Anita

What does your typical workday look like?

I search and analyze fingerprints found at crime scenes. Fingerprints are received in real time from police agencies and RCMP detachments throughout Canada. Analysts check the queue and start working on the next case. These fingerprints are coming in from all sorts of crime scenes, from murder scenes to theft of vehicles.

In a single day you can work on 10 cases or a single case. It depends on how many images could be in one case, ranging from one image to over 100 images. Making an identification can speed things up, but every case is different.

What do you find rewarding about your job?

It’s instant gratification from the “got ‘em” moment. Sending back a positive identification to the investigator within minutes or half an hour—so that investigator is now going to have a lead.

It’s nice when you get feedback from investigators. Sometimes they write back saying, “Hey, great job, your work was instrumental in identifying the lead.”

Is it true that RCMP Officers used to analyze fingerprints themselves?

Yes, years ago. Now it’s us. We look at fingerprints every day all day. We have a unique expertise that allows us to aid the police in doing their jobs.