The public’s fascination with CSI-style law enforcement adds a lot of glamour to the position of forensic specialist.  But there’s a lot more to the job in real-life, than what you see on TV. 

The Sioux Falls Crime Lab is looking to hire a forensic specialist.  Right now, five of these specialists work at the crime lab.  But the department says it needs another specialist, in part, because of a growing number of drug cases.

The position requires a Bachelor of Science degree, plus a dedication to helping investigators solve crimes.

When a serious crime is committed in Sioux Falls, police will call on the scientific sleuths from the crime lab to gather the evidence.

“Every day is different, every day is interesting,” Sioux Falls Crime Lab Manager Eddie Aamold said.

The evidence collected at crime scenes ends up inside this massive vault at the Law Enforcement Center.  The crime lab oversees more than 100,000 items stored inside plastic tubs, everything from paint cans to beer cans, to weapons.

“Whether those are from old cases, whether those are found property, found guns, we have basically a whole shelf down this way,” Aamold said.

Categorizing and warehousing the evidence is painstaking and time-consuming and doesn’t follow the script of a TV crime drama.

“How it’s portrayed on TV sometimes is the evidence is collected, tested and the case is basically resolved in one hour, when it fact, it can be a very longer process,” Aamold said.

The new forensic specialist will spend a lot of time with this high-tech machine, testing drug samples and providing the results to investigators in half the time it usually takes.

“Adding an additional forensic specialist will help in being able to turn those cases around faster, getting those results to law enforcement, to the state’s attorney’s office so that they can continue their investigations,” Aamold said.

The crime lab is aiming for a turnaround time of two weeks to process drug evidence, instead of the current 30-day time frame. It’s all part of the highly-specialized caseload of a forensic specialist; a job that’s part chemist, part crime fighter.

The Sioux Falls Crime Lab is taking applications for the forensic specialist position through February 25.  

If you’re interested in applying, click here