Human Resource Services
Alameda Skyline

Criminalist III

Recruitment #25-8525-01

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Introduction

THIS IS A NEW ASSEMBLED EXAMINATION.  The eligible list resulting from this examination will cancel any existing list and may last approximately one year but can be extended.
Supplemental Questionnaire:  A completed supplemental questionnaire must be submitted with each application.  Failure to submit the application or supplemental questionnaire will result in disqualification.

Applications and supplemental questionnaires must be submitted online by the filing deadline.

DESCRIPTION


ABOUT THE ALAMEDA COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE

The Alameda County Sheriff's Office is a full-service law enforcement agency accredited through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) for its law enforcement services, its Regional Training Center, and its Dispatch Unit; the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors Laboratory Accreditation Board for its Crime Lab; the Bomb Squad Commanders Advisory Board for its Explosive Ordinance Unit.  Additionally, the agency's health care provider, Wellpath, has experience working with the National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC). 

 

The Sheriff's Office has a current budget of approximately $600 million and has over 1700 authorized positions, including in excess of 1000 sworn personnel. The agency's Chief Executive Officer is Sheriff / Coroner Yesenia L. Sanchez, who is assisted in the operation of the agency by Undersheriff April Luckett-Fahimi, Assistant Sheriffs Emmanuel Christy and Daniel McNaughton.  

 

The Sheriff of Alameda County is responsible for a vast array of tasks and duties, including the following:

 

  • Providing security to the Consolidated Superior Courts
  • Operating the Coroner’s Bureau
  • Operating a full-service criminalistics laboratory
  • Performing Civil Process
  • Operating the County Jail (Santa Rita)
  • Operating the County Office of Emergency Services
  • Providing patrol and investigative services to the unincorporated areas of Alameda County
  • Pursuant to contractual agreements, providing patrol and investigative services to the City of Dublin, Oakland International Airport, Highland County Hospital, Social Services, and to the Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District
  • Conducting a basic academy pursuant to Police Officer Standards and Training (P.O.S.T.) requirements. [Sheriff's Academy website]
  • Providing Fish and Game enforcement
  • Project Director of the Narcotics Task Force
  • Serving as the Executive Director of the Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement (SAFE) Task Force       

For more detailed information about the agency, visit:  Alameda County's Sheriff's Office.


THE POSITION

Criminalists utilize scientific methods and techniques in the recognition, collection, and characterization of physical and digital evidence in the Crime Laboratory as well as at crime scenes. They prepare written reports regarding their findings and interpretations and provide expert testimony in court. They perform related duties as required. All positions are located in the Sheriff’s Office and may be subject to overtime.


For more detailed information about the job classification including a summary of duties, visit: Criminalist III (#8525).


THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

In addition to meeting the minimum qualifications, the ideal candidate will possess the following critical attributes:


  • Maintaining effectiveness when experiencing major changes in work responsibilities or environment; adjusting effectively to work within new work structures, processes, requirements, or cultures.
  • Assimilating and applying new job-related information in a timely manner.
  • Maintaining relationships among departments, the public and community organizations.
  • Interacting with others in a way that gives them confidence in one's intentions and those of the organization.
  • Planning, organizing, and establishing courses of action for self and others to ensure that work is completed efficiently.
  • Demonstrating a willingness to commit to one's work and to invest one's time, talent, and best efforts in accomplishing organizational goals.
  • Maintaining stable performance under pressure or opposition (such as time pressure or job ambiguity).
  • Accomplishing tasks by considering all areas involved, no matter how small; showing concern for all aspects of the job; accurately checking processes and tasks; being watchful over a period of time.
  • Setting up ongoing procedures to collect and review information needed to manage activities.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Either I

The equivalent of two years’ full-time experience in the class of Criminalist II in the Alameda County classified service.

Or II

Education:

Possession of a bachelor's degree in criminalistics from an accredited college or university or a bachelor's degree in an appropriate and relevant science such as chemistry, physics, or biochemistry from an accredited college or university, and

Experience:

The equivalent of four years of recent full-time, experience as a criminalist or forensic chemist performing laboratory work equivalent to that of a general criminalistics laboratory.

License:

Candidates for all three classes must possess a valid California Motor Vehicle Operator's License.

Special Requirements:

1) Candidate for all three classes must be found to be free of uncorrected colorblindness at the time of the County pre-employment physical examination.
2) A thorough background investigation will be conducted of all prospective Criminalists to ensure they are suitable for law enforcement related work.
3) Criminalists will be required to work day, evening, night, rotating shifts, or call back shifts including weekends and holidays.

NOTE: The Civil Service Commission may modify the above Minimum Qualifications in the announcement of an examination.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

The most suitably qualified candidates will possess the following competencies:

Knowledge of:

• The principles of forensic science, chemistry, physics, biochemistry, microscopy, statistics, photography, and natural sciences as related to forensic laboratory examinations and crime scene processing.
• Basic principles of operation for scientific instruments and apparatus used in forensic laboratory examinations and crime scene processing.
• Modern criminal investigation and identification techniques and procedures.
• Basic laboratory safety procedures.
• Basic legal and courtroom processes.


Ability to:

• Conduct basic chemical, instrumental, biological, microscopic, digital, and other forensic laboratory analyses as required.
• Conduct crime scene documentation, evidence collection, and interpretations as required.
• Present evidence clearly and accurately in court when called on as an expert witness.
• Prepare and maintain clear, accurate, and detailed case records, statistics, and reports.
• Provide training and assist in evaluating the work of others.
• Follow detailed technical instruction while maintaining an exceptional level of quality.
• Approach change positively.
• Learn and assimilate information in a timely manner.
• Identify issues and develop solutions.
• Maintain focus under pressure.
• Communicate clearly and effectively, orally and in writing, with scientists, law enforcement personnel, attorneys, the public, and the courts.
• Work effectively in an environment in which incumbent may encounter disturbing, sensitive, or confidential situations.
• Work effectively in a highly structure, rank-organized environment.
• Establish and maintain effective work relationships with those contacted in the performance of required duties.
• Work safely with a wide variety of materials which may contain biohazards and/or hazardous materials.
• Effectively resolve analytical problems through the application of logical thought processes, consultation of the scientific literature and/or applied research.
• Respond to crime scenes outside of normal working hours.

EXAMINATION COMPONENTS

THE EXAMINATION WILL CONSIST OF THE FOLLOWING STEPS:
1) A review of applications to verify possession of minimum requirements.  Those applicants who possess the minimum requirements for the class will move on to the next step in the examination process.
2) A review of supplemental questionnaires to select the best qualified applicants to continue in the process.
3) An oral interview which will be weighted as 100% of the applicant's final examination score.  The oral interview may contain situational exercises.

CANDIDATES MUST ATTAIN A QUALIFYING RATING ON EACH PORTION OF THIS EXAMINATION
 We reserve the right to make changes to the announced examination components.

Alameda County utilizes a Civil Service Selection System founded on merit. Such a system is competitive and based on broad recruitment efforts and equal opportunity for qualified applicants to test in an examination process designed to determine the qualifications, fitness and ability of competitors to perform duties of the vacant position. Many of our recruitments are targeted and specific to the needs of a current vacant position, in which case, the eligible list may be exclusively used for that current vacant position. Other recruitments may be more broadly used for both current and future vacancies, or for other alternate jobs with comparable scopes of work. 

To learn more about our recruitment and selection process, please visit the "Hiring Process" section of our website: https://hrs.alamedacountyca.gov/.

Selection Plan

Applicants will be informed via email with reasonable notice in advance of any examination process which will require their attendance. The following dates are tentative and subject to change based on the needs of the Agency:

 

TENTATIVE SELECTION PLAN

Deadline for Filing:

Wednesday, April 16, 2025, at 5:00 PM

Review of Applications for Minimum Qualifications:

Tuesday, April 22, 2025

Supplemental Questionnaire Review for Best Qualified:

Monday, April 28, 2025

Oral Interviews:

Week of May 19, 2025

WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO MAKE CHANGES TO THE ANNOUNCED RECRUITMENT & SELECTION PLAN 

Alameda County and the Human Resource Services Department will make reasonable efforts in the examination and/or selection process to accommodate qualified individuals with disabilities and/or medical conditions in accordance/compliance with the State Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), Federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Alameda County’s Reasonable Accommodation Policy and applicable statutes. To request an accommodation due to a disability/medical condition during this or other phases of the examination/selection process, please contact the assigned Human Resources Representative listed on the job announcement before the last date of filing. Alameda County requires applicants to provide supporting documentation to substantiate a request for reasonable accommodation. To qualify for a reasonable accommodation, applicants must have a disability/medical condition pursuant to the ADA, FEHA and applicable statutes.

 

For more information regarding our Reasonable Accommodation procedures, please visit our website:   https://hrs.alamedacountyca.gov/.  

BENEFITS

Alameda County offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package that affords wide-ranging health care options to meet the different needs of a diverse workforce and their families. We also sponsor many different employee discount, fitness and health screening programs focused on overall wellbeing.  These benefits include but are not limited to*:

For your Health & Well-Being

  • Medical – HMO & PPO Plans
  • Dental – HMO & PPO Plans
  • Vision or Vision Reimbursement
  • Share the Savings
  • Basic Life Insurance 
  • Supplemental Life Insurance (with optional dependent coverage for eligible employees) 
  • County Allowance Credit
  • Flexible Spending Accounts - Health FSA, Dependent Care and Adoption Assistance
  • Short-Term Disability Insurance
  • Long-Term Disability Insurance
  • Voluntary Benefits - Accident Insurance, Critical Illness, Hospital Indemnity and Legal Services
  • Employee Assistance Program

For your Financial Future

  • Retirement Plan - (Defined Benefit Pension Plan)
  • Deferred Compensation Plan (457 Plan or Roth Plan)

For your Work/Life Balance

  • 12 paid holidays
  • Floating Holidays
  • Vacation and sick leave accrual
  • Vacation purchase program
  • Catastrophic Sick Leave
  • Pet Insurance
  • Commuter Benefits Program
  • Guaranteed Ride Home
  • Employee Wellness Program (e.g., At Work Fitness, Incentive Based Programs, Gym Membership Discounts)
  • Employee Discount Program (e.g., theme parks, cell phone, etc.)
  • Child Care Resources
  • 1st United Services Credit Union 

*Eligibility is determined by Alameda County and offerings may vary by collective bargaining agreement.  This provides a brief summary of the benefits offered and can be subject to change.

 

Conclusion

All notices related to County recruitments for which you have applied will be sent/delivered via email. Please add @jobaps.com, @acgov.org and Noreply@jobaps.com as accepted addresses to any email blocking or spam filtering program you may use. If you do not do this, your email blocking or spam filtering program may block receipt of the notices regarding your application for recruitments. You are also strongly advised to regularly log into your County of Alameda online application account to check for notices that may have been sent to you. All email notices that will be sent to you will also be kept in your personal online application account. You will be able to view all of your notices in your online application account by clicking on the "My applications" button on the Current Job Openings page and clicking on the link 'last notice sent' for the respective recruitment.

Please take the steps recommended above to ensure you do not miss any notices about a recruitment for which you have applied. The County of Alameda is not responsible for notices that are not read, received or accessed by any applicant for a County recruitment.

NOTE: All notices are generated through an automated email notification system. Replies to the email box Noreply@jobaps.com are routed to an unmonitored mailbox. All notices are generated through an automated email notification system. Replies to the email box are routed to an unmonitored mailbox. If you have questions, please go to our website at https://hrs.alamedacountyca.gov/. You may also contact the Human Resources Analyst listed on the job announcement for the recruitment for which you have applied.

Elaine Lemi | Human Resources Analyst
Human Resource Services, County of Alameda
(510) 272-6434 | elaine.lemi@acgov.org


DISASTER SERVICE WORKER
All Alameda County employees are designated Disaster Service Workers through state and local law.  Employment with the County requires the affirmation of a loyalty oath to this effect.  Employees are required to report to work as ordered in the event of an emergency. 

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY
Alameda County has a diverse workforce, that is representative of the communities we serve and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.  All aspects of employment are based on merit, competence, performance and business need. Alameda County does not discriminate in employment on the basis of, race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factors protected under federal, state and local law. Alameda County celebrates diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive, and welcoming workplace environment.



Click on a link below to apply for this position:

Fill out the Supplemental Questionnaire and Application NOW using the Internet. Apply Online
View and print the Supplemental Questionnaire. This recruitment requires completion of a supplemental questionnaire. You may view and print the supplemental questionnaire here.