Criminalist

Job Posting Title

Criminalist

Agency

308 STATE BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION

Supervisory Organization

State Bureau of Investigation

Job Posting End Date

Refer to the date listed at the top of this posting, if available. Continuous if date is blank.

Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the day prior to the posting end date above.

Estimated Appointment End Date (Continuous if Blank)

Full/Part-Time

Full time

Job Type

Regular

Compensation

Level I: $68,122.50
Level II: $80,080.00
Level III: $93,587.00

Job Description

This position is located in the Forensic Biology Unit within the Criminalistics Division in Forensic Science Center - Edmond, OK.

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Basic Purpose

Positions within this job family perform and/or manage forensic analysis of physical evidence from criminal cases and/or convicted offender DNA samples.

Major Work Duties

• Performs scientific analysis on evidence items submitted for forensic testing, issues reports on his/her findings.

• Performs all activities in accordance with the OSBI quality system, OSBI policies, OSBI protocols, ISO IEC 17025 and    QAS accreditation standards, federal/state statutes, and safety policies.

• Administratively and technically reviews the work of other Criminalists to ensure policies/procedures were followed in analyses.

• Complies with subpoenas, other orders of the court, and testifies as an expert witness.

• Other duties, as assigned, including but not limited to quality control, research/validation, audits, and training of OSBI personnel and stakeholders.

Typical Functions

The functions performed in this job family will vary by level, unit and organization, but may include the following:

• Strictly adheres to validated and internationally accepted scientific principles, methods, and quality assurance/quality control; follows safety and health procedures; examines and analyzes various types of forensic evidence from criminal cases and/or convicted offender DNA samples and accurately interprets the results; generates complete, accurate documentation and files of all forensic analysis performed; prepares laboratory examination reports for use by law enforcement entities and criminal justice members; enters/searches evidence profiles/patterns in forensic databases such as CODIS, AFIS, PDQ, and NIBIN.

• Processes and interprets crime scenes in the field routinely being exposed to biohazardous and chemical dangers; recognizes, documents, collects, packages, and transports physical evidence to a forensic laboratory for analysis, ensuring the integrity of the evidence is protected. Fingerprints deceased persons for the medical examiner’s office to aid in identifications and investigations, occasionally retrieving body parts to process them in a sterile lab environment; receives medical examiner’s evidence to submit to an OSBI laboratory.

• Complies with subpoenas, discovery orders, and other orders of the court; testifies as an expert in court and/or administrative hearings concerning the results of forensic examinations of physical evidence and crime scenes; prepares court exhibits as necessary.

• Actively reviews and assesses publications and directives being introduced at the federal level to determine impacts on state and local laboratories and practices; seeks membership on federal boards and organizations to influence direction of forensics; researches scientific/technical literature and forensic methods; attends training to maintain current knowledge and skills; develops/validates new or improved techniques/instrumentation for use in the forensic analysis of physical evidence; writes, reviews, and updates technical protocols, quality assurance policy/procedures, safety and health policies, and operational policies/procedures.

• Identifies grant programs that can provide needed funding to the laboratory; actively participates in writing grant applications and producing regularly scheduled grant reports to federal and state grant administrators to prove compliance with stringent grant program requirements; develops and closely monitors grant budgets when grants have been awarded.

• Provides training to criminalists, agents, crime scene technicians, student interns, law enforcement officers, forensic scientists, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and judges; represents the laboratory at committees, meetings, boards, and professional organizations; makes presentations to civic, educational, professional, law enforcement and other interested groups; and occasionally gives media interviews.

• Monitors proposed legislation to evaluate its impact on the forensic community; writes new legislation or modifies existing legislation when needed to improve the field of forensics in Oklahoma; educates law makers about proposed legislation and occasionally testifies before legislative bodies to explain legislative changes that are needed.

• Performs administrative and/or technical review of forensic work; performs internal quality audits/inspections of units, regions, disciplines, and laboratory functions; ensures technical compliance, quality, and uniformity; understands and complies with standards required for the laboratory to maintain international accreditation and federal standards regulating the analysis of DNA evidence and DNA database profiles.

• Develops and maintains effective professional communications and working relationships with peers, co-workers, supervisors, administrators, law enforcement officers, medical examiners, forensic professionals, prosecutors, defense attorneys, educators, and professional organizations; advises, educates and assists investigators and prosecutors in furthering criminal investigations and in preparing cases for trial by providing guidance on appropriate laboratory testing, and on the meaning, significance and applicability of the results of forensic analysis.

Level Descriptor

Levels are distinguished based on the complexity of assigned duties, the level of expertise required for completion of work assignments, and the responsibility assigned for the supervision of others.

Level I: This is the entry level where incumbents train to perform forensic analysis, and perform some limited supervised casework. All aspects of assigned tasks are clearly defined and all work is technically and administratively reviewed during performance and upon completion. At this level, incumbents may accompany senior analysts to crime scenes and perform tasks under direct supervision. Incumbents do not have supervisory, research and development, or training responsibilities.

Level II: At this career level incumbents perform a range of basic work as a forensic laboratory analyst. They perform scientific and technical analysis in all but the most difficult and complex criminal cases. They train to perform more advanced and complex analysis. They may assist in training others in basic work, perform limited technical and administrative reviews, and perform limited supervised research and development, and may assist in crime scene work.

Level III: This is the specialist level where incumbents independently plan and perform advanced scientific and technical analysis of physical evidence in criminal cases, including the most complex and difficult of examinations requiring extensive knowledge and high skill levels. They are individually responsible for the accuracy, sufficiency, and timely completion of their work. Incumbents may train other criminalists, function as lead worker by assigning/reviewing work of others, conduct research and scientific studies to develop new techniques and methods, assist in writing technical protocols and laboratory procedures, and may serve as unit or regional supervisor in the absence of the supervisor.  Incumbents at this level may independently process crime scenes.

Education and Experience

Level I: Minimum of a bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited college or university in a bi