files and
criminal files, and staff the service desk for photo requests. These tasks
are but a few of the functions of their highly demanding job roles.
