50 Situations Awaiting Every Forensic Scientist (eBook)

A Professional Effectiveness Handbook - 2nd Edition

John M. Collins (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2024 | 1. Auflage
276 Seiten
Bookbaby (Verlag)
979-8-3509-8210-7 (ISBN)

Infos

50 Situations Awaiting Every Forensic Scientist is a personal guide to navigating the unique challenges and opportunities faced by America's forensic laboratory scientists, those charged with the awesome responsibility of giving a voice to the most commonly collected items of physical evidence used by our criminal justice system. In this thoughtful collection of heartfelt advice, humorous reflections, and candid self-admissions, acclaimed forensic laboratory administrator and leadership coach, John M. Collins, encourages readers to stand tall in the face of adversity and opportunity. There is no such thing as a typical forensic science career, but there are situations, both common and uncommon, that can disorient even the most capable professionals if they are not prepared. From the perspective of one of the most recognized and respected forensic science leaders, not only in the United States but also internationally, 50 Situations promises to inspire and motivate while also cautioning forensic scientists to remain alert for situations that are especially threatening or perplexing. Luck favors the prepared, which is why this book is a must-read for forensic science professionals at all levels of experience and responsibility who are interested in maximizing their individual effectiveness. Two special features have been included in the 2nd edition for readers who are students or practicing forensic scientists. The first is the addition of five coaching questions at the end of each situation to facilitate reflection and discussion for both individuals and study groups. The second is a special chapter addressing criticisms launched against forensic science professionals by innocence activists in the criminal justice reform movement. While recognizing the legitimacy of this movement, the author puts these criticisms into their proper context. Make some space in your library because you'll want this book close by even after you read it!

John M. Collins is a leadership and expertise coach specializing in working with clients in forensic science, criminal and civil law, law enforcement, and other authoritative, high-stakes occupations that impact that quality and duration of people's lives. John started his private practice in 2013 after retiring his award-winning, 20-year career in forensic science, having served as Director of the Michigan State Police, Forensic Science Division, overseeing seven accredited forensic science laboratories across the state. Among his contemporaries in forensic science, John's range of experience is unmatched, having facilitated highly sensitive domestic and international meetings on behalf of the United States Government, as well as corporate strategic planning retreats. His career highlights include his part in the forensic investigation of the Atlanta serial bombings, which included the bombing of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta (for which he received a commendation from the Department of the Treasury), as well as his 2013 participation in a historic meeting with Attorney General Eric Holder and other experts to discuss solutions to gun violence following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. John is the author of multiple books on forensic science leadership, professionalism, and public policy. In 2018, he published his first book, 'HR Management in the Forensic Science Laboratory - A 21st Century Approach to Effective Crime Lab Leadership' (Academic Press), followed by 'Crime Lab Report - An Anthology on Forensic Science in the Era of Criminal Justice Reform' (Academic Press) in 2019. In 2021, John released the first edition of '50 Situations Awaiting Every Forensic Scientist - A Professional Effectiveness Handbook,' with the 2nd edition released in 2024. In 2022, John authored and published his highly acclaimed, 'The New Superior - A Better Way to Be the One in Charge,' in which John shares his unique perspectives on high-stakes leadership, drawing from the sometimes painful lessons he learned as a leader and scientist during his one-of-a-kind forensic science career. The New Superior is available in print and audio. As a facilitator, John's range of experience is unmatched, having facilitated corporate strategy retreats, as well as highly sensitive domestic and international meetings on behalf of the United States Government. John's career highlights include his part in the forensic investigation of the Atlanta serial bombings, which included the bombing of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta (for which he received a commendation from the Department of the Treasury), as well as his 2013 participation in a historic meeting with Attorney General Eric Holder and other experts to discuss solutions to gun violence following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. John has a master's degree in organizational management and is formally certified as a Senior HR Professional by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). In 2012, John was trained as a professional coach by the College of Executive Coaching, and he became certified as a Gallup Strengths Coach in 2022. He lives and works near Detroit, Michigan.

---

50 Situations Awaiting Every Forensic Scientist is a personal guide to navigating the unique challenges and opportunities faced by America's forensic laboratory scientists, those charged with the awesome responsibility of giving a voice to the most commonly collected items of physical evidence used by our criminal justice system. In this thoughtful collection of heartfelt advice, humorous reflections, and candid self-admissions, acclaimed forensic laboratory administrator and leadership coach, John M. Collins, encourages readers to stand tall in the face of adversity and opportunity. There is no such thing as a typical forensic science career, but there are situations, both common and uncommon, that can disorient even the most capable professionals if they are not prepared. From the perspective of one of the most recognized and respected forensic science leaders, not only in the United States but also internationally, 50 Situations promises to inspire and motivate while also cautioning forensic scientists to remain alert for situations that are especially threatening or perplexing. Luck favors the prepared, which is why this book is a must-read for forensic science professionals at all levels of experience and responsibility who are interested in maximizing their individual effectiveness. Two special features have been included in the 2nd edition for readers who are students or practicing forensic scientists. The first is the addition of five coaching questions at the end of each situation to facilitate reflection and discussion for both individuals and study groups. The second is a special chapter addressing criticisms launched against forensic science professionals by innocence activists in the criminal justice reform movement. While recognizing the legitimacy of this movement, the author puts these criticisms into their proper context. Make some space in your library because you'll want this book close by even after you read it!Although 50 Situations is intended for practicing forensic scientists, it is also helpful for forensic science managers, leaders, and executive administrators seeking to become better coaches and mentors for their employees. After John welcomes readers with a heartfelt call-to-action in the book's introduction, the main content is divided into four sections, with each section covering specific situations that share common themes. Part 1 is titled Your Employment, addressing some of the most common situations forensic scientists encounter during their training and ongoing relationships with their individual laboratories. Part 2 is titled Your Professionalism and Integrity, exploring some of the temptations and tests that one can expect when working in a forensic science laboratory. In Part 3, John gets specific with his recommendations and words of caution about the enterprise of expert witnessing. Then, in Part 4, readers are guided through a facilitated reflection about what the future holds for them as forensic science professionals. In the book's conclusion, the author shares what he describes as one of the most important and impactful moments of his career, one that provided guidance and direction for the remainder of his tenure as a forensic laboratory administrator. For those who are interested in putting themselves on a journey of self-exploration and personal transformation, John has included a comprehensive self-analysis exercise in the book's appendix. In this exercise, participants will have the opportunity to expand their self- awareness by answering and reflecting on 50 questions, all of which are designed to help explore various factors that impact how forensic scientists feel about their careers, how they perform in their careers, and how they make choices that affect how their careers play out over time. It's not an exercise that can be completed in a day or two. In fact, it can take a participant months to go through the questions and formulate thoughtful answers. Enjoy!

Textauszug

Introduction

GREAT CAREERS HAPPEN ON PURPOSE,
NOT BY ACCIDENT

 

 

The vast majority of forensic science professionals working today, in my opinion, are living out careers that differ sharply from what they first expected. I include myself in this company because, in a million years, I never could have imagined how my career would unfold. As a young college student learning under the tutelage of Dr. Jay Siegel at Michigan State University, it would have been impossible for me to anticipate the opportunities I would have, the challenges I would confront, the crimes I would investigate, the evidence I would analyze, the people I would meet, the situations I would encounter, and the twists and turns my career would take when I least expected them.

If it hasn’t already, your career will take its share of twists and turns too. Who you become as a forensic science professional will result from the accumulation of experiences, both expected and unexpected, that will weave themselves into a complicated but majestic tapestry of knowledge, skills, insights, opinions, sentiments, thoughts, ideas, and emotions. At any one moment, you may find yourself reflecting on your career and realizing that your body of expertise is entirely and completely unique. No other human being on the planet will have amassed the same compilation of professional memories as you. Every day you continue to work as a forensic scientist will strengthen, deepen, and broaden your expertise. You will find, as I did, that the uniqueness of your expertise will manifest itself subtly in the resulting uniqueness of the opportunities and challenges you encounter along the way. These opportunities and challenges will require you to make decisions, and those decisions will influence how your career unfolds.

Forensic science is not as easy as outsiders find it interesting. There are occupational dynamics inherent to the experience of working in forensic science that require mental, emotional, and even physical stamina. Obvious to most people is the emotional strain of witnessing the horrors of violent crime. Some forensic science professionals are confronted with this more than others, especially those who visit crime scenes or observe autopsies. For others, the experience of testifying as an expert witness in a court of law is especially unnerving. Yet, in my experience, these do not represent the most difficult parts of working in forensic science.

For me and for many others with whom I’ve discussed the challenges of working in forensic science, perhaps the most frustrating is working within a criminal justice system that, at times, seems to make absolutely no sense. It is adversarial, turbulent, reactive, cynical, inefficient, highly political, and populated with some gruff personalities and insatiable egos who seem to go out of their way to be as unpleasant as possible. And for the civilian / non-sworn forensic science professionals working in police agencies, reporting to police commanders having little experience or interest in science requires an almost superhuman degree of personal patience and diplomacy.

But for all of the frustrations one encounters in a forensic science career, in a strange way they are also what make it so rewarding – if you are willing to accept the challenge. As forensic science professionals, we are graced with the honor and privilege of being beacons of light within a raging storm. Within a powerful institution dominated by cops and lawyers, we get to advance the cause of science – politely insistent on meeting our responsibilities to give a voice to physical evidence that cannot speak for itself. We are translators, of sorts, helping criminal justice authorities understand the hidden messages that only scientific methods can decipher.

The key, therefore, to enjoying a meaningful and satisfying career in forensic science is embracing the chaos and putting it in its proper place. Chaos should not impair you. It’s nothing more than a playing field, something you shouldn’t take personally or be consumed by. It is what it is and there is nothing you or I can do to change it. Just as football players play on a football field and volleyball players play on a volleyball court, forensic science professionals play in the rough and tumble of the criminal justice system.

If you’re inclined to think this chaos is singularly challenging for those working in forensic science, it is even harder on the leaders and administrators in charge of forensic science organizations. At the outset, I wish to encourage you to be empathetic and supportive of your organization’s administrators as they attempt to negotiate the political, economic, and legal nuances of contemporary criminal justice. One day it could be you in charge, and you will expect the same courtesy of the people you are leading.

There is a lot about criminal justice that is broken, about which I wrote extensively in Crime Lab Report. The good news, however, is that it is slowly changing for the better. It is my opinion that the growing dependence of police, prosecutors, defenders, and judges on scientific evidence is among the many forces that are driving positive change. Criminal justice is becoming increasingly professional. So, the best thing you can do is be a professional, be competent, and be as ethical as possible in everything you do and in every situation you encounter. The rest will take care of itself in good time.

This means, of course, you should expect your career to place you in a variety of situations that will demand wise decision-making on your part. The quality of the choices you make will predict the quality of the outcomes you and others will experience. Some of these choices will be specific, such as what method to employ in the analysis of an unusual piece of evidence. They may also be broad and professionally significant, such as the decision to engage in secondary employment as a faculty adjunct at a local community college. Everything about your career and the value you derive from that career will arise from the choices you make.

This, of course, invites a few reasonable questions: What are some of the most impactful but common situations in which forensic science professionals may find themselves having to make difficult choices? Can we predict what these situations might be so that you can be better prepared, enhancing your chances of making the right decisions when circumstances require them? The answer to each question is an emphatic yes, and it’s why this book was written.

 

I began my career in forensic science as an unpaid college intern at the Michigan State Police forensic science laboratory in Sterling Heights, Michigan. The lab has since been closed and its operations relocated to a facility in Detroit. Earning twelve college credits and no money for my labors, I was assigned to the latent print unit where I conducted research on how fluorescing dye stains performed on different substrates when used to develop latent fingerprints. It was during the summer of 1992, a time during which communities in the metropolitan Detroit area were on the lookout for a man believed to have murdered multiple prostitutes, leaving their bodies to decompose in the hot summer sun. During the autopsy of one victim, the medical examiner severed both hands from the body so they could be sent to the nearby Sterling Heights laboratory. The advanced decomposition and wrinkling of the skin negated the possibility that ink-rolled fingerprints could be collected at the morgue, entered into the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS), then searched against records in the AFIS database to potentially identity the victim.

When the hands arrived at our lab, the fingers were curled, making it impossible to attempt an ink roll. The scientists assigned to the case decided that a pair of cutters – the kind you would buy at a hardware store – should be used to cut off the fingers. But they did not cut through bone so easily, so they called for me, a bulky and recently retired collegiate discus thrower, to muscle the cutter blades through the bone so the fingers could be examined and processed individually.

At this point of my life, the task I was asked to perform would soon become the most disgusting thing I had ever done. The hands were infested with maggots, which caused the hands to shake and twitch as if they were alive. The sound of the cutters breaking through the bone made a sound similar to that heard when breaking a tree branch. After the fingers were removed, the skin of each finger was easily slipped off the victim’s finger like a sock from a foot, then slipped onto the gloved finger of a latent print examiner who then rolled a perfect fingerprint, which eventually led to the identification of the victim and the subsequent arrest of the perpetrator. All of this happened within the first few days of my internship, something I will never forget.

Although I didn’t know it at the time, this experience was a harbinger of the many strange and memorable experiences I would have throughout my career. It is not my intention here to be autobiographical, so I’ll resist the temptation as best I can. But I do wish to emphasize how your career in forensic science, as mine was, will be defined by moments and situations that come and go with the passage of time. As a friend and colleague of mine once observed, memories are like a slide show that play in our heads. Indeed, it is this way for me. Some of those slides are pleasant; some are disturbing. But they all comprise the totality of my professional being, as they will for you. That day when I was cutting off the fingers...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 31.10.2024
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Technik
• ISBN-13: 979-8-3509-8210-7 / 9798350982107