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Criminalist II
Job Summary
The Sheriff's Office is hiring for
Criminalist II
Criminalist II
This is a departmental promotional recruitment for current County of San Diego Sheriff’s Office employees only. Temporary employees, with the exception of Certified Temporary employees, are not eligible for promotional recruitments. For more information, please click on this link to review the FAQ on Promotional Recruitments.
In addition to the base salary, the following premiums are available:
** 2.5% Forensic Chemical Premium
Criminalist II positions are responsible for the collection, preservation, analysis and interpretation of physical evidence relevant to law enforcement investigations. This position also testifies in court as an expert witness.
Minimum Qualifications
General Option:
A. A bachelor's degree from an accredited U.S. college or university, or a certified foreign studies equivalency in chemistry, biology, or a closely related field, with completed course work consisting of at least eight (8) semester/twelve (12) quarter units of general chemistry; AND
- Three (3) years of experience as a Criminalist I, including qualified to provide expert testimony through a mock trial/moot court exercise involving casework or equivalent, with the San Diego Sheriff's Crime Laboratory; OR,
- Three (3) years of comparable, full-time experience from above including qualified to provide expert testimony through a mock trial/moot court exercise involving casework or equivalent. Experience must include proficiency in at least one (1) of the following areas:
a) Analysis of solid dose narcotics and dangerous drugs.
b) Analysis of alcohol content of blood and urine in forensic samples.
c) Forensic DNA analysis including interpretation.
d) Analysis of trace evidence.
e) Analysis of blood, urine, or other materials for drugs and poisons.
f) Comparative analysis of firearms and firearms-related evidence.
g) Identifies, authenticates, and examines as part of the document examination discipline.
b) Analysis of alcohol content of blood and urine in forensic samples.
c) Forensic DNA analysis including interpretation.
d) Analysis of trace evidence.
e) Analysis of blood, urine, or other materials for drugs and poisons.
f) Comparative analysis of firearms and firearms-related evidence.
g) Identifies, authenticates, and examines as part of the document examination discipline.
NOTE: A master's or doctoral degree from an accredited U.S. college or university, or a certified foreign studies equivalency in biology, chemistry, or forensic science related area, may substitute for up to one (1) year of the required experience.
OR,
B. A Master's or Doctoral degree from an accredited U.S. college or university, or a certified foreign studies equivalency, in a biology, chemistry, or forensic science-related area, with completed course work consisting of at least eight (8) semester/twelve (12) quarter units of general chemistry; AND:
- Two (2) years of experience as a Criminalist I, including qualified to provide expert testimony, with the San Diego Sheriff's Crime Laboratory; OR,
-
Two (2) years of comparable, full-time experience from above, including qualified to provide expert testimony through a mock trial/moot court exercise involving casework or equivalent. Experience must include proficiency in at least one (1) of the following areas:
a) Analysis of solid dose narcotics and dangerous drugs.
b) Analysis of alcohol content of blood and urine in forensic samples.
c) Forensic DNA analysis including interpretation.
d) Analysis of trace evidence.
e) Analysis of blood, urine, or other materials for drugs and poisons.
f) Comparative analysis of firearms and firearms-related evidence.
g) Identifies, authenticates, and examines as part of the document examination discipline.
A bachelor's degree from an accredited U.S. college or university, or certificate of foreign equivalency in chemistry, biology, or forensic science a closely related field, with completed course work consisting of at least eight (8) semester/twelve (12) quarter units of general chemistry and three (3) semester/four (4) quarter units of EACH molecular biology, biochemistry, genetics and statistics and/or population genetics, AND the experience requirements listed above under general options A or B.
Please view the complete Criminalist II job description including examples of duties, knowledge, skills and abilities, etc.
Blind Applicant Screening
The Department of Human Resources removes personally identifiable information from all new recruitments. This practice, called Blind Applicant Screening, will hide a candidate’s personal information that could influence or bias a hiring decision. Personal information includes name, phone number, address, gender, age and race. This process will help contribute to a fair and equitable selection process leading to a more diverse and inclusive workforce.
The most highly qualified candidates, based on the evaluation results, will be referred for an interview. Be sure to include your experience in meeting the minimum requirements in both the Work Experience section and the Supplemental Questionnaire section of the Application.
Conditions of Employment
As part of the County of San Diego’s pre-employment process, prospective candidates will undergo a background check (including fingerprinting) and a pre-employment medical screening prior to beginning County employment. Additional types of background investigations may be conducted based on the job-related activities of the position. Current County employees may be excluded from this process.
Evaluation
Qualified applicants will be placed on a three (3) month employment list based on scores received during the evaluation of information provided on the employment application and supplemental questionnaire. Please ensure all information is complete and accurate as the responses you provide on the supplemental questionnaire will be reviewed using an automated evaluation system. If you are successful in the initial screening process, your application will be reviewed individually to confirm the information you provided is accurate and qualifying.
Qualified applicants will be placed on a three (3) month employment list based on scores received during the evaluation of information provided on the employment application and supplemental questionnaire. Please ensure all information is complete and accurate as the responses you provide on the supplemental questionnaire will be reviewed using an automated evaluation system. If you are successful in the initial screening process, your application will be reviewed individually to confirm the information you provided is accurate and qualifying.
Accommodation
Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable a qualifying individual with disabilities to perform the essential functions of a job on a case-by-case basis.
The County of San Diego and its employees embrace the vision of: a just, sustainable, and resilient future for all. Our values include: integrity, equity, access, belonging, excellence, and sustainability. Each of which are infused throughout our operations. While also embracing a mission of strengthening our communities with innovative, inclusive, and data driven services through a skilled and supported workforce. Click here for more information on our Strategic Plan (sandiegocounty.gov) (Download PDF reader) (Download PDF reader).
Disaster Service Worker
Under California Government Code Sections 3100 - 3109, public employees are designated as disaster service workers. The term "public employees" includes all persons employed by the state or any county, city, state agency, or public district. Disaster service workers are required to participate in such disaster service activities as may be assigned to them by their employer or by law.
The County of San Diego is committed to valuing diversity and practicing inclusion because our diverse workforce is our greatest asset and our customers are our number one priority.
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