Criminalist

Criminalist

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

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.

Education and Experience

Level I: Minimum of a bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university in a biology-, chemistry-, or forensic science- related area. Any four-year or higher degree in a forensic science-related area must include emphasis in the sciences, such as biology, chemistry, etc. Criminalist I's must also demonstrate successful completion (grade of a C or better) of college coursework covering a minimum of 2 of the 3 following subject areas: biochemistry, genetics, and molecular biology, each constituting an integral component of any coursework used to demonstrate compliance and as required/defined by the current FBI Quality Assurance Standards. For the subject areas of biochemistry, genetics, and molecular biology, each course must have been a minimum of 3 semester hours or equivalent. If an applicant has not completed college coursework in all three previously mentioned subject areas, successful completion of the missing coursework is required within the first year of employment. Any analyst hired/appointed/promoted or qualified (as defined by the laboratory in accordance with FBI Quality Assurance Standards, Standard 4.2) prior to July 1, 2020, shall have coursework and/or training in statistics and/or population genetics as it applies to forensic DNA analysis. Any analyst hired/appointed/promoted or qualified (as defined by the laboratory pursuant to Standard 4.2) on or after July 1, 2020, shall have successfully completed coursework covering statistics and/or population genetics.

Level II: Requirements include those identified in Level I plus either one year of experience working full-time as a forensic laboratory criminalist within any forensic discipline of the OSBI's Criminalistics Services Division or one year in a position with another agency in which the applicant performed forensic analysis full-time in forensic biology/DNA. Additionally, must demonstrate successful completion (grade of a C or better) of college coursework covering the coursework as described in Level I, as required/defined by the current FBI Quality Assurance Standards. For the subject areas of biochemistry, genetics, and molecular biology, each course must have been a minimum of 3 semester hours or equivalent.

Level III: Requirements include those identified in Level II plus either two years of experience working full-time as an OSBI forensic laboratory criminalist in the OSBI's Forensic Biology Units or two years of experience in a position with another agency in which the applicant performed forensic analysis full-time in the forensic biology/DNA discipline.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and Competencies

Level I: Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities required at this level include knowledge of the assigned field of work (chemistry, biology, forensic science, criminalistics, criminal justice, latent print development, print identification, firearms and toolmarks, digital evidence, or document examination); of basic scientific principles; of methods used in forensic analysis; of grammar, punctuation, English usage, and spelling; and of math. Ability is required to prepare evidence and exhibits for court; to effectively testify in court or administrative hearings; to organize and present facts and opinions clearly; and to establish and maintain effective working relationships.

Level II: Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities required at this level include knowledge of the assigned field of work (chemistry, biology, forensic science, criminalistics, criminal justice, latent print development, print identification, firearms and toolmarks, digital evidence, or document examination); of basic scientific principles; of methods used in forensic analysis; of grammar, punctuation, English usage, and spelling; of math; of criminal investigative procedures relating to laboratory criminalistics; of statutory criminal law; of laboratory techniques; of Laboratory Quality Assurance/Quality Control standards; and of laboratory safety policies and practices. Ability is required to prepare evidence and exhibits for court; to effectively testify in court or administrative hearings; to organize and present facts and opinions clearly; to establish and maintain effective working relationships; to use laboratory equipment and instrumentation efficiently; and to conduct crime scene investigations.

Level III: Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities required at this level include knowledge of the assigned field of work (chemistry, biology, forensic science, criminalistics, criminal justice, latent print development, print identification, firearms and toolmarks, digital evidence, or document examination); of basic scientific principles; of methods used in forensic analysis