Police Field & Evidence Technician

Duties

The following are examples of essential duties:

• Respond to calls for service
• Process a wide variety of crime scenes such as homicides, suicides, officer involved shootings, domestic violence, elder abuse, child abuse, and suspicious, natural and accidental death scenes
• Be available on an on-call basis for crime scene processing
• Photograph and videotape crime scenes
• Prepare crime scene sketches
• Attend autopsies to photograph and collect evidence
• Fingerprint living, comatose and deceased persons
• Perform gunshot residue evidence tests
• Provide expert testimony in Court
• Prepare reports regarding burglaries, thefts, missing persons, auto theft, fraud, suspicious circumstances, arson, auto and property recoveries, vandalism and similar incidents
• Interview and obtain statements from victims and witnesses
• Document law enforcement related activities and other unusual incidences
• Transport materials, documents and victims including children
• Respond to traffic collisions involving property damage, and minor and major injuries; assess the driver's abilities and determine the cause of the collision for possible prosecution
• Assist with fatal traffic collisions
• Monitor, direct, and control routine and unusual traffic conditions
• Administer first aid and CPR
• Train department personnel on methods for collecting and processing evidence without contamination.

Required Qualifications

Knowledge of:

• Functions of a law enforcement agency;
• department regulations, procedures and work methods; equipment, techniques and procedures for successful collection and preservation of items of evidence;
• basic investigative and interview techniques;
• basic report writing techniques;
• basic fingerprinting techniques;
• basic photography techniques;
• California Civil and Penal codes, City ordinances, and City codes;
• and courtroom protocol and procedures.

Ability to:

• Collect, process, and document evidence and fingerprints;
• complete accurate and complex sketches of crime scenes;
• learn, utilize and stay current with evidence collection techniques and equipment;
• recall facts in order to testify in court;
• observe accurately and remember faces, numbers, incidents, and places;
• think and act quickly in emergencies; judge situations and people accurately;
• maintain a professional demeanor during stressful situations;
• learn understand and interpret laws, rules, regulations and policies;
• communicate clearly and concisely, orally and in writing;
• prepare clear, complete, accurate and grammatically correct reports;
• learn standard broadcasting procedures of a police radio system; utilize defensive driving techniques;
• establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with those contacted in the course of work;
• understand and carry out oral and written directions;
• perform effectively and maintain professional composure at unpleasant crime and accident scene situations including homicides, officer involved shootings, unusual or suspicious deaths, autopsies, traffic fatalities and other complex and/or unusual incidents;
• understand and follow safety procedures;
• and use a laptop computer and a personal computer to write reports and retrieve information.

Experience and Education:
Any combination equivalent to experience and education that could likely provide the required knowledge and abilities would be qualifying.
A typical way to obtain the knowledge and abilities would be:

• Experience - Two years of experience in a non-sworn capacity with a law enforcement agency with frequent public contact;
• Education - Equivalent to completion of the twelfth grade supplemented by course work or specialized training in Police Science, Administration of Justice, or Evidence Collection.

License or Certificate:

• This classification requires the use of a City vehicle while conducting City business.
• Individuals must be physically capable of operating the vehicle safely and must possess an appropriate valid California motor vehicles operator's license.

Prior to the end of probation, which is eighteen (18) months long, the incumbent must successfully complete the Field Evidence School and both the Basic and Intermediate Traffic collision Investigation Courses.

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

Requirements

IDEAL CANDIDATE:
We are seeking candidates who possess:

• At least two years of experience in a law enforcement agency assisting the public
• Experience in the identification, collection and preservation of evidence
• Coursework or technical training in police science, administration of justice, evidence collection, and/or photography
• Strong interpersonal and customer service skills
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Demonstrated use of good judgment, especially in interpreting and applying laws and policies to a wide range of situations
• High tolerance for crime and accident scenes, including dismembered and decomposing human remains

Do you have the Education Required? See available on-line and campus-based degree programs now!