Investigative Lieutenant

San Diego Humane Society; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 85,000 - 106,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Birthday Day Off

403(b) retirement plan with 5% match

Free pet adoptions, vaccines

Comprehensive benefits package

Job summary

San Diego Humane Society seeks a Full-Time Investigative Lieutenant to lead investigations, case management, evidence handling, and enforcement across the Humane Law Enforcement division. You’ll provide advanced investigative direction, support officers, ensure timely, legally sound outcomes, and act as the primary liaison to City Attorneys, the District Attorney and other partners.

Based at the San Diego Campus with travel to other sites, the role requires a bachelor’s degree in justice or a

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Administration of Justice, Animal Science, Zoology or related field.
• Minimum four years of full-time related experience in animal control or animal services, including investigations, with one year of supervisory experience.
• Must complete POST, 832 humane academy within one year of employment.
• Must have CA Penal Code 832 certification upon hire or after.
• Must be willing to be vaccinated against tetanus, Hepatitis C, rabies or other diseases as deemed appropriate.
• Must have a valid driver’s license and be approved to drive a company or personal vehicle for work purposes.

Responsibilities

• Lead and oversee investigations of reported animal cruelty, neglect, abandonment and related cases.
• Lead and oversee dangerous animal cases, public nuisance cases and related enforcement actions.
• Provide oversight and coordination of the Dangerous Dog Task Force, including case tracking and liaison with partners.
• Participate in complex, high-profile investigations including witness interviews and evidence collection.
• Provide investigative support to Officers and Sergeants including planning and interviews.
• Prepare, review and approve investigative reports, case files and evidence inventories.

Skills

Investigation leadership

Interagency collaboration

Evidence handling

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Administration of Justice

Tools

Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST)

CA Penal Code 832 certification

Job description

San Diego Humane Society is hiring a Full-Time Investigative Lieutenant for our Humane Law Enforcement team!

How you’ll impact our mission:

At San Diego Humane Society, we’re united by our mission to Inspire Compassion, providing hope and advancing the welfare of animals and people. In this role, you’ll lead investigations, case management, evidence management, dangerous animal and public nuisance case oversight, Dangerous Dog Task Force coordination, and prosecution-support activities across the HLE division. The Investigative Lieutenant provides advanced investigative direction, supports officers in the field, ensures cases are timely, thorough, legally sound and prosecution-ready, and serves as the primary HLE liaison to City Attorneys, the District Attorney and other law enforcement and legal partners. This position also oversees dangerous animal and public nuisance enforcement processes and supports coordinated responses to cases involving significant public safety concerns.

This role delivers service at the gold standard level in alignment with the SDHS Way, to meet the needs of animals and the people who love them by leading with compassion, finding creative solutions, providing personalized care and building connections. If you’re passionate about making an impact in the animal welfare movement, we’d love to talk to you.

What’s in it for you?

At SDHS, we’re proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and commit to being a place where every person – staff, volunteer, and guest – can feel a sense of belonging. We support and invest in employees through conscious delivery of benefits and a workplace environment based on our Core Values.

As an employee you’ll enjoy:

• Competitive pay and paid time-off (including your Birthday Day Off!)
• Comprehensive benefits package, training and well-being programs
• 403(b) retirement plan with 5% match after 1 year
• Free pet adoptions, pet vaccines and spay/neuter services
• …and so much more!

What you’ll do:

• Lead and oversee the investigation of reported animal cruelty, neglect, abandonment and related cases, including case assignment, prioritization, follow-up, case review and closure.
• Lead and oversee dangerous animal cases, public nuisance cases and related enforcement actions, ensuring timely review, coordination, documentation and legal compliance.
• Provide oversight and coordination of the Dangerous Dog Task Force, including case tracking, investigative support, interdepartmental collaboration, hearing preparation and follow-through on enforcement outcomes.
• Participate in and provide direction for complex, sensitive, high-profile or multi-agency investigations, including witness interviews, suspect interrogations, scene management, report writing and evidence collection.
• Provide investigative support and consultation to HLE Officers and Sergeants in the field, including assistance with investigative planning, interviews, scene response, documentation, legal issues and case strategy.
• Prepare, review and approve investigative reports, case files, photographs, video, digital evidence, witness statements and evidence inventories to ensure accuracy, completeness, quality and legal sufficiency.
• Prepare, review and assist officers with search and seizure warrant applications, affidavits, supporting documentation, execution plans and warrant returns.
• Manage evidence and chain of custody protocols to ensure evidence is properly collected, documented, packaged, secured, stored, transferred, preserved and disposed of in accordance with applicable laws, departmental policies and best practices.
• Exercise independent judgment in prioritizing cases, directing investigative activity, escalating matters to the Chief and making decisions that affect investigative quality, officer safety, public safety and prosecution outcomes.
• Lead by example by demonstrating and advocating for San Diego Humane Society core values and work consistently to encourage and develop those around them to do the same. Bring unity and cohesiveness to teams, ad hoc work groups, task forces and other interdepartmental collaborations.
• Support other Lieutenants by providing back-up coverage and additional leadership support as needed.
• Lead the development, implementation and continuous improvement of investigative case management, evidence management, prosecution referral, court-preparation, dangerous animal, public nuisance and warrant processes and systems.
• Establish and maintain systems to track case status, follow-up activities, evidence, warrants, dangerous animal and public nuisance matters, court proceedings, hearing outcomes and trends; utilize data to identify strengths and opportunities for improvement.
• Serve as the primary HLE contact for City Attorneys, the District Attorney, law enforcement agencies, court personnel and other legal or investigative partners; coordinate case submissions, prosecution referrals, supplemental investigation requests and discovery needs with timely and professional communication.
• Collaborate with internal and external partners involved in dangerous animal, public nuisance and administrative enforcement matters, including hearing officers, legal counsel, field services staff and public safety agencies.
• Attend court proceedings, hearings and related proceedings with officers as needed and coordinate witness preparation, subpoena response and officer testimony preparation, including case review, evidence familiarization, mock testimony and courtroom or hearing coaching.
• Collaborate with HLE Lieutenants and Sergeants on matters involving officer conduct, performance or personnel issues that intersect with investigative program operations.
• Design, coordinate and deliver training programs, resources and tools that ensure Officers and Sergeants are prepared to conduct thorough, objective, ethical and legally defensible investigations and enforcement actions, including instruction in case management, investigative planning, interviews, interrogations, report writing, evidence collection and preservation, chain of custody, digital evidence, search warrant preparation and execution, dangerous animal investigations, public nuisance cases, administrative hearings, courtroom procedures and testimony.
• Teach and serve as an instructor for the California Animal Law Enforcement Academy, as assigned, across the full range of investigative, enforcement and case management subject areas.
• Provide on-call duty coverage as assigned, including overnight, evening and weekend availability to support emergent staffing needs, field investigations, emergency response, disaster response and Priority One calls in coordination with public safety agencies.

What we’re looking for:

• Must have a bachelor’s degree in in Administration of Justice, Animal Science, Zoology or related field.
• Must have a minimum of four (4) years of full time progressively responsible related experience in animal control or animal services within an animal welfare organization, including substantial investigations experience, with one (1) year of supervisory experience, or an equivalent combination of related experience and education.
• Must successfully complete Peace Officer Standards and Training, 832 and CA state-approved humane academy and satisfy the requirements of Section 1029, 1030, and 1031 of the Government Code within one year of employment.
• Must have an active CA Penal Code 832 certification upon hire, or successfully obtain certification after employment by completing the course and passing all tests within one enrollment in an approved PC832 course.
• Must be willing to be vaccinated against tetanus, Hepatitis C, rabies or other diseases as deemed appropriate by the SDHS for the health and safety of the employee and others.
• Must have a valid driver’s license and be approved by SDHS insurance carrier to drive a company or personal vehicle for work purposes.

Must have experience as follows:

• Conducting and managing complex investigations, including case assignment, follow-up, review and closure.
• Preparing cases for prosecution, managing evidence and chain of custody, and preparing search and seizure warrants.
• Managing or supporting dangerous animal, public nuisance or administrative enforcement cases.
• Working collaboratively with City Attorneys, District Attorneys, law enforcement agencies, court personnel, hearing officers or other prosecutorial or administrative partners.
• Providing testimony and attending court or administrative hearing proceedings.

Candidates must pass a full background check, medical exam and drug screening post offer.

Location:

Based at our San Diego Campus, with expected travel to all campuses and across San Diego County.

Pay:

Starting range is between $85,068 – $106,335 per year.

The listed hiring range for this position depicts the target range of pay rates for candidates. The maximum of the hiring range is reserved for candidates with the highest qualifications and relevant experience. Compensation for internal candidates may increase beyond the listed range based on performance over time. For all candidates, the actual starting pay rate is determined by a variety of factors, including but not limited to your years of related education and experience, internal pay equity, and position location.