Certification question

[R.H.]

Just out of curiosity, does you agency compensate you an additional percentage for I.A.I. certification?

We are trying to make some changes and need to have some ammo!

Thanks
Randy

[Steve Everist]

Our office has been reimbursing the $150, after successfully becoming certified, for a few years now.

[Charles Parker]

My agency requires IAI Certification so they will reimburse the employee once they have passed the test and pay for re-certification every five years.

To move from LPE to Senior LPE for a salary increase the employee must be IAI Certified which requires a second test on organizational structure and operating procedures.

Bold to state IAI Certification versus other latent certification programs.

[Kathleen Birnbaum]

My agency requires an individual to be Certified or to obtain it within two years of hire date. They pay for membership in the IAI, Certification testing and all fees for renewals after that. There is NO pay increase for becoming certified as the position mandates it in the first place.

[Tash]

My agency requires certification and pays for it. We also get a very small pay increase for having it.

[Steve Everist]

Out of curiosity for those agencies that require it, what happens if the LPE fails the test?
How many times can they try again?
Has this happened?
Have LPE's been fired for not passing the test within a specified time?
And are your LPE's represented by a union?

[Tash]

Steve,
Our policy states that you have three years to become certified after you have completed your in house training. While this has not been an issue in latents, I believe some of our other forensic employees who are required to be ABC certified have just got it documented in their yearly evaluation that they are not meeting the certification requirements. There is not anything in writing on how many times the department will pay to retest either.

Hope that answers your questions,
Natasha

[Charles Parker]

Steve our policy states that they have one year after they become qualified to obtain certification and they sign a form before they are hired outlining that.

Management has been asked if someone fails what will happen and they have stated that they would give someone two chances at it and then terminate.

However we have never had anyone yet to test that theory.

[Kathleen Birnbaum]

We follow pretty much the same concept. The certification is mandatory and if not able to obtain within the two years of hire, it will mean looking for another job. Our last hire was already certified and when I was promoted into Latents back in 93', I was fully aware of the requiement of having to get that certification (we had only a year from hire to get it back then) or I would have to transfer back to crime scene technician work. Thankfully I passed and so it wasn't an issue. There is no Union and the requirement is pretty up front in the job description.

[Steve Everist]

We follow pretty much the same concept. The certification is mandatory and if not able to obtain within the two years of hire, it will mean looking for another job.

So then your department only hires experienced examiners? Even with a Bachelor's Degree, you'll need at least two years of full-time latent print experience to apply - so degree'd trainees wouldn't be able to meet the mandatory cert requirement.

Going back to Randy's initial question, I remember a few years ago that the city of San Diego was offering a percent premium for certification. I don't know if this is still the case.

[Kathleen Birnbaum]

I am currently teaching latent prints to two of our Fingerprint Technicians while they are still in their current positions. One currently has a degree and the other is completing it. They would not be able to step into the latent position at this time as they would not be able to pass the Certification test within the two years or meet requirements. By working with them while they still do their regular duties, they are able to get the training but not be at risk of being out of a job. It seems to be working out very well for the circumstances - better than I was expecting. They also get to find out if this is really what they want to do, before getting the position and discovering that it was more than they bargained for but unable to go back to their old position as it has gotten filled.

[R.H.]

Thanks to all who replied. I know some departments pay an additional 5% for being certified.
We are looking at making a fight for the increase and would like some ammo for back up!

Thanks Again

Randy

[Red]

I had to educate the heads of my department about the certification test so no, they do not require certification at this time. However, they will reimburse the $150 fee and re-certification fees, as well as keep up my certification through training. We do not get a pay increase to be certified. (We are a civilian unit so unlike sworn personnel, we also do not receive pay increases for college degrees. I think that battle for us will be a long one).

[David Johnson]

I work for Las Vegas Metro and we do not get a pay increase just for being certified however it is a requirement for a promotion from a Forensic Scientist 1 to a level 2. So in that regard you could say that we get a raise and a promotion once we pass the test and meet the other reqirements for the level 2 position.

A the base rate for a level 2 is about 10% more than a level one but when it comes time for the promotion to a level 2 I know that we dont end up with a 10% raise due to how the steps work out. It is probable closer to the 5% that you are talking about.

You can find the job decriptions and the salaries at our dept. website http://www.lvmpd.com

[mdavis]

One fly in the ointment is the IAI requirement that a person must have testified twice in court before being eligible to sit for the exam. One of my trainees (a fully competent examiner) has never been called to the witness stand in nearly three years and is totally unable to control or overcome this requirement. This is an unreasonable situation and should be addressed if it hasn't already been done. Additionally, the time pressure is an unreasonable and counter-productive aspect of the exam that doesn't exist in real-world work. Passing the exam is no guarantee of competence or accuracy, just a concession to the Gods of accreditation. Perhaps being "certified" breeds overconfidence .....