Forensic Science Colleges in Washington

Charles Hause is an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Justice Studies at Eastern Washington University. A graduate of EWU with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice–forensics, he brings a decade of field experience in crime scene investigation, latent print processing, and comparison.

Hause also has five years of experience teaching forensic methods at EWU, where he specializes in crime scene investigation, latent print processing, latent print comparison, and courtroom testimony.

ForensicsColleges.com: In what ways does Washington stand out when it comes to forensics and criminal justice?

Hause: Washington has a robust system of state and local labs. Local labs typically cover large population centers (Seattle, Tacoma, Spokane), and the state lab system covers everywhere else. My experience is that agencies in this system typically work well together. Specifically for officer-involved shooting investigations, the State of Washington has developed a new department: the Office of Independent Investigations.

This department was created to remove all law enforcement control of these cases. This is a group of 100 percent civilian investigators who, in an attempt to minimize any appearance of impropriety or bias, are not under a law enforcement umbrella. And in that same vein, most forensic practitioners in Washington State are not sworn law enforcement officers. They are primarily civilian personnel of the agency they represent.

Washington State also has a variety of forensic education programs that can help someone pursue a career in this lucrative field. Specifically, Eastern Washington University (EWU) has forensic science and criminal justice paths, both of which prepare the student for a career in forensics.

As the name suggests, forensic science is a hard science degree that will prepare the student for hard science forensic disciplines (e.g. DNA, chemistry, etc). Criminal justice is a liberal arts degree that will prepare the student for crime scene investigation and various forensic “pattern” disciplines (e.g., latent prints, bloodstain pattern analysis, etc).

The justice studies program at EWU has applied to create a “forensic investigations” minor. If approved, this will expand current course offerings to include advanced crime scene investigation and courtroom testimony.

ForensicsColleges.com: Do you have any advice for those who may be planning their career in this field?

Hause: Most agencies require a four-year college degree in hard science, criminal justice, or a related field. Decide early on which path you want to pursue because each could lead to very different places.

If you love science and working in the laboratory, then a forensic (hard) science degree is likely the best fit for you. If you want to work out in the field as a crime scene investigator, then a criminal justice path is likely the best fit for you. Also, regardless of the path you choose, take a long look in the mirror and decide if you can handle the subject matter.

We see the worst of the worst that society has to offer. If you can’t compartmentalize what you see on a daily basis, forensics might not be the best fit for you—especially crime scene investigation. I purposely expose my students to this subject matter through personal stories and photographs. While nothing can replicate being there, it at least gives the student an understanding of what they will be facing.

Finally, if you are seriously considering working in this field, you have to seriously consider moving to where the jobs are. There are plenty of openings in forensics, but you have to be willing to move. The chance of landing a forensic job in your hometown is pretty small.

ForensicsColleges.com: What does the future of forensics and criminal justice look like to you?

Hause: The future for forensics will be one of change. Technology moves so fast, and forensic vendors keep pace pretty well. Agencies have to be able to adapt and use the best technology, which means they have to be willing to invest. Agencies that do not do this are missing a lot in their criminal investigations, to the detriment of the victim.

Nick Reifsteck is a forensic DNA scientist and an adjunct professor of forensic DNA analysis at Eastern Washington University. He is also a fully qualified forensic DNA expert with the Washington State Patrol. He earned a bachelor of science degree from the University of Notre Dame with an emphasis in biology and a master of forensic science from Drexel University with a concentration in molecular biology.

Reifsteck has previous experience in forensic consulting with the US Army. He also brings graduate research experience in cell and molecular physiology and neurobiology from Loyola University Chicago and runs an undergraduate research laboratory at Eastern Washington University. His education and breadth of experience position him as a highly qualified Rule 702 expert witness.

ForensicsColleges.com: In what ways does Washington stand out when it comes to forensic science?

Reifsteck: Many agencies within Washington State have individual forensic units that do crime scene analysis and evidence collection services, swab evidence for DNA analysis, process latent fingerprints, and collect items of evidence for analysis in the laboratory. The members of these teams and organizations are former police officers with years of experience, evidence technicians with specialized training, and some are forensic scientists. These teams and individuals do excellent work and are crucial to evidence processing in the State of Washington.

Where the state of Washington stands out is with the advanced abilities of the statewide forensic laboratories under the purview of the Crime Lab Division of the Washington State Patrol. What makes the WSP Crime Lab unique within Washington is that every forensic scientist who works in the laboratory or crime scene team has, at a minimum, a bachelor of science degree in a hard science.

The State Patrol has capabilities to perform DNA analysis (the only laboratories in the state capable of DNA analysis), firearms and toolmark analysis, material analysis (seized drug, fire debris, explosives, footwear and tire impression analysis, and trace analysis), latent fingerprint identification/friction ridge impression identification (processing and analysis), and crime scene assistance, reconstruction, and analysis. The toxicology laboratory provides drug and alcohol testing for coroners, medical examiners, law enforcement agencies, prosecuting attorneys, and the State Liquor and Cannabis Board (WSLCB) in all 39 Washington counties.

The WSP’s Crime Scene Response Team (CSRT) consists of highly trained forensic scientists who are available 24/7 to assist local law enforcement agencies with major crime scenes across the state. They provide expert support with evidence recognition, evidence collection, blood stain pattern analysis, and trajectory determinations, scene documentation, and scene reconstruction. The CSRT has been recognized nationally and is a fully accredited crime scene response that meets the ANAB accreditation requirements to work under a laboratory accreditation.

Under the purview of the operations division, the State Patrol also has a High-Tech Crimes Unit that specializes in technical and forensic support to investigate crimes involving digital technology such as computers, cell phones, and networks. Many local law enforcement agencies have also created teams or divisions to investigate and analyze evidence of computer crimes.

The Washington State Patrol also provides training to criminal justice agencies within Washington in a number of areas: crime scene investigation, death investigation, crime laboratory services, seized drugs, trace evidence, sexual assault evidence, physical evidence recognition and handling, latent fingerprint processing, fire debris analysis, rape evidence collection to hospital emergency room persons, documents, traffic investigation, crime scene photography and IBIS/NIBIN.

Academically, the State of Washington has multiple forensic science programs at the University of Washington, Central Washington, Seattle University, Washington State University, and Eastern Washington University. There are many options for studying forensic science within the state.

ForensicsColleges.com: Do you have any advice for those who may be planning their career in forensic science?

Reifsteck: Study a hard science! If you know what area of forensic science you are interested in, then you can tailor your studies to the requirements of that specialty. But most students don’t know that they want to do latent fingerprints, or material analysis, or DNA—until they are exposed to it. If you follow a pre-med, science-heavy pre-law, or science-heavy program that is designed to get you into graduate school, you should easily meet the requirements for most forensic science jobs.

DNA has some of the most restrictive requirements, so if you meet the requirements set forth by the FBI for CODIS eligibility (biochemistry, genetics, statistics, general chemistry, organic chemistry, physics, etc.), then you should be solid for most forensic science positions.

However, if you know you want to do toxicology, then your studies should be focused on high-level chemistry classes. If you know you would like to do crime scene analysis, then electives in photography and criminal justice classes, like crime scene, latent fingerprints, or other similar classes, if your university offers them, would be beneficial, but you still will need a hard science degree (biology, chemistry, physics, or biochemistry).

Apply for an internship! Internships are the best opportunity to have a one-to-three-month interview process with an agency and get unparalleled opportunities, experience, and networking. An internship is easily the one thing I can recommend to stand out when applying for a position after graduation. Also, you need to begin researching internship opportunities one to two years before you plan or need to have the internship. Most internships have a six-month to one-year application process, and many students who are not informed by their advisors or a mentor will attempt to apply a few months before they wish to participate. For instance, the NCIS and FBI have their applications due in the fall before the summer you intend to intern with them.

Be willing to move to where the job opportunity presents itself. I have mentored many students who have one agency, one city, or one state where they want to work. I tell my students that when I was in their same position, I applied nationwide and was willing to move to many states in order to secure a forensic position. Even if your ultimate goal is to return home to your favorite city, take the job where you can train, gain experience, and be employed doing what you ultimately want to do for a career in the location that will hire you and when a position finally opens up back home, you will be a much stronger candidate if you are a fully trained forensic scientist rather than having been working in a different job or field while waiting for your dream job/location/spot to open up.

ForensicsColleges.com: What does the future of forensic science look like to you?

Reifsteck: I think computer science and computer forensics is the next great field of forensic science. If you love computers and technology and have an interest in forensic science, double-majoring in computer science and another hard science could set you up for amazing opportunities. Computer forensics will be an add-on option for many computer science majors, or something that could be a graduate certificate or even a certificate program while studying undergraduate.

This field will also have more lucrative opportunities outside of only doing forensics for a state agency or federal agency because most corporations employ in-house forensic teams to help with computer security and network intrusion investigations. DNA, forensic investigative genetic genealogy, and DNA sequencing are where I see the most growth in the traditional forensic fields.