Mom Steals Daughter's Identity to Become a Cheerleader

By JJ Duncan on When 33-year-old Wendy Brown showed up for high school cheerleader practice, a couple of the girls noticed she looked a little old for 15, but no one said anything.

"She did look a little insignificantly older, but you didn't want to question it," student Spencer Corpus told CBS News. "You just go aw, alright, whatever."

It turns out Brown, who has a criminal background involving identity theft, was posing as her daughter to pass herself off as a student at Ashwaubenon High near Greenbay, Wis. The plot sounds like something taken right out of a teen high school movie, but instead of ending on a big kiss, this plot ended with an arrest.

Brown was discovered when she failed to show up for school for four consecutive days and the check for her cheerleader uniform bounced.

When school officials investigated Brown's background, they found that her daughter was still living in Pahrump, Nevada.

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How To Become A Real Crime Scene Technician

The popularity of those true-crime and crime scene technician programs on television have not only attracted a large audience of loyal fans, but have also inspired thousands of students to enter criminal law, forensic sciences, and law enforcement schools, all in hopes of joining the ranks of forensic lab and field technicians across the country. Because the field is so varied, the training can literally come from a host of different sources, and will continue on past gaining the necessary degrees or certifications, so that they can readily keep up with the ever-changing technology.

The skills you will learn in school to become a crime scene investigator are so needed these days that any certification or degree will easily lead to a career that is much in demand. Law enforcement, legal practices and even the federal government have openings for dedicated forensics professionals from all walks of life, and education.

Where to Begin Your Crime Scene Technician Training

There are so many different ways to begin your training in forensic science. Enrolling in any technical school that offers classes in criminal justice is one way to begin. Attending an accredited college or university program is another. And, these days, you can even begin your job training online, at your own pace, allowing you to take care of your beginning classes, and formal training over whatever period of time you require.

Beginning with criminal justice training is the smartest way, as you will be learning everything that you will need to be part of law enforcement, the largest employers of technician anywhere. This type of background is essential to your formal training to work in the field gathering evidence, securing crime scenes and interviewing potential witnesses as part of your daily job description.

Career Education Requirements

Before you can get into the science of forensic technology itself, you should have a good knowledge of the physical sciences, chemistry, biology, math and anatomy physiology. Along with this course of study, outside of the technology itself, the best school to enter after the general courses are behind you, is the school of criminal justice.

Because most crime scene investigator and technician positions are actually filled within law enforcement, it is essential that any student planning on having this kind of specialized career study the first couple of years as if they were becoming a police officer in the field. In some jurisdictions, the CSI functions as operating police officers in emergency situations, so all of this training will come in handy, even if the television shows may tell you otherwise.

Criminal Justice Training

You can either attend an actual criminal justice school, or complete the necessary criminal justice courses online while you complete the technical and science requirements at a university. However you wish to do so the bulk of your criminal justice training should include as many of the following courses as you can complete for the full spectrum of training available:

Criminal Law

Crime Scene Evidence

Criminal Investigation

Crime Scene Photography

Evidence Collection

Evidence Analysis and Interpretation

The next set of courses only requires that you show a proficiency in, so that you can work with law enforcement agencies, while pursuing your main career:

Shooting

Defensive Tactics

First Aid

Fingerprinting, including applications, techniques and interpretation

Bloodstain Analysis

Forensic Photography

Footwear Identification Proficiency

Employment Outlook and Opportunities

There are a large number of crimes that occur unfortunately on a regular basis that will require the specialized expertise of a crime scene technician. Assaults, burglaries, rapes, kidnappings, suicides, vehicular crimes, and murder will all allow you to utilize every skill you have learned so that you can be an important part of the investigation team.

Job opportunities for professional technicians can be found in law enforcement, fire departments, pathology labs, hospitals, medical examiners offices, and even insurance and detective agencies. This means that the current outlook is very good, and the number of openings is expected to grow over the next few years, as the field expands.

Here's your chance to join the real CSI teams and become a true crime solver! Visit [http://www.theforensicssciencecolleges.com/] and discover the careers in forensic science. Learn how you can get started in these specialized careers.

How to Become a Crime Scene Investigator - A Detailed Insight Into an Adventurous Career

Do you enjoy the thrill and challenge of being the first one to investigate a crime scene? Do you want to pursue such an exciting career but are somehow perplexed about how to become a Crime Scene Investigator?

Here is a quick reference guide that tells you all that you need to know in order to help you pursue the career of your dreams.

Overview

A Crime Scene Investigator or more popularly known as CSI is an individual whose job is to visit various crime scenes, first hand and gather all the evidence that they possibly can. Typically, their duty involves assisting the police or the local sheriff in securing and working the crime scene, followed by preserving and gathering evidence and finally transporting the evidence to the labs to search for clues.

Educational Pre-requisite

In order to become a CSI, you should at least complete a bachelor's degree either in criminal justice or physical science. However, in order to advance your career prospects, you must also obtain a master's degree followed by training as a police officer.

Thanks to the latest technological developments, you can easily avail a specialized CSI degree online for both the bachelor's and master's levels. However, apart from the basic education, learning how to become a Crime Scene Investigator also involves learning certain skills. Some of these skills include:

Ability to maintain and protect the chain of events
knowledge of exposing, photographing, and collecting latent fingerprints
Ability to use various chemicals, gadgets and technologies to collect evidence
Flexibility to work at odd hours rather than a typical 9 to 5 job as well as maintaining your diligence throughout your course of work
Capability to work well in a team as opposed to working alone
Possessing a strong stomach for blood

Duties and Responsibilities

If you want to fully understand how to become a Crime Scene Investigator, you must be well aware of the responsibilities and the various duties involved in this line of work.

Investigating the scene of crime is the first step towards solving a crime. As a CSI, you can expect a busy career, working at different hours of the day or night. A normal working day for a CSI involves being called on to the scenes of burglaries, home invasion, sexual assaults and even murders.

In such cases, you will be required to carefully assess and explore the scene of crime, take photographs, lookout for finger prints or any other traces of evidence. Once you are done with the crime scene, you will be required to write detailed reports and document your findings. Many a times, you might also be asked to analyze autopsies and at times even testify in courts.

Now that you know all there is about how to become a Crime Scene Investigator, becoming a CSI might be the right career for you if you feel that you can sustain pressure and respond calmly in face of a crisis.

Robert Miller is your guide to criminal justice careers.

For more information on how to become a Crime Scene Investigator and receive free information from criminal justice schools near you, go to http://www.criminaljusticedegreejobs.com

Steps to Become Crime Scene Investigator

Crime scene investigator is the essential component of criminal justice organization or system. They gather evidences at the crime scene that may help in crime solving. They work at the police departments or additional law enforcement agencies that practice crime scenes as well as collecting evidences. They are sometimes referred as evidence technicians, crime scene technicians, forensic investigators or some other names unique in their division.

Investigators take pictures and preserve physical evidences at the crime scenes. It is very important that evidences are gathered and kept without contagion. Scene investigators should cautiously document their works.

Evidences gathered may include fingerprints, body fluids, fibers, hair, organic materials as well as trace evidence. These investigators may also examine blood patterns or spatter to determine the manner of blood shedding.

Crime scenes may be in their homes, cars, public buildings, in nature like in the woods and anywhere where there are collectible evidences. Crime investigators must be trained before they can qualify to become one. Many of these investigators are current members of the police forces or former police officers. But, there are also civilian positions that are present in crime scene investigations. Every U. S. police department has diverse profession and educational requirements for this field.

Different steps to become investigator:

- Learn about the work - You must try to know what the exact job you are applying for. Read the work summaries of the jobs listed in the employment page. This will provide you the details of the different responsibilities the worker will have and also the least requirements in applying for the work. One of the finest things you can make is to get in touch with the agencies within the geographical location you want to work and look for yourself how often they are offering job openings.

- Prepare for your job application. There are positions that have need of a 4-year degree course in science and others are requiring High Scholl graduates only. In general, if you wish to work at any crime lab as one of their Criminalists, you then need to have finished a degree course in science such as chemistry or Biology. If your targeted position needs you to have a formal training, you need to check from your local college and universities from where the training is available.

- Make a good resume and apply for the job. No matter if the agency is not requiring for a resume, attach it still to your application. It can be a help in getting the interview and if lucky enough, even for getting the job.

Learn the characteristics of the Crime Scene Investigators. For more information, visit us at: http://Crime-Scene-Investigation.org/