Crime Scene Specialist

Duties

Tasks and Policies

• Conducts a thorough initial walk-through of the crime scene to gather information and identify evidence, determines priority of each item and marks items with tent markers.
• The employee will thoroughly examine bodies of deceased for the purpose of identifying and preserving all evidence found on or near the body, and to determine lividity, petechiae, trauma, and rigor.
• Processes crime scenes to include the search and recovery of latent finger and palm prints, trace, DNA and other physical evidence. Marks, collects, packages, and seals all evidence according to agency policy and consistent with standards of any state of local lab conducting analyses.
• Documents all evidence and prepares crime scene reports manually as well as through computerized methods.
• Prepares organized, detailed, factual, and relevant evidentiary exhibits of a quality acceptable for court proceedings. Testifies at trials, hearings, grand juries, and depositions.
• Photographs or video tapes crime scene including: victim(s), blood spatters, autopsies, and the search and collection for physical evidence.
• Successfully completes all assignments to specifications, within specified timeframe and budget as directed and in accordance with agency policies and regulations. Performs other related duties as assigned.

POLICIES

• Arrives on time for work, limits breaks, and lunches to the allotted time, and leaves on time. Uses leave in accordance with General Orders; communicates and cooperates with management in providing proper notice of leave; patterns and amounts of leave usage (not including legitimate, properly scheduled and approved leave and protected leave).
• Volume of work accomplished is consistent with position requirements and produced within quality tolerance standards.
• Works with other team members to achieve group goals by contributing ideas in group settings, accepting ideas contributed by others, operating within team rules, participating in team meetings, working with team members to improve job knowledge and skills, putting team goals over personal goals, and supporting team leaders once decisions are made.
• Follows standard office procedures, safety policies and procedures and agency General Orders.
• Maintains good interpersonal relations (the manner in which the employee responds emotionally and verbally) with the public, other employees, and supervisors. This policy also relates to the image the employee projects and includes cleanliness and personal grooming.
• Operates and cares for equipment, tools, and vehicles according to prescribed standards and schedules.

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

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications

• Requires a combination of High School Diploma/GED and Crime Scene Technician Certificate or Associate's Degree in Criminal Justice, Forensics, Biology (or other related field).
• Minimum of one year experience working as a Deputy, Crime Scene Technician or Community Services Officer accepted in lieu of Crime Scene Technician Certificate.
• Extensive experience with photography equipment preferred.
• Valid Florida driver license required.
• Must pass MCSO 8-hour Driver Improvement Course.

Knowledge Skills and Abilities

• Ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing.
• Ability to remember names, faces and details of incidents and to collect and preserve crime scene evidence.
• Knowledge of procedures for collection and preservation of evidence identifying, marking, sealing, and packaging evidence.
• Knowledge of police investigative techniques, search and seizure.
• Knowledge of proper materials used for evidence collection and development in the field and in a lab environment.
• Knowledge of photographic lighting, distortion, and proper lens and camera selection.
• Knowledge of fields of science, chemistry, anatomy and the forensics used in crime scene processing.
• Skill in the use of computers and various other equipment used to perform daily functions of position.

PHYSICAL ABILITIES

• Intermittent performance of physically demanding work, typically involving some combination of grasping, reaching, pushing, pulling, bending, stooping, kneeling, lifting and carrying items up to 20 lbs. and occasionally climbing, reaching, above the head, lifting and carrying up to 50 lbs.
• Requires normal field of vision, hearing, speaking, color perception, sense of smell, depth perception, and texture perception.
• Requires the ability to work under conditions involving exposure to noise, water, fumes, gases, smoke, dust, grease, chemicals, narcotics, and bio-hazardous materials.
• Must be able to tolerate performing work duties outside in various types of weather conditions.
• Must be able to operate a large vehicle, such as a truck or van, which is custom-equipped for crime scene processing.

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