NCIS Special Agents receive basic training and experience in forensics, but NCIS forensic consultants are "Masters Level" experts trained to consult with case agents on complex investigations. They respond with Major Case Response Teams to apply advanced crime scene processing techniques. They are skilled in crime scene reconstruction, blood spatter analysis, firearms trajectory, glass fragmentation and assisting with forensic autopsies.
Evidence seized at a death scene, and all investigative action documents, photographs, sketches and statements that relate to the scene, are reviewed by an NCIS forensic consultant. They advise the case agent on what evidence needs to be analyzed by a criminal laboratory and what type of laboratory testing needs to be completed. The forensic consultant assists in interpreting whether further investigative steps need to be taken based on any laboratory analysis. The forensic consultant can also conduct a formal scene reconstruction, using physical evidence to identify the events involved in the crime and sequencing those events.