Abstract

Our nation needs a strategy for staffing forensic scientists in public forensic laboratories. Low salaries and demands for training time impact scientist productivity and turnover in our public forensic laboratories. New automation technologies can be leveraged to increase the capacities of our laboratories, and while construction of new laboratories is essential, the most difficult challenge ahead is the shortage of intellectual capital needed to staff our laboratories.

Issue Section:
Letters to the Editor
Keywords:
forensic science, recruitment, salaries, staffing forensic scientists

References

1.
Selden
 
SC
,
Moynihan
 
DP
.
A model of voluntary turnover in state government
.
Review of Public Personnel Administration,
2000
;
20
,
2
,
63
–
74
.
Google Scholar
Crossref
Search ADS
 
2.
Dillon
 
H
.
Forensic scientists: a career in the crime lab
.
Occupational Outlook Quarterly,
1999
;
43
,
3
,
2
–
7
.
3.
New York State Police Forensic Investigation Straw Pole of New England States Forensic Scientists
(
2001
).
4.
Russell
 
RS
,
Taylor
 
BW
.
Operations management
(3rd ed.).
Upper Saddle River
:
Prentice Hall
,
2000
.
5.
Cape cases are part of State's crime lab backlog
,
Cape Cod Times
,
09
09
2002
.
This content is only available via PDF.
All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced or copied, in whole or in part, in any printed, mechanical, electronic, film, or other distribution and storage media, without the written consent of ASTM International.
You do not currently have access to this content.