Champaign County
Job Description

Job Title: Senior State's Attorney Investigator
Department: State's Attorney
Reports To: State's Attorney
FLSA Status: Exempt
Grade Range: I
Prepared Date: August, 2009

SUMMARY Initiates, conducts and co-ordinates investigations in criminal cases in Champaign County, and other jurisdictions upon request, in order to provide assistance to the State's Attorney's staff.

PRIMARY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following. Other duties may be assigned.

Conducts and supplements investigations for staff attorneys. Provides contacts to gather information for locating persons for all local law enforcement agencies.

Assigns investigative work to others, supervises their performance and reviews their findings.

Initiates investigative work to support staff attorneys during pre-trial preparation and trial. May testify in court.

Executes search warrants and serves arrest warrants and subpoenas/summonses on victims, witnesses and defendants at the direction of the State's Attorney.

Locates reluctant, uncooperative and recalcitrant witnesses; provides transportation for those witnesses and monitors their whereabouts throughout court proceedings.

Maintains relationships with local medical providers and co-ordinates service of subpoenas/summonses upon medical personnel. Secures medical release of information authorizations from victims of violent crimes and serves subpoenas duces tecum upon records custodians for medical care facilities to obtain records in the absence of release authorizations.

Maintains relationships with specific sources of information at the U. S. Postal Service and telephone service providers to locate witnesses and to obtain evidentiary materials.

Arranges transportation, lodging and accommodations for out-of-town witnesses.

Works with trial attorneys to obtain and prepare demonstrative exhibits for use at trial, including tape recordings, maps, charts, videotapes and overheads.

Requires skills to interview victims, witnesses and suspects, and documenting the interviews.

Conducts surveillances and undercover operations.

May specialize in child support and enforcement problems.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES May direct one or more employees in investigations for the State's Attorney's Office. Carries out responsibilities in accordance with the organization's policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include planning, assigning, and directing work and determining appropriate information. Position has narrow supervisory responsibility limited to specific assigned investigations.

QUALIFICATIONS To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each primary duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE Prefer Bachelor's degree with at least five years of experience in the criminal justice system. Requires extensive experience in law enforcement and administrative skills; or an acceptable equivalent combination of experience and training. Graduate of Police Training Institute is desirable. Knowledge in the legalities of firearms and skill in identifying various drugs.

LANGUAGE SKILLS Ability to read and interpret documents such as testimony, police reports, operating and maintenance instructions, and legal regulations. Ability to write routine reports and correspondence. Ability to speak effectively before public groups or employees of the organization. Skillful interview techniques are extremely important.

MATHEMATICAL SKILLS Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals. Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent and to draw and interpret bar graphs.

REASONING ABILITY Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of variables in situations where only limited standardization exists. Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS Licensed to carry firearms in Illinois.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the primary functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; and talk; or hear. The employee is occasionally required to climb or balance; stoop; kneel; crouch or crawl; and taste; or smell. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 100 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision and ability to adjust focus.

WORK ENVIRONMENT The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the primary functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently exposed to outside weather conditions. The employee is occasionally exposed to moving mechanical parts; high, precarious places; and explosives. The noise level in the work environment varies from quiet to loud.