Professionalism in Crime Scene Examination: Recruitment Strategies Using the Seven Key Attributes of Top Crime Scene Examiners

Hiring well is crucial for law enforcement/forensic science agencies. Recruiting high-caliber forensic personnel, such as effective crime scene examiners (CSEs), is no exception. This is the second of a series on professionalism in CSEs. The first paper identified the key attributes that set top CSEs apart from their peers. Given the importance placed on accurate crime scene processing and having identified what attributes underpin top CSEs, the next stage is to consider how to recruit personnel with the potential to become top-performing CSEs. The aim of this paper is to provide law enforcement and forensic science agencies with evidence-based recruitment guidelines that could assist them in selecting personnel with the potential to excel in their roles. In this paper, a multi-source recruitment strategy is discussed that utilizes focused psychometric assessment, targeted selection criteria, key interview questions, medical assessment, and collection of information from referees.