Is being a police officer fundamental for processing crime scenes?: Investigating civilianization in Canadian Forensic Identification Units

Crime Scene Investigation within Canada has traditionally been a function carried out by police officers. Recently, civilians have been introduced into Canadian Forensic Identification Units (FIUs) in a limited capacity, but the experiences of civilian personnel have yet to be explored. The current study uses a qualitative thematic analysis of interviews conducted with 45 forensic identification personnel, regarding their experiences with the integration of civilians into FIUs across Canada to better understand the cultural barriers that impede civilians from successfully integrating into law enforcement. The aim of this study was to explore the benefits and challenges of civilianization. Though the findings suggest that there are extensive benefits associated with civilianizing FIUs, there are deeply rooted systemic challenges hindering entirely civilianized units from coming into fruition. The implications of these findings for law enforcement policy and future research are explored.