MEDICAL EXAMINER INVESTIGATOR TRAINEE

County of Los Angeles; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

County of Los Angeles seeks qualified individuals for Medical Examiner Investigator Trainee. This role involves field investigations into death circumstances, scene examination, and evidence handling under supervision. You will coordinate with investigators, record data, and prepare reports for potential permanent appointment.

The initial period can be up to 90 days with a path to full county employment. Applicants must meet one of several qualification options, including a degree in justice or

Qualifications

• Two years' field investigative experience with a law enforcement or governmental regulatory agency (Option I).
• Bachelor's degree in administration of justice, health/physical sciences or nursing (Option II).
• Associate Degree with 1 year field investigative experience with a law enforcement or governmental regulatory agency (Option III).
• California Paramedic license with 3 years in paramedic services (Option IV).
• California RN license or PA certification with 3 years trauma/emergency/forensic nursing (Option V).

Responsibilities

• Plans and conducts investigations into the circumstances of death to determine jurisdiction.
• Examines the decedent and death scene; performs required tests (air, water, body temperature, livor mortis, rigor mortis).
• Receives and preserves evidence; coordinates with criminalists and other agencies.
• Writes investigative reports with pertinent data and evidence.
• Testifies in court or deposition regarding findings.
• Enters information into computerized records and death certificates in line with regulations.

Skills

Investigative interviewing

Evidence handling

Court testimony

Data entry

Report writing

Education

Bachelor's degree in justice/health sciences

Associate of Arts in justice with 1 year field experience

Paramedic license (CA) + 3 years paramedic service

RN license or Physician Assistant license + trauma/emergency experience

Job description

The LA County Board of Supervisors recently declared a local state of emergency for homelessness, and the County is working to revise and expand our response to help all who are affected. We are looking for qualified and passionate individuals to help us in the mission of addressing issues like housing, mental health, and substance use. If you are looking for a new career that will directly benefit the population of LA County, this may be the opportunity for you.

Under the emergency order, applicants who meet the requirements may be hired for an initial period of up to 90 days, with an opportunity for permanent County employment.

Assessment and Hiring Process

Before the end of your initial work period, you will be assessed on your work performance. This assessment will be weighted 100%.

Those who successfully pass the assessment will be considered for permanent appointment to Medical Examiner Investigator Trainee.

Essential Job Functions

• Receives instruction and on the job training by performing the following duties:
• Plans and conducts the investigation into the circumstances of death at the scene to determine the jurisdiction of the Department of Medical Examiner.
• Examines the body of the decedent and the surroundings at the death scene and performs required tests for air, water and body temperature, livor mortis, and degree of rigor mortis.
• Takes custody of any money, valuables or miscellaneous items or documents; lists and records clothing within reports and personal property on appropriate receipts; arranges for or makes the removal of bodies to the Forensic Science Center or other location.
• Responsible for recognizing, collecting and preserving physical evidence, including gunshot residue, sexual assault evidence, appliances, ligatures, garrotes, drugs, narcotics and paraphernalia, and trace evidence.
• Notifies and coordinates evidence handling and collection with departmental criminalist or criminalist of other agencies. Interviews witnesses, friends, and relatives to obtain information about the decedent and circumstances of death and related matters.
• Receives initial notice of death from public or government agencies, initiates investigations, determines Medical Examiner's jurisdiction, and notifies and exchanges information with other public agencies when necessary.
• Notifies and coordinates with representatives of other criminal justice agencies when necessary. Writes reports of investigations, including all pertinent data and evidence relevant to the circumstances of death.
• Enters data into computerized records system as required. Provides information regarding State laws and codes, County ordinances, and Departmental policy and procedures in response to inquiries from members of the medical profession, law enforcement and other government agencies, mortuaries, cemeteries, and the general public.
• Testifies in court or under deposition regarding the findings of an investigation of the circumstances of death.
• Records information in logs and ledgers regarding Departmental activities; fingerprinting bodies in accordance with Departmental standards.
• Uses field photography equipment as required.
• Enters information in sections of death certificates in conformance with regulations of the State Registrar of Vital Statistics.
• May be required to drive personal vehicle when performing County business.
• May be required to drive a County vehicle to locations throughout the County to transport bodies from death scenes to the Medical Examiner's facility.
• May be required to travel by aircraft, boat, or other vehicles, or travel in heavy equipment to conduct investigations and remove decedents and to perform duties in areas of difficult accessibility, limited visibility and mobility, or adverse weather or disaster conditions.

Requirements

Minimum Requirements

• Option I: Two year's field investigative experience* with a law enforcement or governmental regulatory agency
• Option II: A Bachelor's degree from an accredited college with specialization in administration of justice, health/physical sciences or nursing
• Option III: An Associate of Arts degree from an accredited college with specialization in administration of justice and one year's field investigative experience* with a law enforcement or governmental regulatory agency
• Option IV: A current California certificate to practice as a Paramedic and three years experience working in paramedic services with no more than a one year lapse in service before applying for the Medical Examiner Investigator Trainee position
• Option V: A current California license as a Registered Nurse or a certificate to practice as a Physician's Assistant issued by the California Board of Medical Quality Assurance and three years experience working in trauma/emergency services or forensic nursing.

Out of class experience will not be accepted for this examination.

Physical Class

4 - Arduous: Involves frequent and heavy lifting over 25 pounds, often combined with bending, twisting, or working on irregular surfaces; and occasionally requires extraordinary physical activity.

Physical Requirements

Applicants must be in good general physical fitness and free from any medical conditions that would interfere with the satisfactory performance of the position of Medical Examiner Investigator Trainee.

Appointees Must Be Willing To

• Perform a variety of physically demanding activities, such as frequent lifting and moving of decedents and heavy equipment, climbing down rocky cliffs, carrying a piece of equipment up steep hills, or removing corpses from the ocean.
• Work ANY shift, including nights, weekends, and/or holidays.
• Work overtime in order to meet the legal requirements and/or departmental needs associated with death investigations.
• Drive 75-100 miles one-way using a County vehicle or personal vehicle to various death scenes throughout the County of Los Angeles (mileage reimbursement is provided by the County).

• Assist in death investigations that include the examination of corpses and conducting tests to determine body temperature and degree of rigor mortis and handle bodies that may be fragmented, burned and/or in advanced stages of decomposition.
• Assist in infant and child death investigations.
• Notify family members of the death of a relative, have them identify the deceased, and provide them with information, empathy, support, and resources.
• Work in highly stressful situations.
• Develop and apply effective coping and self-care skills that maintain physical, mental, emotional well-being, a healthy perspective, and a clear and appropriate set of boundaries.
• Work in death scenes that present a variety of difficult environmental challenges, such as strong odors, extreme temperatures, dilapidated living conditions, and/or rugged terrain.

Other Requirements

• Field investigative experience must have included duties such as interviewing suspects, informants and witnesses, following leads, searching for physical or documentary evidence of clues, using evidence to substantiate findings or conclusions, examining records to detect links in a chain of evidence of information, reconstructing events and preparing reports of investigative findings and courtroom/deposition testimony.
• Law enforcement agencies include departments such as coroner, sheriff, police, military police, college or university police, and fire.
• A governmental regulatory agency is a public authority or government agency responsible for exercising autonomous authority over some area of human activity in a regulatory or supervisory capacity, and includes departments such as health services, mental health, and social services.
• A health/physical science includes degrees such as a bachelor's of science in anthropology, biology, biochemistry, physics, and chemistry.

Exam Content

Before the end of your initial work assignment, not to exceed 90 days, the appointing department will evaluate your performance. Those who achieve a passing score on this evaluation will be considered for permanent appointment.

Equal Employment Opportunity/Non-Discrimination Statement

The County of Los Angeles is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and is committed to non-discrimination in the County workforce, regardless of age (40 and over); ancestry; color; ethnicity; religious creed; protected family or medical leave status; disability; marital status; medical condition; genetic information; military and veteran status; national origin; race ; sex; gender; sexual orientation; or any other characteristic protected by State or federal law. For more information, please visit: https://employee.hr.lacounty.gov/eeo-programs/.

Testing Accommodations For Applicants

The County of Los Angeles complies with all federal and state disability laws and makes reasonable accommodations for qualified applicants and employees with disabilities. If a reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application process, please contact the testing accommodation coordinator listed on the job posting. Hearing impaired applicants with telephone teletype equipment may leave messages by calling the teletype phone number on the job posting. For more information on accommodations, please visit: https://hr.lacounty.gov/accessibility/.

Fair Chance

The County of Los Angeles is a Fair Chance employer. Except as otherwise permissible under applicable laws, you will not be asked to provide information about conviction history unless you receive a conditional offer of employment. The County will make an individualized assessment of whether your conviction history has a direct and adverse relationship with the specific duties of the job, and will also consider potential mitigating factors, which may include, but is not limited to, evidence and extent of rehabilitation, recency of the offense(s), and age at the time of the offense(s). If asked to provide information about conviction history, any convictions or court records which are exempted by a valid court order do not have to be disclosed. Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with County Fair Chance Policies and the Fair Chance Act (Gov. Code Section 12952).

Employment Eligibility

Final appointment is contingent upon verification of U.S. citizenship or the right to work in the United States.

Career PathFinder

Resources to help current and prospective employees plan a career with Los Angeles County are available. To explore career paths to and from nearly all job titles, please visit our interactive Career PathFinder application at http://career-pathfinder.hr.lacounty.gov.

Veteran’s Credit

Pursuant to the County Charter and County policy, in all open competitive examinations (i.e., examinations open to everyone), the County of Los Angeles will add a credit of 10 percent of the total credits specified for such examination to the final passing score of an honorably discharged veteran, as well as the spouse of a deceased or disabled veteran, who served in the Armed Forces of the United States under specific conditions. For more information on veteran’s credit, please visit: https://file.lacounty.gov/SDSInter/dhr/205102_PPG_115.pdf