Do crime lab analysts go to crime scenes?
In our jurisdiction, we respond to crime scenes only in very rare situations. Law enforcement investigators are responsible for collecting and preserving evidence for submission to the crime laboratory. Analysts normally spend all their time in the lab examining evidence. The laboratory processed about 15,000 cases last year so we were too busy to go to crime scenes. In some jurisdictions, forensic scientists do collect evidence, so it varies from place to place.
