Criminalist

Duties

• Performs scientific analysis on items of evidence submitted for forensic testing, issues reports on his/her findings, and testifies in court.
• Manages evidence according to policy and accreditation standards (accepts evidence from requestors, handles evidence in casework, and returns evidence as appropriate.)
• Performs all activities in accordance with the OSBI quality system, OSBI policies, protocols, accreditation standards, federal/state statutes, etc.
• Trains other analysts/technicians, law enforcement officers, attorneys, and others as requested/assigned.
• Other duties as assigned, including but not limited to quality control, research/validation, and performing review of other analysts' casework.

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.

 Earn a Degree in Crime Scene Investigation, Forensic Science, or Computer Forensics

Requirements

Education
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 of the 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 per FBI Quality Assurance Standard 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 -AND- 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 -AND- 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.

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