Protective Service · Holland code CRI

Police Identification and Records Officers

Collect evidence at crime scene, classify and identify fingerprints, and photograph evidence for use in criminal and civil cases.

Also called: Crime Scene Investigator (CSI), Crime Scene Technician, Criminalist, Forensic Specialist, Crime Lab Analyst (Crime Laboratory Analyst), Evidence Technician (Evidence Tech), Field Identification Specialist, Identification Technician (Identification Tech).

O*NET 33-3021.02

At a glance

US median annual pay: $93,790; Middle half earn $69,330 to $120,520. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED); 35% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 3 of 5; Medium preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

Photograph crime or accident scenes for evidence records.
Maintain records of evidence and write and review reports.
Submit evidence to supervisors, crime labs, or court officials for legal proceedings.
Testify in court and present evidence.
Look for trace evidence, such as fingerprints, hairs, fibers, or shoe impressions, using alternative light sources when necessary.
Identify, compare, classify, and file fingerprints, using systems such as Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) or the Henry Classification System.
Dust selected areas of crime scene and lift latent fingerprints, adhering to proper preservation procedures.
Analyze and process evidence at crime scenes, during autopsies, or in the laboratory, wearing protective equipment and using powders and chemicals.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Active Listening3.9 / 5
Speaking3.9 / 5
Reading Comprehension3.8 / 5
Critical Thinking3.8 / 5
Writing3.3 / 5
Active Learning3.0 / 5

Knowledge areas

Law and Government4.2 / 5
Administrative3.8 / 5
English Language3.8 / 5
Public Safety and Security3.6 / 5
Computers and Electronics3.5 / 5
Customer and Personal Service3.2 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic64
Investigative45
Artistic10
Social16
Enterprising32
Conventional77

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

police commissioner · DE Polizeipräsident/Polizeipräsidentin · FR commissaire de police
polygraph examiner · DE Polygrafiesachverständiger/Polygrafiesachverständige · FR spécialiste du détecteur de mensonges
civil registrar · DE Standesbeamter/Standesbeamtin · FR employé de l’état civil/employée de l’état civil
criminal investigator · DE Polizeibeamter im Ermittlungsdienst/Polizeibeamtin im Ermittlungsdienst · FR officier de police judiciaire/officière de police judiciaire
police detective · DE Kriminalbeamter/Kriminalbeamtin · FR gardien de la paix/gardienne de la paix
police inspector · DE Polizeikommissar/Polizeikommissarin · FR commissaire divisionnaire de police

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Police community support officers (6311)11,800 employed
Clinical psychologists (2225)23,900 employed
Other psychologists (2226)39,000 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Technicians and associate professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Technicians and associate professionals, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€50,992
Austria	€46,986
Germany	€44,473
Netherlands	€42,448
Ireland	€41,613
Sweden	€41,155
Italy	€34,882
France	€34,816
Spain	€29,757
Portugal	€18,080
Poland	€12,108

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the middle third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of +0.23. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (33-3021).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

Take the career interests test