Forensic Death Investigator - Denton, United States - Denton County, TX

Description

Salary: $ $34.42 Hourly

Location : Denton, TX

Job Type: Part-Time Non-Exempt

Job Number:

Department: Medical Examiner

Opening Date: 06/04/2024

Closing Date: Continuous

Description

THIS POSTING MAY CLOSE AT ANY TIME ONCE A SUFFICIENT NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS HAVE BEEN RECEIVED.

The Forensic Death Investigator performs technical investigative work for deaths that are reportable to the Medical Examiner's office. Work involves communication with other investigators, law enforcement agencies, hospitals, the decedent's family, and the general public. Work requires travel to locations of deaths within the county. This position is responsible for examining the decedent, photographing evidence and injuries, as well as making death notifications.

Examples of Duties

Initiates death investigations and determines Medical Examiner jurisdiction for each reported death.

Interviews witnesses, families, hospital staff, and law enforcement personnel.

Informs the Denton County LOSS Team of all suicide-related deaths so their staff members can respond to the scene to provide emotional support to families.

Photographs/documents the scene, examines the decedent for injuries and inspects weapons, evidence, and prescription medication on scene.

Collects personal property and jewelry from the decedent and transports them to the Medical Examiner's office for safekeeping.

Prepares detailed investigative reports, uploads documents to digital case files, and organizes/labels scene photos.

Works cooperatively with local physicians, healthcare facilities, funeral homes, and transplant organizations, as well as local, state, and federal law enforcement to obtain copies of records/reports/specimens.

Coordinates approval of cases with the Medical Examiner and assists with scheduling of forensic autopsies/exams, identification analysis, trace evidence analysis, physical evidence analysis, anthropological analysis, and transplant recovery through the Tarrant County Medical Examiner District.

Confers with local law enforcement, dentists, and healthcare agencies to obtain fingerprints, dental records, X-rays, and misc. records to aid in the identification of a decedent.

Locates and notifies next-of-kin of the death, explains medical examiner protocol, coordinates the return of decedent property to next-of-kin, and provides continuing support and information to families throughout the entire medical examiner process (typically 90 days).

Reviews/investigates death certificates and cremation permit requests for potential errors or unreported trauma.

Notifies the responsible reporting agency of any death certificate/cremation permit issues and educates that agency about the reporting process for future deaths.

Provides assistance to local physicians on how to properly complete death certificates and offers resources for navigating the TxEVER system.

Participates in a mass disaster response team/mass disaster planning with both Denton County Public Health and the Tarrant County Medical Examiner District.

Provides educational training/presentations to the public, schools, and local agencies through events such as career day, leadership conferences, department presentations, and healthcare staff meetings.

Provides expert witness testimony for courtroom presentation of criminal cases, if requested.

Conducts various administrative duties of the department such as answering the phone, completing paperwork, and corresponding by email/fax/mail to families/misc. agencies.

Regular and punctual attendance is required.

Performs other related duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications

High School Diploma or GED, completion of some college level course work, and a minimum five years of experience in a related field; or an equivalent combination of education and related experience required.

Valid driver's license required. Must be able to obtain a Texas Drivers License within 90 days of employment.

Supplemental Information

Only those interested in a Part-Time position should apply.

Candidate must reside within Denton County.

Candidate must be willing and able to work all shifts.

To ensure the proper delivery of emails please add to your email safe list.

Denton County offers a full range of employee benefit programs for eligible employees, retirees, and their families. These programs include group health plans for medical and dental coverage; an Employee Assistance Program (EAP); life; disability, and long term care insurance; and flexible spending accounts for health care and dependent care reimbursements. The County also provides retirement benefits. Full time employees participate in the Texas County & District Retirement System (TCDRS), and employees may also participate in a retirement savings program (Deferred Compensation). In addition to these "basic employee benefits" and retirement services, employees benefit from a variety of other programs including 12 paid holidays, Tuition Reimbursement, a Wellness Program, and more.

*Note: These benefits are not included for Community Supervision and Corrections Department (CSCD) employees, or any Denton County Part-Time employee.

Denton County is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against applicants or employees on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, mental or physical disability, age, national origin or veteran status.

Family Medical Leave: Denton County employees who have been employed for one year and who have worked 1250 hours in the preceding year may be eligible for up to twelve weeks of FMLA leave.
The FMLA provides for up to 12 weeks of job-protected leave

• for the birth, adoption, or placement of a child for foster care
• to care for a child, spouse, or parent with a serious health condition
• for an employee with a serious health condition

Employees who will be away from work for one of these reasons should contact Human Resources for additional information. When possible, an employee should provide at least 30 days advance notice. In the case of an emergency, notification should be made as soon as possible.

01

Failure to accept the acknowledgment statement below can result in your employment application being rejected for failure to meet the minimum qualifications as stated in the job posting. Your application for this employment opportunity will not be reconsidered if you fail to abide by the statements below.COMPLETED APPLICATION ACKNOWLEDGMENT: I hereby acknowledge that I must complete ALL sections of the employment application, including the supplemental questions. I understand that failure to enter all relevant work experience in the work history section of the application will result in the rejection of my employment application. I understand that to knowingly make or cause to be made any false statement, omission, or misrepresentation of a material fact in any application, and/or its supplemental questions, shall be grounds for termination. I also understand that I must provide at least THREE references in the "REFERENCES" section of the application. Furthermore, I acknowledge that Denton County does NOT accept resumes in lieu of completed applications. Please enter your initials and today's date as acceptance of this acknowledgment. If you do not accept this acknowledgment, please understand that your application will be rejected.

02

Do you have a high school diploma or GED?

• yes
• No

03

Please indicate the highest level of education obtained:

• No High School Diploma or GED
• General Equivalency Diploma
• High School Diploma
• Associate's Degree
• Bachelor's Degree
• Master's Degree
• Juris Doctorate
• PHD
• Medical Doctor

04

How many credit hours have you earned at an accredited college or university?This should include hours earned from completion of a degree, hours earned towards a degree, and/or hours earned but not in conjunction with a degree.

• No College Credit - 14 Credit Hours
• 15-29 Credit Hours
• 30-44 Credit Hours
• 45-59 Credit Hours
• 60-89 Credit Hours
• 90-119 Credit Hours
• Credit Hours
• Credit Hours
• Credit Hours
• Credit Hours
• Credit Hours
• Credit Hours
• Credit Hours
• Credit Hours
• Credit Hours
• 390 Credit Hours or more

05

I acknowledge that I must provide the Denton County Human Resources Department with an OFFICIAL transcript confirming hours completed as indicated in the question above, should an employment opportunity be offered and accepted. Please enter your initials and today's date as acknowledgment. If you did not indicate completion of credit hours, please enter N/A.

06

Please select the years of full-time experience you have in medical investigation work, police work, a health related field, or in another related field:NOTE: YOU MUST COMPLETE THE WORK HISTORY SECTION OF THE EMPLOYMENT APPLICATION TO INCLUDE THE VERIFIABLE FULLTIME EQUIVALENT YEARS OF EXPERIENCE AS INDICATED OR BE DISQUALIFIED.

• Less Than 6 Months
• At least 6 Months, but less than 1 Year
• 1 Year
• At least 1 Year 6 months, but less than 2 years
• 2 Years
• 3 Years
• 4 Years
• 5 Years
• 6 Years
• 7 Years
• 8 Years
• 9 Years
• 10 years
• 11 Years
• 12 years
• 13 Years
• 14 Years
• 15 Years or more

07

Do you have at least 5 years of full-time equivalent experience in medical investigation work, police work, a health related field, or in another related field? NOTE: YOU MUST COMPLETE THE WORK HISTORY SECTION OF THE EMPLOYMENT APPLICATION TO INCLUDE THE VERIFIABLE FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT YEARS OF EXPERIENCE AS INDICATED OR BE DISQUALIFIED.

• Yes
• No

08

Do you possess a valid driver's license?

• Yes
• No

09

This position is a part-time position. Are you willing and able to work part-time?

• Yes
• No

10

Where did you hear about this position?

• Denton Record Chronicle
• Indeed
• Craigslist
• Facebook
• Other

11

If you selected "Other" in the previous question, please specify how you were referred to this position.

12

Should you be selected for an interview, you will receive a phone call or email with all the necessary information for scheduling and attending your interview. Please see the acknowledgment below.Failure to accept the acknowledgment statement below can delay the processing of your application. By acknowledging the statement you understand you are responsible for checking your phone messages and email address (provided during online application registration) for information pertaining to potential interviews for this job posting. To ensure proper delivery of emails please add to your email safe list. INTERVIEW ACKNOWLEDGMENT: I hereby acknowledge that all interviews for this vacancy will be communicated via phone or email. Please enter your initials and today's date as acceptance of this acknowledgment. If you do not accept this acknowledgment, please enter N/A.

13

I understand that no employment contract either expressed or implied is created should I be hired by Denton County. I understand that I will be required to pass a drug/alcohol and/or physical examination prior to employment. I also understand that if I am a new employee, I will be required to complete a six (6) month probationary period. I give my consent to Denton County to conduct a background investigation to include: contacting any current and/or previous institutional employers, reference checks, criminal searches and verification of credentials. Please enter your initials and today's date as acceptance of this acknowledgment. If you do not accept this acknowledgment, please understand that your application will be rejected.

Required Question