Criminalist Supervisor

Criminalist Supervisor

Under general supervision of the CSI & Property Evidence Manager, the Criminalist Supervisor is responsible for supervising assigned personnel. Criminalist Supervisor will respond to crime scenes and perform technical investigations that involve the identification, collection, preservation, packaging and analysis of evidence. The intent of this position description is to provide a representative summary of the major duties and responsibilities performed by incumbent(s) in this position. Incumbent(s) may not be required to perform all duties in this description and incumbent(s) may be required to perform position-related tasks other than those specifically listed in this description.

Essential Job Functions & Other Important Duties

Essential Job Functions:

• Responds to critical incidents and provide guidance and assistance to the Criminalists as needed.
• Keeps the Crime Scene and Property/Evidence Manager informed of critical and serious incidents.
• Directly supervises the Criminalists on staff.
• Assigns tasks, evaluates employee performance, manages work schedules, oversees training and evaluating needs.
• Processes crime scenes by personally visiting the crime scene, making and recording observations, collecting evidence, packaging, preserving and analyzing evidence to aid the prosecution of perpetrators.
• Processes crime scenes by taking photographs, processing fingerprints, collecting, preserving and logging physical evidence, packaging and inventorying evidence.
• Prepares detailed forensic laboratory reports.
• Responds to fatality and serious injury accident scenes for photographic, evidentiary and evidence collection purposes.
• Composes detailed crime-scene investigation sketches and reports.
• Maintains a comprehensive latent fingerprint collection by lifting latent fingerprints at crime scenes; analyze and interpret latent fingerprints, making positive identification, a negative comparison or determining a print is of no value for comparison purposes; making comparisons of known prints against latent fingerprints.
• Mixes and uses chemicals to process evidence; use alternate light sources to locate latent prints, serological, biological fluids and trace evidence.
• Operates the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) to develop candidate lists for conducting comparisons to identify individuals and latent prints.
• Reconstructs major crime scenes using advanced forensic techniques such as blood spatter interpretation, gunshot trajectory etc.
• Testifies in court as expert witness regarding crime scene and police identification matters and evidence seized and evaluated from crime scenes.
• Monitors the testimony of assigned personnel
• Provides training classes for police officers on crime scenes, teaching classes at police academies and providing public safety education at public schools
• Reviews and approves reports.
• Assists in the hiring process for new personnel

Other Important Duties:

• Responds to crime scenes and emergency situations during regular work hours, evenings and weekends.
• Ensures that the lab is kept clean and evidence is processed in a timely manner.
• Ensures all divisions in the police department have an adequate supply of crime scene processing materials and evidence collection, and packaging supplies.
• Ensures the Crime Scene Unit's vehicles are properly maintained.
• Researches forensic science field for current materials regarding new techniques in locating, collecting and preserving all types of physical evidence.
• Maintains forensic field and laboratory supplies for the department.
• Conducts briefings and training requested or required.
• Travels to attend meetings, conferences, and training.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.
• Regular and consistent attendance for the assigned work hours is essential.

Job Requirements

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Must be proficient in the use of computers and modern office equipment.
• Must be able to operate photographic equipment and computer software.
• Must have complete basic and intermediate mathematical calculations relevant to documenting and reconstructing crime scenes.
• Knowledge in the use of hand tools including hammers, metal detectors, saws, pliers, electric drills, scissors, scalpels, tweezers, and forceps in recovery and processing of evidential items.
• Ability to organize and manage time efficiently.
• Ability to work independently in the absence of immediate supervision.
• Ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing.

Education, Experience, and Certifications/Licenses:

• Bachelor's Degree in a natural science or closely related field or Associate Degree and five (5) years related experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience that support the ability to perform the essential functions and/or skills of the job.
• Completed courses in crime scene investigation, latent fingerprint examination and comparison preferred.
• ULW Certification from Texas DPS preferred, required within (2) years of employment.
• Crime scene certifications through the IAI preferred.
• Must pass a pre-employment drug screen, criminal background check, polygraph and psychological examination and physical agility exam.
• Must possess a valid State of Texas Class C Driver's License.

Environmental Factors & Conditions/Physical Requirements

Environmental Factors and Conditions:

• Work is performed in municipal police department office and crime scene environments.
• May be subject to exposure to extreme weather conditions, hostile environments, hazardous chemicals and fumes, body fluids, infectious diseases, air and water borne pathogens.
• Works in close proximity to dead bodies in various stages of putrefaction to recover and record evidence, photographing and videotaping the scene.

Physical Demands:

• Balancing – maintain equilibrium to prevent falling while walking, standing, or crouching.
• Climbing – ascending, descending ladders, stairs, ramps, requires body agility.
• Crawling – moving about on hands, knees, or hands, feet.
• Crouching – bending body forward by bending leg, spine.
• Feeling – perceiving attributes of objects by touch with skin, fingertips.
• Fingering – picking, pinching, typing, working with fingers rather than hand.
• Grasping – applying pressure to object with fingers, palm.
• Handling – picking, holding, or working with whole hand.
• Hearing 1 – perceiving sounds at normal speaking levels, receive information.
• Kneeling – bending legs at knee to come to rest at knees.
• Lifting – raising objects from lower to higher position, moving objects side to side, using upper extremities, back.
• Mental Acuity – ability to make rational decisions through sound logic, deductive reasoning.
• Pulling – use upper extremities to exert force, haul, or tug.
• Repetitive Motion – substantial movements of wrists, hands, fingers.
• Speaking – expressing ideas with spoken word, convey detailed, important instructions accurately, concisely.
• Standing – for sustained periods of time.
• Stooping – bending body downward, forward at waist, with full motion of lower extremities and back.
• Talking 1 – expressing ideas by spoken word.
• Visual Acuity 1 – prepare, analyze data, transcribing, computer terminal, extensive reading.
• Visual Acuity 2 – color, depth perception, field of vision.
• Visual Acuity 3 – determine accuracy, neatness, observe facilities/structures.
• Visual Acuity 4 – operate motor vehicles/heavy equipment.
• Visual Acuity 5 – close acuity for inspection of small defects, machines, use measurement devices, or fabricate parts.
• Walking – on foot to accomplish tasks, long distances, or site to site.

Work Environment:

• Medium work: Exerting up to 50 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 30 pounds of force frequently, and/or up to 10 pounds of force constantly to move objects.