Her Story
About Ellen
I've been in my industry for approximately 5 years, and it's been a pretty crazy journey. I initially started off as a police officer for the city of Allen Park, and then I transferred over to the forensic Technician Unit in the city of Detroit. Every day's different for me - I basically respond to active crime scenes, photograph the scenes, and collect any evidence that I find. Our runs range from anywhere from a home invasion to a homicide, and work has been picking up lately because of the warm weather, which tends to bring more crime scenes. I respond to a crime scene, speak with a detective, and we figure out what kind of evidence we can collect. I take pictures of the crime scene, and evidence can range from dusting for fingerprints to digging bullets out of walls, collecting casings, clothing items, and DNA like blood swabs. Once I'm finished with the crime scene, I go back to my office and write a report. For mostly non-fatal shootings and homicides, we also do a crime scene sketch, which is basically just a bird's eye view of the crime scene listing all of the evidence where it is. I also testify in court as a witness fairly often - I've testified in probably around 40 to 50 trials at this point. I also package the evidence, which can take quite a while, making sure it's packaged so that it can be admissible in court by packaging in paper bags, labeling it, and turning it into the property room to ensure chain of custody.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Ellen
01What do you attribute your success to?
I would say just hard work, honestly. I just give everything my all. I've always been very career-driven, so that's really what it comes down to for me.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Just to keep your head up and keep giving it your all, really. Don't ever give up on your dream. It took me a lot to get here, and you know, I eventually got to where exactly where I needed to be. So, you know, keep your head down, keep working, and you know, have faith in yourself that you're gonna get to where you gotta be.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I do have a lot of women reach out to me about getting a position here. I will say that my field is a very niche field, but for women, I'll have a detective, and they're usually men, they'll try to tell me how to do my job. Just be confident in your abilities, I would say. Know that you're a good worker, and just make sure that everything you're doing is good, is right, and you know, just give it your all. Be confident.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Currently, sometimes I'll butt heads with detectives on scenes, or officers in charge, regarding chain of custody. Sometimes it can be difficult to get the equipment that we need from our management. We're currently trying to get better forensic equipment to do our jobs better, but they're in the course of requesting that. There's a lot of red tape in the city of Detroit, unfortunately, to get things done, so I just have to be patient, and hopefully we'll get everything we need soon, and everything will be great.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
In work, I would say just being very detailed and honest. If you make a mistake, you have to make sure that that mistake is noted and people know about it, or else people's lives can be at stake, basically. I don't want to mess anything up so that the trial or anything is messed up. I would want to make sure that the evidence is sound and admissible. So being honest, especially if you make a mistake. And then, in my personal life, I think it's important to keep work and personal life kind of separate, for me at least, because of my job - I see a lot of crazy stuff a lot of people don't see. So, you know, hanging out with friends and family as much as possible, hobbies. I like to kayak and read.
Keep Exploring
More Influential Women · Michigan
Join Influential Women and start making an impact. Register now.