Forensic Investigations

A crime is committed. The Miami-Dade Police Department’s (MDPD) uniform officer responds and conducts the initial investigation. The officer may also tend to the injured, arrest the perpetrator, issue "Be On the Look Out" (BOLO) information, gather and separate any witnesses, and secure the crime scene. Detectives from Homicide, Robbery, Sexual Crimes, etc., will then respond to conduct and coordinate the follow-up investigation.

Crime Scene Investigators aid the investigative process through scene recognition, scene documentation, and evidence collection. Once identified and packaged, collected evidence is submitted for analysis in the Bureau’s Forensic Imaging Section (Photography and Art), Fingerprint Identification Section, or the MDPD Crime Laboratory Bureau. This is the world of Crime Scene Investigations - better known as CSI.

Crime Scene Investigations Bureau

The Crime Scene Investigations Bureau is comprised of three sections - Investigations, Forensic Imaging (includes Forensic Art and Photography Units), and Fingerprint Identification. Classifications include both sworn and civilian personnel.

The Investigations Section, better recognized as CSI personnel, is comprised of Major Crimes and Burglary Units. Sworn investigators serve as a support unit to the Homicide, Robbery, and Sexual Crimes Bureaus, and district General Investigations Units.

The Crime Scene Investigator:

• Detects, collects, evaluates, and preserves crime scene evidence
• Discovers and collects substance; e.g., DNA, fibers, blood, and other trace evidence
• Develops and lifts latent foot, palm, and fingerprint evidence
• Prepares casting for shoe, tire, and tool impressions
• Takes photographs of crime scenes that include aerial exposures
• Produces crime scene sketches and records location of evidence
• Prepares reports of crime scene investigations and testifies in court

The Forensic Imaging Section, Photographic Services Unit, provides a full array of photographic services, including mugshot retrieval, evidence photography, photo finishing, digital imaging and enhancement, and forensic services. State-of-the-art digital photography is used to enhance physical evidence and fingerprint identifications. The Section participates in the development and acquisition of a computerized mugshot system to support investigative functions.

The civilian Photographer is responsible for:

• Photo finishing (color and black-and-white)
• General and forensic photography
• Video productions
• Digital image mugshot services
• Digital replication and enhancement of evidence and photographic images
• Preparing reports and testifing in court

The MDPD Forensic Art Unit was established in 1998 and is one of the busiest in the country. The artist in this specialized classification (civilian) is responsible for interacting with investigative entities within MDPD, as well as local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies.

Forensic Artists complete the following duties:

• Prepare composite renderings from witness or victim descriptions
• Prepare renderings from surveillance video
• Prepare renderings of identifiable features such as tattoos and jewelry
• Create computer-assisted enhancements of photographic line-ups
• Produce age enhancements of both missing children and wanted fugitives
• Conduct graphic facial analysis based on comparative survey of photographs
• Create both postmortem drawings and facial reconstructions from human remains
• Prepare reports and testify in court

The Fingerprint Identification Section is comprised of a Master File Unit, Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) Unit, and Latent Unit:

The Master File Unit has the responsibility of processing arrest fingerprints submitted by the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Civilian Fingerprint Analysts are responsible for classifying fingerprints, searching files to locate prior records, entering fingerprint records into the automated system, and fingerprinting and palmprinting persons, both living and deceased.

The AFIS Unit has the responsibility of maintaining the computerized portion of the Section. The AFIS database contains more than 800,000 ten-print records and 51,000 palmprint records.

The Latent Unit is responsible for the evaluation and comparison of physical evidence submitted from crime scenes. Latent Fingerprint Examiners use mechanical and chemical methods to develop latent fingerprints from evidence.

Qualifications for Careers in Crime Scene Investigations:

• The Crime Scene Investigator must be a sworn police officer within the MDPD.
• The Latent Fingerprint Examiner (civilian) is required to have a Bachelor’s Degree and one year of experience, or work experience (four years) may substitute for the required education on a year-for-year basis.
• The Fingerprint Analyst (civilian) is required to have a Bachelor’s Degree, preferably in the Sciences field, or four years of work experience may substitute for the required education on a year-for-year basis.
• The Forensic Artist (civilian) must be a high school graduate and have three years experience in portrait or forensic art.  Related education may substitute for the required experience on a year-for-year basis to a maximum of two years.
• The MDPD Photographer (civilian) must be a high school graduate.  Three years of work experience/legal photography are required or Associate in Arts Degree in Photography and one-year experience in commercial or medical/legal photography are required.

CSI Photo Gallery