Requirements for IAI Crime Scene Certification

REQUIREMENTS FOR IAI CRIME SCENE CERTIFICATION

  1. General Qualifications

    An applicant for certification must be of good moral character, high integrity, and good repute and must possess high ethical professional standing.

  2. Certification

    Applicants may apply for any certification where the applicant meets the requirements as listed below. It should be noted that for initial certification, hours will be used to calculate the figures, and credits used to calculate the recertification figures.

    1. Certified Crime Scene Investigator

      1. Must have a minimum of one (1) year in crime scene related activities.

      2. Must have completed a minimum of 48 hours of Crime Scene Certification Board approved instruction in crime scene related courses within the last five (5) years.
    2. Certified Crime Scene Analyst
      1. Must have a minimum of three (3) years in crime scene related activities.

      2. Must have completed a minimum of 96 hours of Crime Scene Certification Board approved instruction in crime scene related courses within the last five (5) years.

    3. Certified Crime Scene Reconstructionist

    4. Certified Senior Crime Scene Analyst

      1. Must have a minimum of six (6) years in crime scene related activities.

      2. Must have completed a minimum of 144 hours of Crime Scene Certification Board approved instruction in crime scene related courses within the last five (5) years. AND one of the following:

        1. Must have authored or coauthored an article on some phase of crime scene investigation published in a professional journal OR;

        2. Made a presentation on some phase of crime scene investigation to a professional organization, OR;

        3. Be an active instructor in some phase of crime scene investigation who is currently teaching at least once a year, OR;

        4. Submit a court transcript from an actual case in which the applicant gave testimony on some phase of crime scene investigation.

  3. Initial In-house Training:

    Upon approval by the Crime Scene Certification Board, an agency's structured training program hours may be reciprocated for portions of or for the amount of required hours of instruction for the appropriate crime scene certification.

  4. Continuing Education/Professional Development Hours:

    The topics that qualify in the area of crime scene approved training are as listed below. The Crime Scene Certification Board, on request, will consider other topics:

    Alternate Light Source Training
    Arson Investigations
    Blood Pattern Analysis
    Clandestine Lab Training
    Collection & Preservation of Evidence
    Courtroom Testimony
    Crime Scene Documentation
    Crime Scene Investigations
    Crime Scene Photography
    Crime Scene Reconstruction
    Death Investigations
    Evidence Photography    		   Footwear and Tire Tread
    Forensic Anthropology
    Forensic Archeology
    Forensic Odontology
    Latent Print Detection/Comparison
    Post Blast Investigations
    Report Writing
    Rules of Evidence
    Sex Crime Investigations
    Traffic Accident Investigations
    Underwater/Subsurface search and recovery

    Please note: Certification exam book review courses do not count towards the number of required hours for the various crime scene certification programs.

    Online courses and college and university curriculum courses are not accepted for certification/recertification purposes.

  5. Testing

    In addition to the listed requirements for each level the applicant must successfully pass a written test with a minimum score of 75%. All written tests are graded and recorded on a pass/fail basis only. (Numerical scores are not provided)

    1. The tests will be taken from publications selected by the Crime Scene Certification Board. The titles will be published and the Board may not change them for a minimum of three (3) years.

    2. These texts supersede any practice or agency directives for certification testing purposes.

    3. Questions and time

      1. CCSI: 200 questions with a time limit of 3 hours

      2. CCSA: 300 questions with a time limit of 4 hours

      3. CSCSA: 400 questions with a time limit of 5 hours

    4. All crime scene certification tests are proctored.

    5. Throughout the comprehensive written testing process you may not have/use any supporting/reference material/textbooks or have internet access.
  1. TEST MATERIAL PUBLICATIONS

    1. Certified Crime Scene Investigator (CCSI)
      • Crime Scene Photography, Edition II, by Edward Robinson, 2010, Elsevier Science & Technology Books (All Chapters EXCEPT 1, 8 and 12)
      • Practical Crime Scene Processing and Investigation by Ross M. Gardner, 2005, CRC Press

        Tests on all Crime Scene Certifications will be based on the 2nd Edition of “Practical Crime Scene Processing and Investigation” by Ross Gardner.
    2. Certified Crime Scene Analyst (CCSA)
      • Crime Scene Photography, Edition II, by Edward Robinson, 2010, Elsevier Science & Technology Books (All Chapters EXCEPT 1, 8 and 12)
      • Practical Crime Scene Processing and Investigation by Ross M. Gardner, 2005, CRC Press

        Tests on all Crime Scene Certifications will be based on the 2nd Edition of “Practical Crime Scene Processing and Investigation” by Ross Gardner.
      • Crime Scene Investigation by Fish, Miller and Braswell. Due to the unavailability of Edition One of "Crime Scene Investigation", by Fish-Miller-Braswell, the comprehensive portion of the CCSA test using this book has been modified so that you may study either Edition One or Two.

        Edition Two is published by Elsevier with a date of 2010 and can be found on most book sites.
    3. Certified Senior Crime Scene Analyst (CSCSA)
      • Crime Scene Photography, Edition II, by Edward Robinson, 2010, Elsevier Science & Technology Books (All Chapters EXCEPT 1, 8 and 12)
      • Practical Crime Scene Processing and Investigation by Ross M. Gardner, 2005, CRC Press

        Tests on all Crime Scene Certifications will be based on the 2nd Edition of “Practical Crime Scene Processing and Investigation” by Ross Gardner.
      • Criminalistics: An Introduction to Forensic Science (9th Edition) by Richard Saferstein, 2007, Prentice Hall

  2. APPLICATION PROCEDURES

    1. Application forms may be obtained from:

      International Association for Identification
      2131 Hollywood Blvd., Suite 403
      Hollywood, FL 33020

    2. All applicants for certification must submit two letters of endorsement. Endorsements are required from the applicant’s employer/supervisor and/or persons who have knowledge of the applicant’s experience as a practitioner in the discipline for which they applied.

    3. The completed application, with supporting documentation to include a recent photograph, and the application fee of $200.00 (not refundable) for IAI members or $300.00 (not refundable) for non-members, shall be forwarded to:

      International Association for Identification
      Crime Scene Certification Board
      2131 Hollywood Blvd., Suite 403
      Hollywood, FL 33020

    4. Crime Scene Certification shall be issued for a period of five (5) years.

    5. Applicant procedures for certification are subject to revision by the Crime Scene Certification Board (CSCB). The latest official version is always available from the CSCB Secretary.

  3. GENERAL PROVISIONS CONCERNING CERTIFICATION

    1. The right to deny certification is reserved.

      Applicants who are denied certification by the CSCB may appeal such action in writing within sixty (60) days after the issue date of such notification.

    2. Certificates granted and issued may be suspended or revoked by the CSCB for any of the following reasons:

      1. A conviction of an applicant for certification, or holder of a certificate, by a court of competent jurisdiction of a felony or any crime involving moral turpitude.

      2. A misstatement, misrepresentation, concealment, or omission of a material fact or facts in an application or any other communication related to certification.

      3. Issuance of a certificate contrary to or in violation of any of the laws, standards, rules or regulations of the IAI, or determination that the person certified was not in fact eligible to receive such certificate at the time of issuance.

      4. Any violation of the IAI Code of Ethics.

    3. Action to suspend or revoke may only be taken after at least thirty (30) days advance notice of the charges or reasons for such action has been given to the individual concerned and an opportunity for such person to be heard has been provided by the CSCB.

    4. Persons holding a valid certificate of qualifications issued by the CSCB are entitled to use the appropriate designations in conformance with the standards of the International Association for Identification.

    5. Certificates issued by the International Association for Identification are non-transferable. They remain the property of the IAI, but every person to whom a certificate has been issued shall be entitled to its continued possession, unless and until such certificate is revoked.

    6. Membership in the IAI or any of its state or regional divisions is not mandatory for certification, however, the candidate for certification must agree to abide by the provisions of the certification program as written and passed by the IAI.

  4. CRIME SCENE CERTIFICATION BOARD

    Domingo Villarreal, Chairman
    Houston, TX

    Dennis G. Honeycutt, Secretary
    Greenville, NC

    Amy Johnson
    Ankeny, IA

    Christine Snyder
    Sanford, FL

    Rebecca Daher
    Santa Ana, CA

    Don Ledbetter
    Seattle, WA

    Iris Dalley
    Norman, OK