CIVILIAN INVESTIGATOR

Position/Program Information

FIRST DAY OF FILING
JANUARY 4, 2021 at 8:00 A.M. (PT)
THE FILING PERIOD MAY BE SUSPENDED AT ANY TIME WITHOUT PRIOR NOTICE. THIS EXAMINATION MAY REOPEN AS THE NEEDS OF THE SERVICE REQUIRE.
EXAM NUMBER
J1641T

TYPE OF RECRUITMENTOPEN COMPETITIVE JOB OPPORTUNITY
DEFINITION
Conducts investigations on violations of State, County, and Municipal codes for the Sheriff's Department.

CLASSIFICATION STANDARDS
Positions allocable to this class typically work under the technical and administrative direction of a supervisory peace officer. These positions are responsible for conducting criminal and/or administrative investigations for violations of State, County, and Municipal laws and regulations, including, but not limited to, violations of the Business and Professions, Financial, Penal, and Health and Safety codes; and the California Codes of Regulations. They are also responsible for issuing citations, preparing requests for criminal complaints and assisting in the prosecution of cases.

Incumbents must possess skill in applying a thorough knowledge of investigative procedures, court and legal proceedings, and techniques for interviewing and obtaining information from various sources. Incumbents must be able to interpret and apply laws, ordinances, rules, and regulations to specific situations. Incumbents assigned to this class are required to drive an automobile on a regular and frequent basis during the course of conducting investigations.

Essential Job Functions

Reviews business license or permit applications.

Collects payments for licensing and/or permit fees.

Advises applicants of legal/regulatory compliance matters.

Conducts background investigations for business and applicant licenses/permits and makes decisions or recommendations to the appropriate agency.

Visits establishments to verify that valid licenses/permits are displayed and licensing standards are being upheld.

Conducts investigations to detect or verify suspected violations of laws, rules, or regulations; and issues citations or notices of violations when circumstances and conditions warrant such action.

Examines a variety of records to secure or verify information concerning suspected violations or violators.

Contacts and interviews individuals and representatives of business or governmental agencies; takes statements and evaluates evidence.

Responds to complaints and conducts routine checks or audits of businesses, such as massage establishments, pawnshops, secondhand dealers, gun dealers, salvage dealers, shooting ranges, tow companies, or casinos for license or permit misuse and other violations.

Gathers, assembles, preserves and reports facts, statements or affidavits and other evidence for use in legal or administrative actions.

Analyzes investigative findings to determine whether evidence warrants filing a criminal complaint; prepares investigation reports and assists attorneys assigned to cases in criminal prosecutions or administrative law proceedings, as required.

Maintains liaison with Federal, State, contract cities, local boards, commissions, and law enforcement agencies.

Represents the department and testifies in court or administrative proceedings as investigator, and makes subsequent investigations as requested by the prosecuting attorney or hearing officer.

Maintains records of enforcement activities, including warnings, complaints, inspections, violations, citations, or notices of violations.

Recommends suspension/revocation of operations due to licensing issues and works with the appropriate personnel to initiate administrative or legal proceedings, as required.

Evaluates applicants' history by reviewing personnel files, federal and state tax returns, military personnel records, credit reports, and their background files at other law enforcement agencies.

Conducts interview(s) with applicants to review submitted paperwork, obtain information and clarification, and address discrepancies, if necessary.

Mentors new Civilian Investigators on work methods/processes, applicable laws and policies, and Departmental guidelines, as required.

Investigates the character and background of prospective employees to screen out unsuitable applicants for employment with the Sheriff's Department.

Interviews applicants' employers, supervisors, and co-workers and review employment file(s) to obtain information regarding attendance, job performance, and conduct.

Interviews applicants' past and current neighbors and property owners/managers to obtain information regarding residency history and conduct.

Prepares comprehensive reports to support the thorough and impartial evaluation of applicants' suitability for employment.

Submits completed case files for evaluations and decisions in a timely manner.

Drives to various locations within (and possibly outside of) Los Angeles County to perform job-related essential functions.

Requirements

SELECTION REQUIREMENTS
Completion of 60 semester or 90 quarter units from an accredited college or university*, including at least 15 semester or 23 quarter units in Criminal Justice, Police Science, or a related field -AND- One year of field investigative work** involving public contact for a police or criminal investigation agency.

Experience as a field investigator may be substituted for the required education on a year for year basis to a maximum substitution of two years experience.

LICENSE
A valid California Class C Driver License is required to perform job-related essential functions. Candidates offered these positions would be required to show proof of a driver license prior to appointment.

Out-of-state applicants must have a valid license from the state in which they reside at the time of filing. Out-of-state applicants will be required to obtain a California Class C Driver License prior to appointment.

LICENSE INFORMATION: Successful applicants for this position will be required to obtain a copy of his / her driving record from the California State Department of Motor Vehicles before being appointed. A copy of your driving record must be presented at the time of your appointment. License must not be suspended, restricted, or revoked. AN APPLICANT WHOSE DRIVING RECORD SHOWS THREE (3) OR MORE MOVING VIOLATIONS WITHIN THE LAST YEAR WILL NOT BE APPOINTED.

PHYSICAL CLASS
Physical Class II – Light: Light physical effort which may include occasional light lifting to a 10-pound limit, and some bending, stooping or squatting. Considerable walking may be involved.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENT INFORMATION

• In order to receive credit for the required coursework, you MUST include a legible copy of the official transcripts from the accredited institution which shows the completed semester/quarter units of coursework in the area of specialization at the time of filing, or within fifteen (15) calendar days from the date of application filing. Failure to provide the required documentation will result in application rejection.

**Field investigative work experience may include duties such as interviewing subjects, informants, and witnesses; following leads, searching for physical or documentary evidence; using evidence to substantiate findings or conclusions; examining records; preparing reports of investigative findings; preparing requests for criminal complaints.

SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE

As part of this application process, applicants will be required to complete a supplemental questionnaire. The questionnaire contains a pre-investigative questionnaire which will be utilized as part of the background investigation process to ensure applicants meet the standards set forth by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Applicants who fail the pre-investigative questionnaire will be disqualified and will have to wait twelve (12) months from the date of the disqualification in order to reapply.

Additional Information

EXAMINATION CONTENT
This examination will consist of a computerized written test covering checking for errors, mathematical reasoning, written expression, background investigation manual, and data interpretation weighted 100%.

THE WRITTEN TEST IS NOT REVIEWABLE BY CANDIDATES PER CIVIL SERVICE RULE 7.19.

CANDIDATES MUST ACHIEVE A PASSING SCORE OF 70% OR HIGHER ON THE EXAMINATION IN ORDER TO BE PLACED ON THE ELIGIBLE REGISTER.

TEST PREPARATION
Study guides and other test preparation resources are available to help candidates prepare for written employment tests. An interactive, Online Test Preparation System for taking practice tests may be accessed at the Department of Human Resources website at http://hr.lacounty.gov/. Please click on "Find a Job" and then "Job Search Toolkit." Test Preparation Information is located under the "Employment Test Assistance" section. While the guides will help in preparing for the test, we advise you to review all related materials that you deem necessary.

ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION
The names of candidates receiving a passing grade in the examination will be placed on the eligible register in the order of their score group for a period of six (6) months following the date of promulgation. Applications will be processed on an "as-received" basis and those receiving a passing score will be promulgated to the eligible register accordingly.

NO PERSON MAY COMPETE FOR THIS EXAMINATION MORE THAN ONCE EVERY SIX (6) MONTHS.

SPECIAL INFORMATION

SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATES MUST COMPLETE A THOROUGH BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION, INCLUDING FINGERPRINT SEARCH. Examples of disqualifying factors include: Any felony convictions; job related misdemeanor convictions; certain serious traffic convictions or patterns of traffic violations (3 moving violations in one year; failure to appear; at fault accidents; suspended license; driving under the influence); poor credit history; poor employment history; substance abuse; anyone on probation.

ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY IF HIRED

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (Department) has a "zero tolerance" policy for its employees for the following:

• use of narcotics, controlled substances, and/or prescription drugs without a prescription.
• use of marijuana with or without a prescription.

Any employee found in violation of this policy will be subject to discharge.

VACANCY INFORMATION
The eligible register from this examination will be used to fill vacancies within the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Executive Division, Personnel Administration Bureau.

Shift: Any Shift

APPOINTEES MUST BE WILLING TO WORK ANY SHIFT, INCLUDING EVENINGS, NIGHTS, WEEKENDS, AND HOLIDAYS.

APPLICATION AND FILING INFORMATION

APPLICATIONS MUST BE FILED ONLINE ONLY - APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED BY U.S. MAIL, FAX, OR IN PERSON WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

All applicants are required to submit a Standard County of Los Angeles Employment application and supplemental questionnaire ONLINE only. Resumes cannot be accepted in lieu of applications, although resumes and supporting documents may be uploaded as attachments to the online application.

Fill out your application and supplemental questionnaire completely. Provide any relevant education, training, and experience in the spaces provided so we can evaluate your qualifications for the job. All information is subject to verification and applications may be rejected at any time during the selection process.

The acceptance of your application depends on whether you have clearly shown that you meet the SELECTION REQUIREMENTS and you have completely filled out your application.

Apply online by clicking on the green "Apply" button at the top right of this posting. You can also track the status of your application using this website. Your application and supplemental questionnaire must be submitted electronically by 5:00 p.m., PT, on the last day of filing.

IMPORTANT NOTESPlease note ALL information included in the application materials is subject to VERIFICATION at any point during the examination and hiring process, including after an appointment has been made. FALSIFICATION of any information may result in DISQUALIFICATION or RESCISSION OF APPOINTMENT.Utilizing VERBIAGE from Class Specification and Selection Requirements serving as your description of duties WILL NOT be sufficient to demonstrate that you meet the requirements. Doing so may result in an INCOMPLETE APPLICATION and you may be DISQUALIFIED.CORRESPONDENCE AND UPDATES WILL BE SENT VIA E-MAIL

• For the foreseeable future, all notices including invitation letters, result letters and notices of non-acceptance will be sent electronically to the email address provided on the application. It is important that you provide a valid email address. Please add jcbeaudi@lasd.org and info@governmentjobs.com to your email address book and list of approved senders to prevent email notifications from being filtered as spam/junk/clutter mail. Please note, if you opt out of receiving emails, you can visit governmentjobs.com, log into your profile and check your inbox. The inbox retains a copy of all emails sent, for your records.
  

NOTE: Candidates who apply online must upload any required documents as attachments during application submission. If you are unable to attach required documents, you may fax the documents to (323) 415-2580 at the time of filing, or within fifteen (15 ) calendar days from the date of application filing. Failure to provide the required documentation will result in application rejection. Please include your Name, the Exam Number, and the Exam Title on the faxed documents.

SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER: Please include your Social Security Number for record control purposes. Federal law requires that all employed persons have a Social Security Number.

COMPUTER AND INTERNET ACCESS AT LIBRARIES: For candidates who may not have regular access to a computer or the internet, applications can be completed on computers at public libraries throughout Los Angeles County. NO SHARING OF USER ID AND PASSWORD: All applicants must file their application online using their OWN user ID and password. Using a family member or friend's user ID and password may erase a candidate's original application record.

California Relay Services Phone: (800) 735-2922
ADA Coordinator Phone: (213) 229-1621
Teletype Phone: (213) 626-0251
Department Contact Name: Professional Examinations Unit
Department Contact Phone: (323) 526-5611
Department Contact Email: sheriffexamsunit@lasd.org