Crime Scene Investigator (Sheriff's Office)

CO Salary Range: USD 33.35 - 50.00 per hour

Job Number: 713
Salary: $33.35 - $50.00
Department: Sheriff's Office
Division: Crime Scene
Location: 13101 E. Broncos Pkwy., Centennial, CO, 80112
Job Type: Hourly Full-Time
Posting Date: 07/24/2026
Closing Date: 08/07/2026

Anticipated Hiring Range:

While the full salary range for the Crime Scene Investigator position is $33.35 - $50.00 hourly / $69,368.00 - $104,000.00 annually, the anticipated hiring range is $33.35 - $41.65 hourly / $69,368.00 - $86,632.00 annually. Final salary is DOQ.

GENERAL STATEMENT OF DUTIES:

Under limited direction from the Section Supervisor, this position performs a variety of professional crime scene duties including recognition, documentation and collection of physical evidence and reconstruction of events as required for the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office. Contacts are with any individual of the public, an inmate or arrestee, supervisors, and co-workers occurs on a daily basis. Work is generally confined to a prisoner housing area or a control room setting. Members must be available for work assignments to include rotating shifts, weekends and holidays. May be stressful during peak activity periods demanding full attention and coordination.

EXAMPLES OF ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

The following duty statements are illustrative of the essential functions of the job:

• Responsible for the recognition, identification, documentation, and scientific collection of all physical evidence pertinent to the investigation of a criminal act.
• Examines crime scenes to discover, preserve, collect, photograph, video and identify physical evidence.
• Communicates extensively with uniformed officers and investigators to determine nature and extent of crimes and shares information/findings with investigators.
• May fingerprint persons or deceased persons using ink pads or specialized tools.
• Maintains a working knowledge of the latest crime scene techniques and available resources.
• Interprets the scientific data gathered and prepares meaningful reports in a manner to be presented to a judge and jury in a court of law.
• Prepares sketches and diagrams to include dimensions of a crime scene and to establish location of evidence and relationships of all relevant data.
• Prepares detailed reports and documentation for investigative use and court proceedings.
• Documents, handles, packages, and receipts evidence to maintain chain of custody in accordance with established forensic practices under state and federal laws.
• Directs law enforcement personnel at crime scenes to ensure continuity and preservation of evidence.
• Appears in court as an expert witness as required.
• Instructs other agency members in Criminalistics, crime scene processing and training seminars, to include outside law enforcement agencies under mutual aid requests.
• Makes presumptive field tests of suspected illegal drugs to determine type.
• May be assigned to train new employees and / or act as a trainer to coworkers in specific specialty areas.
• Operates computers and standard office equipment including commonly used computer software programs required by the position.
• Is available and willing to work such overtime per day or per week as the Sheriff's Office determines is necessary or desirable to meet its needs.
• Is available and willing to work such weekends and holidays as the Sheriff's Office determines is necessary or desirable to meet its needs.
• Performs duties both in the office and in the field.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• Responsible for the recognition, identification, documentation, and scientific collection of all physical evidence pertinent to the investigation of a criminal act.
• Examines crime scenes to discover, preserve, collect, photograph, video and identify physical evidence.
• Communicates extensively with uniformed officers and investigators to determine nature and extent of crimes and shares information/findings with investigators.
• May fingerprint persons or deceased persons using ink pads or specialized tools.
• Maintains a working knowledge of the latest crime scene techniques and available resources.
• Interprets the scientific data gathered and prepares meaningful reports in a manner to be presented to a judge and jury in a court of law.
• Prepares sketches and diagrams to include dimensions of a crime scene and to establish location of evidence and relationships of all relevant data.
• Prepares detailed reports and documentation for investigative use and court proceedings.
• Documents, handles, packages, and receipts evidence to maintain chain of custody in accordance with established forensic practices under state and federal laws.
• Directs law enforcement personnel at crime scenes to ensure continuity and preservation of evidence.
• Appears in court as an expert witness as required.
• Instructs other agency members in Criminalistics, crime scene processing and training seminars, to include outside law enforcement agencies under mutual aid requests.
• Makes presumptive field tests of suspected illegal drugs to determine type.
• May be assigned to train new employees and / or act as a trainer to coworkers in specific specialty areas.
• Operates computers and standard office equipment including commonly used computer software programs required by the position.
• Is available and willing to work such overtime per day or per week as the Sheriff's Office determines is necessary or desirable to meet its needs.
• Is available and willing to work such weekends and holidays as the Sheriff's Office determines is necessary or desirable to meet its needs.
• Performs duties both in the office and in the field.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

EDUCATION: High School Diploma or GED equivalent.

EXPERIENCE: Two (2) years' experience performing crime scene duties in a law enforcement agency.
OR
Any equivalent combination of education and experience that satisfies the requirements of the job as approved by the Sheriff.

PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATIONS / LICENSES: None.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

EDUCATION: Bachelor's Degree in Forensic Science, Natural Science, Criminalistics or a closely related field.

EXPERIENCE: Three (3) years' experience performing crime scene duties and IAI certification in Crime Scene Investigations.

NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Must obtain CPR and First Aid certification within the initial probationary period
• Must possess a valid Colorado Driver's License.
• Must be available for on-call work schedule assignments that require working nights, weekends and holidays.
• Must successfully complete the initial probationary period and training.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The following are some of the physical demands commonly associated with this position. They are included for informational purposes and are not all inclusive.

Occasionally: Activity exists less than 1/3 of the time.

Frequently: Activity exists between 1/3 and 2/3 of the time.

Constantly: Activity exists more than 2/3 of the time.

• Spends 40% of the time sitting and 60% of the time either standing or walking while in the field or office.
• Must possess sufficient strength to lift and carry equipment and/or evidence up to 50 lbs.
• Frequently pushes, pulls, climbs, balances, stoops, kneels, crouches, reaches, handles and feels while in the field and office.
• Constantly uses oral and auditory capacity enabling interpersonal communication as well as communication through automated devices such as the two way radio, intercom system and telephone.
• Frequently uses auditory capacity enabling the detection of sounds related to criminal or suspicious activity.
• Constantly uses visual and fine/gross motor skills enabling the use of office and field equipment.
• Occasionally uses visual and fine/gross motor skills enabling the safe operation of a vehicle during normal and hazardous weather situations.
• Frequently uses visual capacity including color vision in order to distinguish color/descriptions of vehicles, suspects, victims and other relevant objects.
• Frequently uses olfactory sensory capabilities to detect criminal/hazardous situations.

JOB-RELATED CONTACTS:

Personal contacts with individuals occur on a daily basis. Contacts include interaction with supervisors, subordinates, co-workers, other law enforcement/judicial personnel, public suspects, victims and inmates.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

Work environment includes indoor and outdoor locations. Exposure to inclement weather and the elements may exist during crime scene examinations and analyses. Other hazards may include exposure to harmful chemicals, carcinogenic substances and fumes, although safeguards are provided.

BIO-HAZARD NOTICE:

This position has been determined to be an EXTREME exposure risk to "biohazards" including, but not limited to, viruses, toxins, and blood-borne pathogens, such as HIV/AIDS (human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome), HBV (hepatitis B virus), and air-borne transmissions of TB (tuberculosis). Members are advised that exposure to a "biohazard" may result in severe illness and/or death. Members are required by agency policy to use protective equipment and clothing. Inoculation may be required to prevent and/or treat exposures to "biohazards".

YOU MUST PROVIDE A CURRENT VALID EMAIL ADDRESS FOR APPLICATION STATUS NOTIFICATIONS (only one email address is accepted by the system).

BENEFITS:

Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office employees are provided benefits to include, but not limited to, medical insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, retirement plan and paid time off. For a complete summary of benefits review them at: 2026 Benefits Summary.

401(a) DEFINED BENEFIT RETIREMENT PLAN:
Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office employees participate in a mandatory defined benefit program designed to help employees establish a source of income for retirement years. Through the Plan, eligible employees must set aside 9.00 percent, which is subject to change in the coming years, on a pretax basis of which the County matches at 10%. The County also contributes 6.2% to Social Security.

APPLICANT DISQUALIFICATION FACTORS:
Applicants are advised that areas for disqualification from further consideration include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Illegal Drug Use - Marijuana use will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Applicants who have used any other illegal drug use within the past five (5) years will be disqualified.
• Any felony conviction
• Any conviction involving an act of Domestic Violence
• Driving Record - This includes receiving a DUI within the past five (5) years, having your driver's license suspended for any reason within the past five (5) years, and having five (5) or more tickets within the past five (5) years.
• Outside activities which may be deemed a conflict of interest
• Revelation or discovery of assaultive behavior
• Documented record of prior poor work performance
• Unsuccessful completion of any basic requirement
• Inability to perform the essential functions of the position
• Police history - type, frequency and nature of contact(s)
• Providing false or misleading information during the application/selection process

It is the policy of the Sheriff's Office to not discuss the reasons why applicants were not selected for hire. There is no flexibility to this policy. Applicants may be notified of their disqualification at any point in the selection process. If you receive such a notice, it simply means that you do not meet our standards at this time. Receiving this notice does not indicate that you are ineligible to apply with other agencies.

REQUIRED EXAMINATIONS:
The screening process for any position within the Sheriff's Office may include written test(s), an oral interview, skills test(s) and/or other selection methods designed to measure applicants' ability to perform the essential functions of the job they are seeking.

Additional required tests/examinations also include:

• eSkill Test (or equivalent)
• Phase I Suitability Exam
• Polygraph Examination

Additional screening may include:

• Psychological Evaluation
• Medical Examination, including a drug screen
• Background Investigation - This will include, but is not limited to, contact with the applicant's former employers, associates, neighbors and other pertinent sources. Applicant's military history, school records, police records and driving record will also be investigated. All examinations are conducted by qualified/licensed individuals designated by the Sheriff's Office at the Sheriff's Office expense.

EXPECTED DURATION OF THE APPLICATION PROCESS:
Due to the nature of the application and selection process for the Sheriff's Office, applicants can reasonably expect the application process to take a significant amount of time to complete before a decision is made to hire or not to hire. Typically, it takes approximately six (6) to twelve (12) weeks from the date of application to complete the entire selection process. The length of time it takes to complete the process can vary depending on a variety of factors. Please note that this is an estimated duration of the selection process.

WORK SCHEDULES:
Employees are required to work the time periods and/or shifts, rotational and/or stationary, and location assignment, consistent with the needs of the Sheriff's Office.

DUTY ASSIGNMENTS:
All applicants hired by the Sheriff serve at the pleasure of the Sheriff of Arapahoe County and may be assigned to any of the agencies bureaus, sections or units at the discretion of the Sheriff or his duly appointed representative. Employment is at the will and pleasure of the Sheriff, per Colorado State Statute: 30-10-506. Written policies and other manuals do not alter the at will status of employment.

COMMUNITY POLICING:The Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office is committed to the implementation of the community-policing concept. Community policing is an organizational strategy and philosophy which emphasizes problem solving partnerships between the Sheriff's Office, neighborhoods, and businesses working together to create a better quality of life within the community.

INITIAL STATUS PERIOD OF EMPLOYMENT:
Successful applicants are subject to an initial status period of employment. This initial status period is twelve (12) months for all positions. The initial status period is regarded as part of the applicant's examination process and will be utilized for purposes of employee evaluation, training and adjustment to the demands of the profession. New employees, who fail to perform satisfactorily during the period, may be separated from the Sheriff's Office, depending on the circumstance of each case.

POLICY ON REAPPLICATION:
Applicants who failed a written test may reapply and retest no sooner than three (3) or six (6) months (position dependent) from the date they took the written test. Applicants who failed an interview may reapply and retest no sooner that six (6) months from the date they received notification of non-selection. All other applicants who are disqualified can reapply with the Sheriff's Office no sooner than one (1) year from the date of notification of non-selection.

This job announcement does not constitute a contract of employment. Should there be any discrepancy or error in this job announcement, the applicable policy or pay rate will apply. The Sheriff's Office retains the right to amend this job announcement at any time without notice.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.

Should you require an accommodation to apply for this position, please contact Human Resources.

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