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Job Description

ASSISTANT CRIME LABORATORY ADMINISTRATOR

JOB CODE 62460

Effective Date:	07/05N

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES OF THE CLASS:

The fundamental reason this classification exists is to assist the crime laboratory administrator to plan, develop, manage, budget, and administer the Police Department's Laboratory Services Bureau. General supervision is exercised over the work of professional and supervisory Forensic Scientists and other assigned personnel. The focus of the Assistant Crime Laboratory Administrator incumbent may be more technical or administrative, depending on the needs of the lab. Latitude is granted for independent judgment in the performance of duties. Performance is evaluated by a Crime Laboratory Administrator, Police Commander, or other crime laboratory director on the basis of results obtained.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Supervises and reviews the work of section supervisors;
• Serves as liaison with the courts, attorneys, police, other laboratories, and the public;
• Researches and prepares responses to defense expert challenges to Laboratory Services Bureau procedures;
• Communicates with officers and attorneys, attends pre-trial conferences, prepares exhibits for courtroom use;
• Presents testimony in court regarding Laboratory Services Bureau operations, quality control, forensic evidence analysis, and personnel matters in court;
• Gives expert testimony in court to explain the results of laboratory findings in technical and laymen terms;
• Assists in the planning of laboratory facility, equipment, staffing, and training to meet new needs;
• Instructs law enforcement personnel in the proper laboratory procedures of identifying, handling, and examining of physical evidence;
• Prepares findings for court presentation, testifies concerning facts, and interprets complex scientific-legal questions;
• Oversees the preparation and maintenance of laboratory records and reports;
• Oversees inspection and/or calibration of facilities, technical equipment, scientific instrumentation, and personnel to ensure compliance with laboratory protocols, laboratory policies, and ASCLD/LAB requirements, OSHA, and other safety regulations and procedures on a regular basis;
• Evaluates new equipment and prepares bid specifications for needed equipment;
• Coordinates interagency and interdepartmental activities involving laboratory operations;
• Acts as a technical advisor to the Police Department;
• Reviews and evaluates analyses and examinations performed in the laboratory;
• Oversees chemical tests and analyses of a wide variety of substances;
• Plans and supervises the toxicologic, photographic, and microscopic examinations, plus other types of scientific examinations of physical evidence;
• Assists the administrator/lab director in budget preparation and developing long-term plans and goals;
• Monitors and evaluates court testimony of forensic scientists;
• Directs and participates in the reconstruction of crime scenes in order to provide connections of persons, instruments, and materials to the crime;
• Analyzes and evaluates new cases and determines methods of laboratory procedures;
• Determines scientific examinations and tests required in consultation with detectives;
• Demonstrates continuous effort to improve operations, decrease turnaround times, streamline work processes, and work cooperatively and jointly to provide quality seamless customer service.

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Knowledge of:

• Principles and analytical procedures of chemistry, biology, toxicology, criminalistics, fingerprints, questioned documents, ballistics, controlled substances, or related sciences.
• Recent developments, current literature, and sources of information in the field of criminalistics.
• Laws and procedures pertaining to the collection, preservation, analysis, and presentation of physical evidence.
• Laboratory and Police Department operations and procedures.
• Principles and practices of supervision, personnel administration, and budget management.

Ability to:

• Communicate in English by phone or in person in a one-to-one or group setting.
• Observe, compare, or monitor objects, data, and people's behavior to determine compliance with prescribed operating and safety standards.
• Perceive the full range of the color spectrum.
• Comprehend and make inferences from material written in the English language.
• Produce written documents in English with clearly organized thoughts using proper sentence construction, punctuation, and grammar.
• Plan, organize, and make efficient use of time to manage multiple tasks.
• Travel across rough, uneven or rocky surfaces.
• Remain in a sitting position for extended periods of time.
• Maintain a calm demeanor in stressful situations.
• Work cooperatively and effectively with other City employees, law enforcement, the public, and people at all levels of an organization.
• Move objects weighing less than 20 pounds short and long distances.
• Perform a broad range of supervisory responsibilities.
• Define problems, establish facts, and draw valid scientific conclusions.
• Instruct others in a classroom setting.
• Work safely without presenting a direct threat to self or others.

Additional Requirements:

• Appointments to positions in the Police Department are subject to appropriate polygraph and background standards.
• Some positions require the use of personal or City vehicles on City business. Individual must be physically capable of operating the vehicles safely, possess a valid driver's license and have an acceptable driving record. Use of a personal vehicle for City business will be prohibited if the employee is not authorized to drive a City vehicle or if the employee does not have personal insurance coverage.
• Some positions will require the performance of other essential and marginal functions depending upon work location, assignment, or shift.

ACCEPTABLE EXPERIENCE AND TRAINING:
Eight years of progressively responsible experience in a crime laboratory, including three years at the supervisory level, and a bachelor's degree in criminal justice, forensic science, or a related field. Other combinations of experience and education that meet the minimum qualifications may be substituted.