Higher Education Advances Career For A Former Baltimore Dispatcher
Amy Seman has worked for the Baltimore County Government for over 16 years. She served 12 of those years as an emergency communications technician II in police and fire dispatch and the last four years as a forensic services technician II, a field she has always been particularly interested in.
Seman has an A.S. in criminal justice from the Community College of Baltimore County, Essex and a B.S. in criminal justice with an emphasis in crime scene investigation from Kaplan University. She graduated from Kaplan summa cum laude.
What are the responsibilities of your current role as a forensic services technician?
"My role at a scene is to recognize potential evidence through my training, knowledge and experience. We record a scene by taking notes, digital photography, sketching, measurements and at times video. We then recover the evidence in the least invasive manner. The evidence is then documented and sealed. Our documentation for a case needs to be thorough so that when we are needed for court testimony (which can take years) we can go back and present the information to a jury in a manner that is understandable and complete."
What is your favorite part about your daily duties?
"My favorite part of my daily duties is when my casework assists the detectives in bringing closure to a victim."
How has your education and training prepared you in forensics?
"My education prepared me for this position by teaching me the fundamentals of criminal justice and forensics. It taught me skills that I use daily in the field. On top of my college education, I received three months of in-house training and a month of field training from the crime lab in 2011."
What do you do to continue your education and training?
"Throughout the year we are offered several training opportunities which we can sign up to attend. They can either enhance a discipline you have already been trained in or they can be a new skill that assists the department as a whole. We also have yearly proficiencies to test our skills and to make sure we are following proper protocols with evidence."
Do you have any advice for others looking to enter this field?
"Get your degree in chemistry or biology so, if and when you decide to change positions in the field, you have an area of study that furthers the training you have already received. This is a very competitive field to get into. There is a high turnover rate. You are dealing with the victims of tragedies and their families and, at times, the suspect responsible. Make sure you have outside interests, family and friends so that you have a place to go and forget all you have seen so that you stay grounded."
Laura Catherine Hermoza has a lifelong love for writing. In addition to serving as a contributor to various media publications, she is also a published novelist of several books and works as a proofreader/editor. LC resides in Baltimore County.
