Just Forensic Technician Vicarious Trauma

In episode eight of the Identification season, Just Science interviews Selena McKay-Davis, lead senior forensic specialist at Riverside Police Department, about job-related stress for forensic technicians and sworn peace officers. As a forensic technician Selena McKay-Davis is confronted daily with scenes where crimes were committed, and sometimes these scenes are violent or even gruesome. The stress of the position and the daily exposure to violence can make a long term career in this occupation very difficult. While there is research surrounding the trauma that sworn peace officers experience, little is known about the trauma experienced by civilian forensic technicians. During her graduate studies, Selena McKay-Davis identified this gap in knowledge. Listen along as she discusses her graduate thesis topic covering the similarities and differences between the trauma experienced by officers and civilian forensic technicians This season is funded by the National Institute of Justice’s Forensic Technology Center of Excellence.