Forensic Scientist I (Latent Prints)

Arizona Department of Administration; Lake Havasu City (AZ); On-site; USD 56,000 - 76,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Vacation & Sick Days

10 Paid Holidays

Deferred compensation

Top-ranked retirement plans

Medical, dental, vision insurance

Employee Assistance Program

Bus Cards

Parental Leave

Job summary

Arizona Department of Public Safety's Western Regional Crime Laboratory in Lake Havasu City seeks a Forensic Scientist I specializing in Latent Prints. The role uses chemical, microscopic, chromatographic, and comparative techniques to examine evidence and prepare reports.

Minimum qualifications include a biology/chemistry degree with chemistry coursework and at least 1 year of forensic lab experience. Transcript copies are required with the application.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree with major in biology, chemistry, or closely related sciences and chemistry coursework.
• Minimum 1 year of forensic scientist experience in a recognized crime laboratory.
• Competency in at least one forensic discipline or sub-discipline.

Responsibilities

• Utilizes chemical, microscopic, chromatographic, and comparative techniques on physical evidence.
• Prepares technical reports and provides expert court testimony.
• Trains other forensic scientists and provides technical guidance.

Skills

Forensic science experience

Latent prints competency

Education

Bachelor's degree in biology/chemistry or related

Chemistry coursework: 20+ hours or 30+ hours with molecular biology

Job description

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY

The Department of Public Safety’s mission is to provide public safety to the state of Arizona. Visit our website at www.azdps.gov.

Forensic Scientist I (Latent Prints)

Salary: $65,772.93

Job Summary

The Arizona Department of Public Safety is seeking experienced and motivated individuals to join our Western Regional Crime Laboratory team as a Forensic Scientist I specializing in the Latent Prints discipline. Utilizes chemical, microscopic, chromatographic, and comparative techniques and instrumentation to examine, identify and evaluate physical evidence which may include: controlled dangerous substances; blood, urine, and other biological specimens; firearms; questioned documents; latent prints; trace evidence; and other items of evidentiary value. Prepares technical reports; provides expert testimony in court; provides technical advice and guidance to and trains other forensic scientists; and performs related tasks as required. Supervision is received from a Supervising Forensic Scientist.

This recruitment will be used to establish an 18-month eligibility list to fill current and future vacancies at our Western Regional Crime Laboratory in the Lake Havasu City area.

NOTE: Transcript copies (official or unofficial) are required with your application.

Minimum Qualifications

A Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college or university with major course of study in biology, chemistry, or closely related physical or natural sciences with either a minimum of thirty (30) semester hours in chemistry or a minimum of twenty (20) semester hours of chemistry with completed coursework in molecular biology, genetics, and biochemistry; a minimum of one (1) year of experience as a forensic scientist in a recognized crime laboratory; and demonstrated competency in at least one forensic discipline or sub-discipline. Additional forensic scientist experience, beyond the required one (1) year, may substitute for semester hours of chemistry (one (1) year additional forensic scientist experience equals ten (10) chemistry semester hours).

Progression to this classification may be attained after one (1) year of Standard performance as an Associate Forensic Scientist with the Arizona Department of Public Safety.

Progression to the next classification in the Forensic Scientist series requires an overall performance rating of at least "Standard" in the last 12 months.

Must successfully complete the examination process.

Pre-Employment Requirements

Applicants must complete an examination process. A polygraph and background investigation are required for successful applicants. DPS supports a drug-free work environment through pre-employment drug testing.
If this position requires driving or the use of a vehicle as an essential function of the job to conduct State business, then the following requirements apply: Driver’s License Requirements. All newly hired State employees are subject to and must successfully complete the Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification Program (E-Verify).

Benefits

The Arizona Department of Public Safety is proud to offer a comprehensive benefits package to benefit-eligible employees in cooperation with the State of Arizona.

• Accrued vacation pay and sick days
• 10 paid holidays per year
• Deferred compensation plan
• Top-ranked retirement plans
• Affordable medical, dental, vision, life, and short & long-term disability insurance plans
• Employee Assistance, Peer and Family Support Programs
• Bus Cards (Subsidized partially by the State)
• Paid Parental Leave-Up to 12 weeks per year paid leave for newborn or newly-placed foster/adopted child (pilot program).

For a complete list of benefits provided by The State of Arizona, please visit our benefits page.

Retirement

State employees are required to participate in the Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS), the State sponsored retirement contribution plan and the Long-Term Disability (LTD) program after a 27-week waiting period. The ASRS defined benefit plan provides life-long income upon retirement. You will also have the option to participate in a voluntary compensation program to take advantage of tax-deferred retirement investments.

On, or shortly after, your first day of work you will be provided with additional information about the available insurance plans, enrollment instructions, submission deadlines and effective dates.

Contact Us

The State of Arizona is an Equal Opportunity/Reasonable Accommodation Employer. Persons with a disability may request a reasonable accommodation such as a sign language interpreter or an alternative format by calling [phone]. Requests should be made as early as possible to allow sufficient time to arrange the accommodation.

Advertised: 08 Sep 2026 US Mountain Standard Time
Applications close: 30 Sep 2026 US Mountain Standard Time