According to my friend with a master's in Criminal Justice: Crime Scene Investigators are sworn law enforcement, but their primary job is to secure forensic evidence and preserve it. Forensic analysts are the one that study the evidence and usually never leave the lab. That said, smaller departments sometimes do send them out into the field if they lack enough properly trained individuals to do the job. They don't typically carry guns in this situation, but some may obtain one for field work should they pass an exam to do so.<br/><br/>