Criminalist - FIS - Shift B

Posting Type: Closed Competitive

Work Type: Full Time

Nature of Work: This is work serving as a shift/front line supervisor to subordinates in Forensic Investigations. Incumbents assign and review the work of subordinates, perform all phases of forensic crime scene investigation and identification work, provide technical advice to subordinates performing crime scene investigations and specialty functions, and complete thorough evaluations of subordinates' work. In addition, incumbents testify in court regarding all phases of crime scene investigation. Direction and supervision is received from the Forensic Manager.

Education and Experience: The knowledge, skills, and abilities may be acquired through, but are not limited to, the following combination of education and/or experience.

* Bachelor's Degree

AND

Four years of experience in the field of identification relating to criminal investigations, including one year in an advanced specialty area such as: firearms/toolmark examination, breath testing equipment maintenance, forensic mapping, latent fingerprint examination, photography, crime scene specialization, or forensic video analysis.

Special Qualifications: Must possess a valid motor vehicle operator's license.

Must possess a Class "B" permit issued by the Nebraska State Health Department to administer blood and alcohol concentration tests.

Must be available to work flexible hours, weekends, holidays, and overtime.

Must be available to answer calls from subordinates during off hours for major case advisements.

Pay Range: $72,425.60 with step increases to $102,232.00 Annually

Benefits: Forty-hour work week. Paid leave per year: twelve days vacation; five days management; fifteen days sick; and fourteen holidays. Employee's group health insurance, including major medical, vision, and dental, for individual or family. Defined benefit pension plan, plus Social Security, and more. See hr.cityofomaha.org for detailed information.

Who Can Apply: Applicants for a closed competitive posting are required to meet the following: Candidates must be a current or former City of Omaha employee in any of the following categories: Part-time, Seasonal, Classified, Unclassified, or Probationary, who has worked, at the time of application, at least 1,040 cumulative hours within the last 5 years and has been employed by the City at sometime within the last 18 months and who meets the qualifications as set forth in the posting.

How to Apply: Completed City of Omaha employment applications must be submitted using the online application from the City website. It is the sole responsibility of the applicant to check and ensure that any and all required application materials and supplemental forms are received by the City of Omaha Human Resources Department by the stated deadline. You may confirm receipt of any materials and forms by contacting the Human Resources Department. If the materials are not received in the Human Resources Department by the stated deadline, they will not be considered. There will be no exceptions to this rule.

Examination Information: The examination will consist of a training and experience form designed to assess job-related knowledge, skills, and abilities of the position. The training and experience form will be given to candidates once their application has been received, reviewed by a recruiter, and accepted to test for the position. The form must be completed and returned to the Human Resources Department by February 4, 2026 (passing score 60%). Final eligibility list will be the training and experience form weighted 100%.

Veteran Points: Not applicable for this posting

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Knowledge of and ability to operate a computer or other technology using standard or customized computer or systems software applications appropriate to the assigned tasks.
• Knowledge of the Henry Fingerprint Classification System.
• Skill in the operation of breath and blood alcohol concentration testing instruments.
• Skill in preparing charts, diagrams, and graphics.
• Skill in taking and classifying fingerprints.
• Skill in the use of cameras.
• Skill in the preparation of precise and comprehensive crime and statistical reports.
• Skill in giving expert court testimony.
• Skill in maintaining, calibrating, and operating breath alcohol testing instruments; preparing breath testing reports and statistics; and providing expert court testimony regarding breath alcohol instrumentation and records maintenance as prescribed in the Rules and Regulations from the State Department of Health.
• Skill in preparing advanced forensic mapping, diagrams, charts, and drawings for court presentation, investigative aids, and training.
• Skill and advanced expertise in performing latent fingerprint identification to include all phases of latent processing and photographic documentation, conducting difficult or unusual fingerprint comparisons, and providing expert dactylography court testimony.
• Skill in performing advanced forensic photography, including enlarging and printing, maintaining camera and photography equipment, performing difficult photography assignments, and conducting photography training.
• Skill in performing analyses, extraction, and enhancement on all types of recorded surveillance and security multi-media formats.
• Skill in the use of a variety of forensic video computer hardware/software components and multi-media players/recorders designed for this purpose.
• Skill in researching and implementing new techniques.
• Ability to work with investigators for the purposes of identifying specific footage of incidents for investigation, subject identification, court, and press releases.
• Ability to learn and properly apply the policies and procedures of Forensic Investigations and the Omaha Police Department.
• Ability to effectively communicate with Police Department employees, the public, victims, and witnesses.
• Ability to understand oral or written instructions.
• Ability to coordinate the collection, preservation, and identification of physical evidence from crime scenes.
• Ability to assign, supervise, and review the work of subordinate employees.
• Ability to manage personnel problems and determine/implement appropriate disciplinary actions.
• Ability to maintain scheduling for the assigned shift and subordinates.
• Ability to learn and adapt to advances in computer and electronics device technology and software.
• Ability to adhere to safety policies, procedures and guidelines.
• Ability to stand and walk from 76 to 100% of the time; to sit, bend, stoop, squat, and crouch from 51 to 75% of the time; to reach, kneel, push, and pull from 26 to 50% of the time; and to climb and balance from 0 to 25% of the time.
• Ability to move objects weighing up to fifty pounds (50) from 0 to 33% of the time, objects weighing up to twenty (20) pounds from 34 to 66% of the time, and objects weighing up to ten (10) pounds from 67 to 100% of the time.

Essential Functions: Any one position may not perform all of the duties listed, nor do the listed examples include all of the duties that may be performed in positions allocated to this class. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job functions.

• Serves as Forensic Investigations shift supervisor of five (5) to nine (9) Forensic Technicians and Senior Forensic Technicians on an assigned shift.
• May serve as the Acting Forensic Manager in the absence of the Forensic Manager.
• Supervises homicide and major case crime scene investigations, as well as making decisions/advisements on best forensic methods and practices for investigations.
• Participates in personnel management, including interviewing internal and external job candidates, hiring, promotions, and terminations.
• Addresses personnel problems, determines disciplinary actions and implements appropriate corrective actions.
• Completes performance evaluations for Forensic Technicians and Senior Forensic Technicians.
• Manages and maintains the schedule for assigned shifts.
• Maintains time and attendance records and authorizes overtime.
• Assigns calls and assignments to Forensic Technicians and Senior Forensic Technicians based on experience and abilities of available personnel.
• Provides technical and procedural advice to Forensic staff and department personnel regarding all phases of crime scene investigation.
• Provides technical advice and practical experience to subordinates regarding specialty areas, such as firearms and toolmark examinations, calibration and maintenance of breath-testing equipment, advanced forensic photography, advanced forensic mapping, forensic video analysis, and fingerprint analysis/identification.
• Conducts administrative reviews of all work completed by Forensic Technicians and Senior Forensic Technicians to ensure procedural and policy compliance in an ISO Accreditation quality system.
• Conducts intensive technical reviews on at least 10% of all work product and inspection reports to ensure procedural and policy compliance in an ISO Accreditation quality system.
• Completes observations of work performed by Forensic Technicians and Senior Forensic Technicians as it relates to crime scene investigation to ensure procedural and policy compliance in an ISO Accreditation quality system.
• Administers competency and proficiency testing to Forensic Technicians and Senior Forensic Technicians to ensure procedural and policy compliance in an ISO Accreditation quality system.
• Participates in the development, review, and approval process of policies and procedures to ensure compliance in an ISO Accreditation quality system.
• Participates in annual accreditation assessments of the quality system, policies, and application of policies and procedures to ensure compliance in an ISO Accreditation quality system.
• Maintains logs of statistical information to ensure compliance in an ISO Accreditation quality system.
• Researches new equipment, acquires quotes for equipment, and orders supplies.
• Researches new forensic methods and laboratory safety standards.
• Coordinates and participates in monthly staff meetings with subordinates and management team.
• Coordinates and participates in major case debriefings with Forensic personnel as well as Detectives from the Criminal Investigations Bureau.
• Develops, coordinates, and conducts training for new employees to ensure procedural and policy compliance in an ISO Accreditation quality system.
• Supervises subordinates participating in field training of new employees.
• Serves as liaison between Command, Investigators, Uniform Officers, and Forensic Investigations to address issues that arise and work for a unified outcome/plan of action.
• Coordinates and provides services to outside agencies.
• Assists with billing for services provided to outside agencies.
• Coordinates, develops, and participates in tours and presentations to department personnel and the public, and directly supervises qualified personnel who perform these duties.
• Performs all phases of crime scene investigations: searches for, collects, and preserves physical evidence of crime scenes; interviews victims and witnesses; performs latent fingerprint searches; photographs crime scenes; conducts forensic mapping of scenes; takes plaster casts and impressions; performs gunshot residue tests, and directly supervises qualified personnel who perform these duties.
• Coordinates the collection, preservation, and identification of physical evidence from crime scenes, and directly supervises qualified personnel who perform these duties.
• Performs fingerprint comparisons and identifications, prepares reports of findings for the Forensic Manager and Detectives in the Criminal Investigation Bureau, and directly supervises qualified personnel who perform these duties.
• Performs identification checks on suspects, unidentified victims, and deceased individuals, and directly supervises qualified personnel who perform these duties.
• Administers breath and blood alcohol concentration tests and directly supervises qualified personnel who perform these duties.
• Prepares advanced forensic mapping and prepares diagrams, charts, and drawings for court presentations, investigative aids, and training, and directly supervises qualified personnel who perform these duties.
• Develops, enlarges, and prints color photos for the Police Department, Fire Department, Douglas County Attorneys, and other City and County departments, and directly supervises qualified personnel who perform these duties.
• Maintains, calibrates, and certifies breath-testing equipment, and directly supervises qualified personnel who perform these duties.
• Provides project management assistance for the adoption and implementation of new forensic technologies, design and implementation of forensic processes and workflows, and completion of long-term forensic research projects.
• Further project management duties include: assisting with defining the scope of projects; setting schedules and delegating responsibilities for long-term projects; assisting with the development of a detailed work plan, schedule, and task list for project; assisting with the management of task work groups; assisting with tracking progress and provides updates on project tasks; and assisting with measuring project performance.
• Maintains regular job attendance in accordance with a schedule established for the position by the Forensic Manager.
• Performs other related operational and administrative duties as assigned or as the situation dictates within the scope of this classification.

Conditions of Employment: Candidates must provide proof of U.S. citizenship or proof of permanent residence or authorization to work. The City of Omaha reserves the right to conduct criminal history, driving record, reference and credit checks and a background investigation on applicants for employment. Successfully passing a criminal background review, reference check, and if applicable, a credit check, is required as a condition of employment. If applicable, the City will require that you successfully pass a review of the driver's license, driving abstract, a pre-employment drug test, a hearing test and a back screening examination as a condition of employment. Failure to provide the information requested in the application process in a truthful, accurate and complete manner may result in disqualification, revocation of conditional employment or termination.

Reasonable Accommodation: The City of Omaha does not discriminate on the basis of disability. If you need a disability-related accommodation during the job application or selection process, advise the Human Resources Department at least 48 hours prior to the need by emailing employment@cityofomaha.org.

For a complete description of this job classification, visit hr.cityofomaha.org

Contact Points:

City of Omaha Human Resources Department
1819 Farnam St, Suite 506
Omaha, NE 68183

Phone: (402) 444-5300
Fax: (402) 444-5314

Website: hr.cityofomaha.org
Email: employment@cityofomaha.org