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Alamo Colleges DistrictCareer Explorer

Police Identification and Records Officers

Part of Law, Public Safety, Corrections & Security, in the Law Enforcement Services pathway.

Job zone 3: medium preparationO*NET 33-3021.02

What the work is

Collect evidence at crime scene, classify and identify fingerprints, and photograph evidence for use in criminal and civil cases.

On a typical day

  • Photograph crime or accident scenes for evidence records.
  • Testify in court and present evidence.
  • Dust selected areas of crime scene and lift latent fingerprints, adhering to proper preservation procedures.
  • Look for trace evidence, such as fingerprints, hairs, fibers, or shoe impressions, using alternative light sources when necessary.
  • Package, store and retrieve evidence.
  • Maintain records of evidence and write and review reports.

What it pays

$83,830
Median pay per year, San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX metro
New workers start near $52,440
Experienced workers reach $138,110
  1. $52k10th
  2. $73k25th
  3. $84kMedian
  4. $89k75th
  5. $138k90th
Wage percentiles: 10th $52,440, 25th $73,140, Median $83,830, 75th $89,470, 90th $138,110

About 1,670 people do this job in the San Antonio area.

Job outlook

Alamo region (Bexar and 12 surrounding counties), Texas Workforce Commission projection 2024 to 2034. U.S. figures from the BLS for comparison.

+4.9%

employment change in the Alamo region, 1,666 to 1,747 jobs · U.S. -1%

122

openings a year in the Alamo region, from growth and people leaving · U.S. 7,800

1,666

employed in the Alamo region in 2024 · U.S. 117,900

Typical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent · Experience: Less than 5 years · Training: Moderate-term on-the-job training

Skills this career uses

The skills O*NET rates most important for the job, with how much of each the work needs on a 1 to 7 scale.

  1. Critical Thinking4.0
  2. Active Listening3.9
  3. Speaking3.9
  4. Reading Comprehension4.1
  5. Writing3.3
  6. Complex Problem Solving3.1
  7. Active Learning3.3
  8. Monitoring3.3

Education people in this job have

Share of workers by highest education, from O*NET surveys. It shows what others did, not what you must do.

  1. High school or less13%
  2. Certificate8%
  3. Some college3%
  4. Associate degree28%
  5. Bachelor's degree26%
  6. Master's degree22%

Job zone 3, medium preparation: Training, an associate degree, or a few years of related experience.

Alamo programs that lead here

  • Northeast Lakeview
  • Northwest Vista
  • Palo Alto
  • St. Philip's
  • San Antonio
  1. Criminal Justice

    Transfer pre-major · Public Service

  2. Cyber Investigator; Level I Certificate

    Certificate · Science & Technology

  3. Criminal Justice

    Transfer pre-major · Public Service

  4. Criminal Justice

    Degree · Transfer pre-major · Public Service

  5. Criminal Justice

    Transfer pre-major · Public Service

  6. Criminal Justice

    Degree · Online option · Public Service

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