Senior Investigator

Duties:

What you’ll do:

• Respond to the scene of law enforcement incidents involving the use of deadly force which results in death or serious bodily injury.
• Subject to 24-hour availability and must be willing to work non-standard hours, including long shifts, rotating shifts, holidays, and weekends, as required.
• Organize and analyze case facts and evidence to determine the course of the investigation using appropriate investigation methods and procedures.
• Adhere to legal requirements and responsibilities when gathering and preserving evidence to be used to conduct a fair, thorough, and transparent investigation.
• Identify, collect, and preserve evidence for the purpose of substantiating facts.
• Conduct in-person interviews with involved law enforcement officers, witnesses, and others relevant to the investigation.
• Gather and digitally record statements of fact pertinent to the investigation, which may include interviews of an adversarial nature.
• May be required to act as a liaison to affected family members and members of the community during critical incidents.
• Research and obtain records and documentation related to personnel, medical information, and other evidence.
• Gather, review, and evaluate police reports, medical documents, collision reports, death certificates and any other related documentation.
• Coordinate with federal, local, and state law enforcement agencies, and other stakeholders regarding investigations.
• Coordinate with Medical Examiners and Coroner’s offices to gather relevant information relating to the incident, including attending autopsies of deceased parties.
• Follow up with any leads received by law enforcement and the Office of Independent Investigations.
• Document all investigative activities using a case management system, as per OII business rules and standards.
• Objectively analyze, focus, resolve, and report on relevant investigation issues employing a full range use of investigative methods and procedures; to include conducting research using the internet and other databases.
• Manage, organize, document and complete a case load of investigative assignments in accordance with established priorities and standards of quality as established by OII.
• Protect confidentiality of Criminal Justice Information Sharing (CJIS) data.
• Complete all training required regarding criminal investigations, community relations, and other training as required by RCW 43.102.060.
• May be required to testify in court, and/or legal hearings.
• Safely operate a state assigned vehicle to conduct field work.
• Train or assist with training of other Investigators and provide ongoing mentoring as needed.

Requirements:

Required Qualifications:

• Five years' experience leading major crimes investigations, with a focus on leading homicide investigations in a law enforcement, criminal justice, or government agency.
• Knowledge of Washington practices, including laws, policies, and procedures related to criminal law, criminal investigations, and policing. Significant knowledge of comparable practices outside of Washington can be substituted for this requirement.
• Experience using data and information to assess and understand issues, evaluate options, form conclusions and make decisions.
• Extensive experience managing a caseload, to include prioritizing cases, and managing multiple, long-term, assignments.
• Knowledge of the rules of evidence/chain of custody necessary to protect the integrity of evidence that law enforcement gathers during an investigation.
• Knowledge of police oversight and importance of training to understand the impact and effect of racism in the investigation and know how to use an antiracist lens to conduct independent investigations work.
• Excellent interpersonal skills including sensitivity, empathy, discretion, and tact when dealing with those impacted by investigations and sensitivity to issues related to culture and gender.
• Ability to interpret relevant laws from the Revised Code of Washington (RCW) or Washington Administrative Code (WAC) pertinent to the mission of OII.
• Ability to read and write English and write detailed and comprehensive incident reports.

Desired Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in a field related to conducting investigations, to include, but not limited to, criminal justice, sociology, psychology, and social services.
• Two years’ experience leading homicide and/or major crimes investigations, including forensic investigations and/or crime scene investigations.
• Knowledge of relevant legislation, regulations, and experience working in quasi-judicial and judicial environments.
• Experience using social media and other electronic means to conduct an investigation.
• The director shall consider the relevant experience and qualifications of the candidate including the extent to which they demonstrate experience or understanding of the following areas:
• Behavioral health issues.
• Youth cognitive development.
• Trauma-informed interviewing.
• De-escalation techniques and utilization.

Conditions of Employment:

• Per Governor Inslee’s Directive 22-13.1, state employees must be fully vaccinated effective November 4, 2022. Providing proof of being fully vaccinated is a condition of employment and your vaccine status will be verified prior to starting work. Being fully vaccinated means two weeks after you have received the second dose in a two-dose series of a COVID-19 vaccine or a single-dose COVID-19 vaccine authorized for emergency use, licensed or otherwise authorized or approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or listed for emergency use or otherwise approved by the World Health Organization. Please reach out to the HR Office if you need information on medical or religious accommodation.
• Before you can be hired, you must pass a pre-employment background and credit check. This includes fingerprinting, mental health evaluation, and a polygraph examination.
• Must be able to respond 24/7 state-wide as required as part of an on-call team. Ability to work on-call duty for two-week periods.
• Must successfully complete a required training program to ensure the requisite knowledge, skills and abilities are obtained.
• Safely operate a state assigned vehicle to conduct field work.

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