Do future police officers want to pursue a crime scene examiner career? Exploring stability and change in police recruits’ interest in crime scene investigation

Recruitment of high-calibre crime scene investigation candidates is a complex and important task for police managers. Genuine interest in a crime scene examiner (CSE) position might be a good indicator for recruitment strategies, as research has shown that good fits between vocational interest and work position can lead to better retention, motivation, commitment, job satisfaction and performance. Still, knowledge of the dynamics of interest in a CSE position among the pool of potential candidates remains scarce. Thus, this study uses a longitudinal research design to explore the evolution of 300 police recruits' interest in a CSE position throughout their police training curriculum. It shows that police recruits' interest in such a position is notably lower than their interest in other police roles. Findings also suggest that for many recruits, interest in a CSE position tends to decline over the course of their training, varying by gender, initial level of interest for the job, and the evolution of interest in other police functions. Accordingly, this research calls for further studies on police officers' aspirations to pursue a CSE career and advises caution in using genuine interests as a recruitment indicator, as a candidate's interest at a given moment may not reliably predict their long-term work orientation.