Professionalism in crime scene examination: recruitment strategies, part 2: using a psychometric profile of top crime scene examiners in selection decision making

Recruiting high-caliber personnel is crucial in law enforcement and in the forensic sciences. Selecting personnel with the potential to excel in crime scene work is no exception. This is the third paper in a series on professionalism in crime scene examiners (CSEs). The first paper identified the seven key attributes that set top-performing CSEs apart from their lesser performing peers. The second paper presented an overview of a recruitment strategy for selecting applicants with the potential to become topperforming CSEs. In the second paper the author discussed the use of psychometric testing as a resource to aid decision making in hiring well. The aim of this paper is to expand that discussion of how psychometric testing can be used appropriately in forensic recruitment decision making. This paper will provide forensic managers with a valid psychometric profile of top-performing CSEs along with guidelines for how to use this profile correctly within a targeted and focused five-stage recruitment process.