Bryn Heidenreich, Crime Scene Specialist
Please give a brief history of your experience.
I was hired to work as a Crime Scene Specialist assigned to the Tucson Police Department Crime Lab in April of 2014. I worked at the lab for a brief two months and was then given the opportunity to transfer over to the Crime Scene Unit. I did a ride-along with the unit and really enjoyed the aspects of field work. I felt it was a better fit for me, so I accepted the transfer. I completed the crime scene academy and field training in January of 2015.
What made you want to get into a career in Law Enforcement?
I attended the University of Arizona and studied photography and while my time at the UofA was incredibly fun and inspiring, the curriculum was primarily focused on fine art. I quickly realized that I wanted to work in a more structured and technical field instead of the freelance commercial and art world. Crime scene photography was one of the fields that I had strongly been considering. I found out about the job openings through a family friend and I talked about the job with my neighbor, who had been a patrol officer with TPD for many years, and he encouraged me to go for it.
What concerns, if any, did your family and friends have with you becoming a Crime Scene Specialist and did their concerns change after successful completion of your training?
My family and friends were incredibly supportive with my decision and we talked at length about the challenges that I would be facing in the field. My dad and my best friend both work in medicine, my brother is in the Marine Corps, and my mother’s parents owned a funeral home, so I was already comfortable with emotionally challenging and perhaps morbid careers. When my family and friends saw that the crime scene unit was very supportive and tight-knit, they felt much better about my ability to cope with the difficult situations that I would see on a regular basis.
Did you find it hard to compete with male specialists during the academy and FTO program?
Not at all; the crime scene academy and field training were focused not only on preparing us to be self-sufficient workers, but also to work as a team with officers, detectives, and other crime scene specialists. I was consistently treated as equal to my male peers, and I never felt like I was at disadvantage during training.
How do you balance family life and shift work?
I currently don’t have any children or pets, so shift work is really easy for me to adjust to (aside from changing my sleep schedule). My dad was often on call for his job, so I was used to celebrating holidays on whatever day worked out best, even if it wasn’t on the right calendar day. My family and friends understand the nature of shift work, so we get together whenever we have free time.
Have you ever found yourself in a situation you could not handle because you were a female? If so, how did you deal with this?
There hasn’t been any situation that I felt I couldn’t handle because of being a female that I can recall. I do my best to be professional, so if there are any challenges, I deal with them and try to do my job to the best of my ability.
Did you have any issues getting hired and how did you cope with the academy physical fitness requirements?
The physical fitness requirements for crime scene specialists are less demanding when compared to patrol officers, so I did not have any challenges with the physical aspect. The main challenge that I faced during was trying to maintain my confidence level for six months while moving through the application process. I thought I did terrible at every step, which thankfully turned out not to be the case.
What unique qualities do you bring to TPD due to being a female?
There are some crime scene calls, especially when involving female victims, where a female crime scene specialist is requested in the hopes that this will allow the victim feel more comfortable with explaining their situation. This is especially true of sexual assault calls, where photographs and DNA collections of a victim’s body are often the best or only evidence of a crime. While male crime scene specialists are absolutely qualified to do the job, it’s preferable to have a female specialist respond.
Give some examples of situations where being a female crime scene specialist helped resolve a situation?
Several victims of sexual assaults have expressed to me that they were very glad to have a female photographing them and doing DNA collections, as they were embarrassed or very upset after the incident.
What has been your most memorable experience as a crime scene specialist?
I don’t have one particular incident that I consider the “most memorable” of all time, however one of the more memorable experiences I’ve had in recent months is working seven hours of overtime on a very complicated scene and then coming back to work six hours later. What is memorable about that day, however, is how much I enjoyed working with the detectives on scene and how accomplished I felt when I finally went home.
How has the Department assisted you in reaching your career goals?
Working for TPD so far has given me a huge boost in confidence regarding beginning my career as a photographer and as a professional employee. TPD and the Crime Scene Unit have high standards regarding work ethic and integrity, which have greatly improved my own work ethic and motivation. I’ve learned an incredible amount of information in the year and a half that I’ve been with TPD and it has encouraged me to further my education and training.
What advice would you give to women who want to become a crime scene specialist?
I would absolutely say go for it, it is an incredibly unique and rewarding job. It can be very physically demanding, especially on long calls in the middle of summer, but definitely worth it at the end of the day. The best part about the job is the people I get to work with every day. The camaraderie within the department is such an amazing thing to experience. I truly feel that the job has made me a better person and seeing the worst aspects of Tucson has only made me love and appreciate the good parts even more.