On-call Investigator Position in Springfield, OH

Clark County Commission/Personnel Office

County Offices/Municipal Courts Building

50 East Columbia Street – 5^th Floor

P.O. Box 2639, Springfield, Ohio 45501

Position Title: On-call Investigator

Department: Clark County Coroner’s Office

Supervisor: Senior Investigator, Clark County Coroner’s Office

Salary: $135 per weekend (5:00 PM Friday – 7:00 AM Monday), plus $35 per death scene investigation.

Reimbursement for mileage related to duties.

Date Issued: May 24, 2011 Application Deadline: June 7, 2011, 4:30 p.m.

Instructions: Applicants interested in the above named position may submit an employment application, resume and letter of interest to the Clark County Personnel Office, P.O. Box 2639, Springfield, Ohio 45501-2639 or fax to (937) 328-4588. Applications may be obtained online at http://www.clarkcountyohio.gov/personnel/Application.pdf. Applicants needing accommodation in completing this application, please contact the County Personnel Office at (937) 521-2005 or T.D.D. (937) 328-2560.

Summary:The On-call Investigator is a part-time employee who performs investigative functions one to two weekends per month and, on occasion, at other times. Under the direction of the Senior Investigator, Coroner, and Deputy Coroner, his/her duties include receiving and evaluating reports of deaths, performance of death scene investigations, preparation of reports of scene investigations, and providing appropriate assistance to the families of decedents.

Duties:

• Receives and evaluates reports of deaths and, as necessary, collects additional information in order to permit identification of deaths warranting assumption of jurisdiction by the Clark County Coroner’s Office.
• Immediately notifies the Coroner or Deputy Coroner when evaluation indicates that assumption of jurisdiction by the Clark County Coroner’s Office is warranted or whenever there is any question as to the need for such investigation.
• Provides a verbal summary of other reported deaths for review by the Coroner or Deputy Coroner within 24 hours of the report.
• Completes a Reportable Deaths Form for each reported death in which Jurisdiction is not assumed.
• Attends the scene or scenes when jurisdiction is assumed in a death. There may be one scene or multiple scenes such as the scene at which injury/illness occurred, the scene at which resuscitation or other medical treatment was provided, the scene at which death occurred, and the scene at which the decedent’s body was found. Exception: Scene attendance may not be warranted in some cases of death within a hospital and in many cases in which there has been a significant delay in the report of a death, the body having been removed from the scene.
• Exercises scene safety and follows Body Substance Isolation practices.
• Identifies immediate life threatening conditions and takes action (or insures action is taken) to remove hazards.
• Interviews witnesses and others in order to determine the decedent’s medical history, mental health history, and social history, as well as, the circumstances of death, the nature of any resuscitative efforts, and, when appropriate the circumstances of discovery of the body.
• In cooperation with other agencies, performs detailed evaluation of the scene(s).
• Photographs the scene(s) and the body.
• Performs a limited initial examination of the body in order to document postmortem changes (cooling, rigor, lividity) and, when appropriate, identifying traumatic injuries which can be visualized without undressing or in any other way significantly disturbing the body.
• Collects and preserves, or assures the collection and preservation of, appropriate evidence from the scene(s).
• Whenever possible, establishes the identity of the decedent at the scene.
• Secures the decedent’s body, assures appropriate identification (case number plus identity or “John/Jane Doe”) is attached, and arranges its transport.
• Helps facilitate organ/tissue donation in applicable cases.
• Inventories and secures any valuables on the decedent’s body which are not returned to the next-of-kin at the scene of death.
• When identity of the decedent has been established, assures prompt notification of death is provided to the next-of-kin.
• Provides assistance to the family of the decedent.
• Prepares detailed written reports of the findings from scene investigations.
• Enters data into the computerized Clark County Coroner’s Case Database.
• When requested by the Coroner or Deputy Coroner, assists with limited external examinations.
• When requested by the Coroner or Deputy Coroner, attends autopsies.
• Assures that all collected evidence is securely stored and is maintained under chain of custody.
• Assures that all clothing and valuables from the decedent’s body are securely stored.
• Testifies in civil and criminal courts when subpoenaed.
• Attends staff meetings when requested.
• Performs other duties as may reasonably be assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

• High school diploma (post-secondary education preferred)
• Training and/or experience in a medical or investigative field.
• Possession of a current valid Motor Vehicle Operator License, personal vehicle available for county business use, and personal vehicle insurance in the amount of $100,000/$300,000.
• Ability to work in adverse weather conditions.
• Physical ability to climb stairs and ladders, to bend, to stoop, to enter constricted spaces and to lift up to 100 lbs.
• Ability to tolerate and work in hazardous environments, handle sights, sounds, and odors in a sometimes stressful environment.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills.
• Effective interpersonal skills.
• Familiarity with 35 mm photography, including digital photography and flash photography.
• Familiarity with video recording.
• Knowledge of basic mathematics.
• Ability to perform routine clerical functions.
• Familiarity with computers and Microsoft office software.

AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY/ADAAA COMPLIANCE EMPLOYER, M/F V/H