Digital Media Criminalist Jobs

2023 Salary Range: $72,900 - $102,100 Annually

Job Summary

The Digital Media Criminalist performs highly specialized professional forensic examinations of digital/computer/video/audio evidence. This person will perform various tasks and analysis on digital/video evidence. The criminalist will execute search warrants, write analytical reports and give expert testimony in court. The criminalist will be assigned to the Northern Colorado Regional Forensic Crime Lab. This person will work with/alongside other digital criminalists from other agencies.

Experience, Knowledge, Skills

• International Association of Computer Investigative Specialist (IACIS) certification.
• Knowledge and use of specialized software platforms to include the following: digital forensic software, Encase, FTK, Winhex, Cellebrite, Amped and Adobe Premier Suite for analysis.
• Qualified as an expert in testimony in the area of digital media/video analysis.
• Bachelor’s degree in a science or computer science related field from an accredited college or university and 3-5 years’ experience doing case work in digital/video forensic analysis OR a combination of equivalent experience and education.

Essential Functions

• Participate in training of other analysts and/or law enforcement personnel.
• Maintain continuing education requirements to meet IACIS standards.
• Communication with law enforcement personnel of confidential information regarding on-going criminal investigations.
• Court preparation and expert witness testimony.
• Compilation of complete and accurate written reports of findings.
• Participate in training of other analysts and/or research projects.
• Providing trainings and community outreach to public groups, school groups, classes etc. regarding digital evidence i.e., computers, cell phones, and video forensic analysis.
• Communication with attorneys and other judiciary personnel of confidential information regarding on-going criminal investigations and court proceedings.
• Adequately prepare for effective presentation of findings in a court setting.
• Experience handling and maintaining chain of custody and integrity of the evidence.
• Trouble shoot problems that arise during the scientific analysis process.
• Think critically and independently.
• Examination of items of evidence to discover, preserve identity and collect digital/video evidence.
• Technical review of analytical work and reports generated by other qualified analysts.
• Prioritize own casework.
• Participate in validation studies and/or research projects.
• Interpretation of data using appropriate software programs.

Work Environment & Physical Requirements

• Manual dexterity enough to accurately input, retrieve, and verify work assignments.
• Communication skills enough to hear and convey information to/from public via phone and in person.
• Ability to lift light to moderate weighing evidence packages from one location to another.
• Possible exposure to blood-borne pathogens.
• Specific vision requirements require close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.
• Possible exposure to electrical shock while dealing with computer-based evidence.
• Operate standard office equipment requiring repetitive hand/arm movements.
• Extensive work performed on a computer with repetitive data entry and retrieval.
• Assisting with the execution of search warrants at locations away from the lab.
• Vision enough to interpret computer screens and documents to assist the public and computer work assignments.
• Work is performed at a fixed workstation.
• Work is primarily performed indoors and with minimal exposure to the elements.

Conditions of Employment: Candidates must successfully complete all pre-employment screenings and employment eligibility verification. Pre-employment screenings include a drug test, a background and national sex offender search, a motor vehicle record search, and for some positions, a physical demands evaluation. For more information about City policies and practices during the recruitment process, including but not limited to EOE, Reasonable Accommodation, and pre-employment screenings, please visit our career page HERE.