Investigator Assistant (#NV6 )

$31.24-$39.49 hourly / $5,414.83-$6,844.80 monthly / $64,979.20-$82,139.20 yearly

• Gathers and compiles information needed by investigators, attorneys, the public administrator, and others in support of legal cases;
• Serves subpoenas and delivers legal documents;
• Deals with uncooperative and potentially violent individuals;
• Traces and locates absent parents, heirs, and other individuals using accepted investigative techniques;
• Contacts employers, credit agencies and other parties to secure and verify information, including state locator service, and other government agencies;
• Keeps records, prepares correspondence and written reports of investigation findings;
• May transport witnesses to and from court;
• May perform or assist in court coordination duties;
• Testifies in court as necessary;
• Assists investigators and attorneys in a variety of other case development and trial preparation activities;
• Picks up and distributes District Attorney's Office mail or Child Support Services Department mail;
• Operates a van to transport both personal property, witnesses, trustees, and other designated personnel as necessary;
• Serves subpoenas duces tecum;
• Deposits and retrieves files from warehouse;
• Transports evidence or other materials as needed from local hospitals, laboratories, police agencies, courts or other agencies;
• Supervise inmate workers;
• Conduct searches of residences;
• Assist in the packaging of potentially hazardous biological material;
• Access on-line information sources;
• Research real property histories;
• Prepare title reports.

Knowledge of:

Working knowledge of:

• Procedures used in gathering and compiling information.
• Office procedures and practices.
• Preparation of correspondence and reports.
• Filing and record keeping systems.
• Interviewing principles and techniques.

Some knowledge of:

• Basic investigative techniques.
• Legal terminology, forms and documents.
• Bookkeeping and financial record keeping methods, practices and terminology.
• Techniques of receiving, inventorying, safeguarding, storing and shipping of property.
• Procedures used to conduct title searches.
• Criminal and civil legal system.
• Banking procedures as they relate to insufficient fund checks.

Ability to:

• Serve legal documents.
• Learn to conduct effective office and field investigations.
• Prepare factual reports in both written and oral formats.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with the general public and staff.
• Obtain information through interview and observation.
• Deal effectively with uncooperative and potentially violent individuals.
• Maintain accurate records and filing systems.
• Learn and apply investigative principles and techniques.
• Learn and apply procedures of searching for and obtaining copies of public or private records.
• Learn and apply procedures and principles of testifying in court.
• Remain calm in stressful situations.
• Take photographs.
• Explain procedural information.
• Understand and carry out verbal and/or written instructions.
• Perform responsible bookkeeping and financial record keeping work requiring judgment and arithmetic calculations.
• Safely lift and move heavy or bulky objects such as evidence, property or office equipment weighing up to 60 pounds.
• Work independently without specific instructions.
• Work in a high stress environment.
• Learn to secure legible fingerprints.

Special Requirements/Conditions:

• License: Possess and maintain a valid California class C driver license during the course of employment.
• Fingerprint/Background Investigation: Ability to pass a background investigation.
• Fingerprinting is required.

Special Working Conditions:

• Possible violent reactions from those being served legal documents.
• Exposure to: Variable temperatures and weather; silica dust such as asbestos in old homes of clients; poison oak and insects in yards of clients; infections from needles, syringes, lice, scabies, fleas, and staph infections.
• Other Special Requirements: Availability to work overtime and irregular hours including evenings and weekends.
• Physically and mentally capable of performing the position's essential functions as summarized in the typical tasks.

Training and Experience:

Any combination of training and experience which would provide the required knowledge and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain these knowledge and abilities would be:

Successful completion of a minimum 180 hour internship with a California District Attorney's Office, Investigations Bureau.

OR Completion of 15 semester units of course work in law enforcement or a related field

AND 6 months of experience dealing with the public which has included handling stressful situations, interviewing and recordkeeping.

OR

Successful completion of POST Certified Reserve Academy AND 6 months of experience dealing with the public which has included handling stressful situations, interviewing and recordkeeping.