Criminalist - Firearms

State of Iowa - Executive Branch; Ankeny (IA); On-site; USD 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a dedicated team as a Criminalist in the Firearms Section of the Iowa Department of Public Safety. This role is crucial in the investigation of crimes, focusing on the analysis of firearms and ammunition components. You will collect evidence, conduct scientific analyses, and provide expert testimony in court. The position offers a collaborative work environment with opportunities for professional growth and development. If you are passionate about forensic science and want to make a difference in public safety, this is an exciting opportunity to contribute to the safety of your community.

Benefits

Health/Dental and Life Insurance

Paid time off

Iowa Public Employees Retirement System

Employee discounts

Professional growth opportunities

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Forensic Science or related field required.
• Experience in crime lab and firearms identification preferred.

Responsibilities

• Collect and preserve evidence at crime scenes.
• Perform scientific analyses of physical materials related to firearms.

Skills

Firearms Identification

Scientific Analysis

Evidence Collection

Courtroom Testimony

Forensic Photography

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Forensic Science

Bachelor's Degree in Chemistry

Bachelor's Degree in Biology

Bachelor's Degree in Physics

Job description

The Iowa Department of Public Safety (DPS) is seeking to fill a Criminalist - Firearms position within the Division of Criminal Investigation’s Criminalistics Laboratory.

Organization Background:

The mission of DPS is to serve the people of Iowa by providing public safety services with leadership, integrity and professionalism through the core values of courtesy, service and protection.

The Department is a statewide law enforcement agency and includes the Administrative Services Division, the Iowa State Patrol, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, the Iowa State Fire Marshal and the Division of Intelligence. The Department works in conjunction with federal, state and local jurisdictions of the criminal justice community to provide for the safety of persons living in, or traveling through the State of Iowa.

The DCI Criminalistics Laboratory provides professional forensic scientific services and support to the criminal justice community throughout Iowa. The Lab is accredited through the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) ISO-based Forensic Accreditation Program. The Lab provides forensic science capabilities to the Iowa criminal justice community in the following disciplines: Arson and Explosives, Crime Scene Response/Processing, Breath Alcohol, Drug Identification, DNA (casework and offender profiling), Impression Evidence (latent prints, tire tracks, footwear), Firearms and Tool Marks, Photography and Video Enhancement, Questioned Documents, Toxicology, and Trace Evidence.

Benefits:

The Department of Public Safety, as a State of Iowa Executive Branch agency, offers exciting benefits:

1. Health/Dental and Life Insurance
2. Paid time off - Nine paid holidays plus generous paid vacation and paid sick leave which begin to accrue on your first day of employment
3. Iowa Public Employees Retirement System (IPERS) defined benefit program
4. Employee discounts from a variety of vendors
5. Collaborative, creative, positive work environment
6. Paid opportunities for professional growth and development - including training, courses and conferences

Job Description:

This position will collect and preserve evidence at scenes of crimes and perform scientific analyses of physical materials in the investigation of crimes for the Division of Criminal Investigation Crime Laboratory, and will be assigned to the Firearms Section.

The primary work of this Criminalist position is to determine if a bullet, cartridge case or other ammunition component was fired in a particular firearm.

Other related work is required, including but not limited to; results of comparisons are relayed to the criminal justice system by written reports and in courtroom testimony, function testing of firearms, test firing guns, entering fired cartridge cases into an automated database comparison system, speaking to and training peace officers, and other professional activities.

Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor's Degree in Forensic Science, Chemistry, Biology, Physics or a closely related physical or natural laboratory science;
OR
an equivalent combination of education and experience substituting one year of experience in a crime laboratory performing firearms identification, latent print identification, document examination, trace evidence, forensic toxicology, forensic serology, forensic photography, or crime scene investigation and forensic training, for one year (thirty semester hours) of the required education.

All applicants for this class must be able to pass a thorough background investigation conducted by the Division of Criminal Investigation.

Applicants must be available to travel and may be required to stay away from home overnight during assignments.

Must not have any uncorrected vision deficiencies, specifically related to the ability to perceive subtleties of shape and composition.

The Iowa DCI Crime Lab is seeking either a trained firearms examiner, or conversely a person to be a trainee in Firearms and Toolmarks examinations and comparisons. The training program if necessary is extensive, lasts about two years, and is conducted both within the DCI Laboratory and in off-site training. Trainees are expected to contribute to the overall success of the section as part of the training program.