To be a successful criminologist, one must possess a combination of personality traits, skills, and knowledge. Here are some of the key personality traits that can help someone thrive in a career in criminal justice, according to the search results:

1. Patience: Criminal justice professionals often have to deal with long wait times, paperwork, and other time-consuming tasks.

2. Integrity: Working in criminal justice requires a strong sense of ethics and a commitment to doing the right thing.

3. Empathy: Criminal justice professionals must be able to understand and relate to the experiences of victims, witnesses, and offenders.

4. Courage: Many criminal justice roles involve confronting conflict, handling firearms, and dealing with dangerous people.

5. Discernment: Criminal justice professionals must be able to make sound judgments and decisions based on available evidence.

6. Analytical skills: Criminologists must be able to analyze data and statistics to identify patterns and trends in criminal behavior.

7. Problem-solving skills: Criminologists must be able to use their analytical skills to develop solutions to complex problems related to crime and criminal behavior.

8. Attention to detail: Criminologists must be detail-oriented when analyzing data and making statistical comparisons.

9. Leadership skills: Criminal justice workers must be able to inspire and motivate others, particularly when working with recovering offenders.

10. Communication skills: Criminal justice professionals must be able to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, to a variety of audiences.

In addition to these personality traits, criminologists should have a strong educational background in criminology, sociology, psychology, or a related discipline. They should also have a good understanding of the criminal justice system and law enforcement systems, as well as other topics such as statistics, writing, computer science, and logic. Finally, criminologists should have a wide range of knowledge and experience, including a thorough understanding of the law and its application.