Criminalist III, Latent Print

Duties

Criminalist III duties:

• Collects, examines, analyzes, and processes complex evidence, including trace, firearms, impression, biological, fingerprint, digital, and crime scene evidence.
• Develops, validates, and implements new methods and technologies in the analysis of evidence.
• Develops and updates written procedures for evidence analysis, data interpretation, case note composition, and maintenance.
• Reviews requests for forensic services as to the merit, urgency, and scope of the request.
• Assigns cases based on factors such as available personnel, specialties of personnel and caseload.
• Conducts administrative and technical reviews of all case files and reports.
• Develops and implements quality control and safety procedures in the laboratory.
• Develops a documented evidence control system to ensure the integrity of physical evidence.
• Establishes and implements a documented program to ensure that instruments and equipment are properly maintained and calibrated.
• Administers proficiency testing, reviews results, and recommends remedial action as necessary.
• Presents court testimony as an expert witness concerning conclusions drawn from laboratory examinations and analyses.
• Researches technical journals, textbooks, and proprietary publications to determine the best methods of performing tests.
• Ensures current test methodologies satisfy court requirements for validity and admissibility as evidence.
• Schedules training for staff in the use of highly technical instruments and microscopes.
• Maintains training and proficiency test records of all subordinates, case examinations and service records for scientific instruments in the laboratory.
• Prepares written budget requests for presentation to superiors of unit need, including equipment upgrade, staff training or other budget increases.
• Confers with Inspectors and District Attorneys to discuss case priorities.
• Serves as an instructor on evidence collection and crime laboratory procedure for Police Academy and for Advanced Officer training courses.
• Attends professional meetings to maintain communication with other agencies, and to keep abreast of innovations that may be useful to the Unit.

Latent Print Duties:

• Supervises the activities of subordinate personnel engaged in latent print examination. Plan, assign and evaluate subordinate personnel to ensure conformance with departmental regulations and policies, and applicable laws and regulations.
• Develop and review division operating procedures.
• Prepare section for Accreditation.
• Oversee the general types of tests and examinations to be performed on physical evidence assigned to unit; conduct difficult and complex tests and examinations using developing powders, inks, chemicals, casting materials, photographic equipment or other special equipment.
• Collect and transport multiple forms of evidence to and from various locations for forensic evaluation and chain of custody documentation and process evidence according to department procedure.
• Identify, compare and evaluate latent, visible, plastic, and partial finger, palm, foot, or similar type prints or impressions through various mediums or other special equipment for difficult and complex cases in the department.
• Encode and input data into SFPD ABIS, CAL-ID AFIS and FBI ULW / NGI fingerprint systems; use system results and printouts to develop probable suspects list and classify fingerprints for facility of retrieval by the different systems users.
• Oversee the verification of fingerprint identifications made by other latent examiners, and provide guidance, training and technical assistance to personnel that perform the verification of fingerprint identifications; comply with on-going state and federal mandated training of new and experienced personnel; and adhere to industry standards in periodic assessments and validating fingerprint processing.
• Perform related duties and responsibilities, as assigned.

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

Requirements

Education:

• Possession of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited four-year college or university with major course work in criminalistics, chemistry, biochemistry, molecular biology, or a closely related physical science field.

Experience:

• Four years (4) of full-time professional experience working in a laboratory performing duties of a criminalist (equivalent to the City's 8260 Criminalist II).

License and Certification:

• Possession of a valid California Driver’s License.

Substitution:

• Postgraduate degree in biology, chemistry, or forensic science-related area may be substituted for one (1) year of the required full-time professional experience.
• For positions assigned to Latent Prints additional full-time experience as a Latent Print Examiner in public jurisdiction may be substituted for the required education on a year-for-year basis. Thirty (30) semester units or forty-five (45) quarter units equals one year.

Background Investigation:

• Prior to employment with the San Francisco Police Department, a thorough background investigation will be conducted to determine the candidate’s suitability for employment. The investigation may include, but not be limited to: criminal history records, driving records, drug/alcohol screening, and other related employment and personal history records. Reasons for rejection may include use of controlled substances and alcohol, felony conviction, repeated or serious violations of the law, inability to work with co-workers, inability to accept supervision, inability to follow rules and regulations or other relevant factors. Candidates may be required to undergo drug/alcohol screening, and must clear Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation fingerprinting. Criminal records will be carefully reviewed; candidates who do not report their complete criminal records on their applications will be disqualified. Applicants will be fingerprinted.

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