Topic: Job Announcement- Santa Clara County, CA

[Scott Doyle]

COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA
INVITES APPLICATIONS FOR THE POSITION OF:

Criminalist III - Firearms Examiner

An Equal Opportunity Employer 
 
SALARY
$34.66 - $41.97 Hourly   
$2,772.72 - $3,357.28 Biweekly   
$6,007.56 - $7,274.11 Monthly
$6,594.98 - $7,988.18 *Effective Monthly

*Effective Wage includes: Base Wage, the County-paid portion of the Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) required employee contribution, as well as any applicable negotiated amount(s).
 

ISSUE DATE: 04/21/06

FINAL FILING DATE: 05/12/06. The application filing may close any time after ten business days from the issue date of this job announcement if sufficient qualified applications have been received. Postmarks are not acceptable, therefore it is important to submit your application as soon as possible.

THE POSITION

Under general supervision, to perform physical and chemical analyses related to scientific crime detection.

THE CURRENT OPENING IS FOR A FIREARMS EXAMINER. YOU MUST HAVE TRAINING AND EDUCATION IN THE AREA OF FIREARMS.

THE SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONS MUST BE ANSWERED AND MAY BE USED IN A COMPETITIVE SCREENING TO DETERMINE THOSE MOST QUALIFIED TO CONTINUE IN THE EXAM PROCESS.


TYPICAL TASKS

Makes chemical and physical analyses and microscope examination in the identification and comparison of evidence such as hair, blood, poisons, narcotics, paint, glass, bullets, cartridge cases, firearms, and tool marks;

Examines evidence utilizing various analytical techniques such as gas chromatography, spectrophotometric analyses, comparative microscopy, filtered ultra violet light, x-ray, infrared photography, photomacrography and photomicrography, analyzes post mortem fluids and tissues to determine the presence and quantity of toxic agents, makes field investigations at the crime scene and other pertinent locations to search for, collect and preserve evidence;

Prepares evidence for presentation in court;

Testifies on results of laboratory analysis and interprets findings to the courts and other legal hearings;

Consults and advises law enforcement officers and prosecuting attorneys regarding nature of evidence of the results of laboratory analyses and their meaning;

Studies new techniques and procedures;

Conducts research in the development of new techniques, methods and equipment in connection with scientific criminal investigation;

Performs analysis, evaluates findings, and interprets results in court on the alcohol level of blood samples;

Participates in studies to interpret and correlate alcohol analysis with subjective observations of the demeanor and behavior of persons who have ingested known amounts of ethyl alcohol;

Prepares reports on laboratory analysis and results;

May be assigned to make technical presentations to outside groups;

May examine and compare handwriting and other documentary evidence and performs related work as required.

EMPLOYMENT STANDARDS Graduation from an accredited college or equivalent education with a major in criminalistics, chemistry, biochemistry, or related field, and four years of experience in the practice of general criminalistics.

A Masters degree in criminalistics, chemistry, biochemistry, or physics may be substituted for one year of the required general experience.

Possession of a valid California Driver's License may be required.


Knowledge of:

Principles, methods, materials and techniques of criminalistics;

Principles of chemistry, physics, biochemistry, physiology, and photography as related to criminalistics;

Recent developments, current literature and sources of information in the field of criminalistics;

Common types of narcotics, poisons, firearms and explosives;

Laws of evidence, criminal procedures and crimes.


Ability to:

Perform a variety; of chemical, instrumental, and other laboratory analyses;

Speak effectively as an expert in the presentation of laboratory findings before groups and in court;

Operate a variety of photographic equipment to produce professional and accurate results;

Develop and maintain good working relationships with other agencies and fellow employees;

Prepare clear, concise reports.


THE EXAMINATION PROCESS

The examination process may include one or more of the following: application review, application appraisal, preliminary competitive rating, performance test, written test, and/or oral interview examination.
 
APPLICATIONS MAY BE OBTAINED AND FILED ONLINE AT:
http://www.sccjobs.org/
OR
70 W. Hedding Street, 8th Floor, East Wing
San Jose, CA 95110  EXAM #06-V67-A
CRIMINALIST III - FIREARMS EXAMINER