8-2264

SUFFOLK COUNTY

FORENSIC SCIENTIST I (TRACE EVIDENCE)

CIVIL SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES

http://www.suffolkcountyny.gov/Departments/Civil-Service

· LAST FILING DATE: JUNE 25, 2025

· COUNTY ANNUAL SALARY $78,352

(salary effective 7/1/2024)

· GRADE 21 STEP 11

SPECIFICATION # 2264

All statements made on the application may be verified and the backgrounds of successful candidates are subject to investigation by the appointing authority.

APPLICATION PROCESSING FEE and FEE WAIVER

The application processing fee is $40. Application may be made via the internet at www.suffolkcountyny.gov/Departments/Civil-Service. Payment must be made by VISA or MasterCard credit card and there will be an additional convenience fee of $1.95. An acknowledgement of receipt of application will be sent to all internet applicants via e-mail. A separate application and processing fee are required for each examination (identified by examination number) for which you are applying. The application processing fee is non-refundable and non-transferable.

The application processing fee may be waived for Suffolk County residents who are veterans, active duty military, members of the reserves or National Guard, auxiliary police, firefighters, members in good standing of a local fire district or ambulance company, members of a Volunteer Fire Department or Volunteer Emergency Medical Services Agency Explorers programs, volunteer CERT members and members of the Suffolk County Police Explorers program. The fee may also be waived if you are unemployed and primarily responsible for the support of a household and for recipients of Medicaid, SSI, Public Assistance or those in a training program under the Job Training Partnership Act/Workforce Investment Act administered by a state or local social service agency. Applicants should complete the “Request for Application Fee Waiver and Certification” form online. All claims for application fee waiver are subject to verification.

VACANCIES

The eligible list for this title will be used to fill two current vacancies and future vacancies in the Suffolk County Medical Examiner’s Office.

DUTIES

An employee in this class performs chemical, microscopic, physical, and instrumental analyses of paint, glass, soil, hair & fibers, fire debris and other trace evidence, examines and compares tire and footwear impressions, prepares cast impressions and performs tests on other physical evidence removed from crime scenes. The work involves the use and routine maintenance of sophisticated modern laboratory equipment. The incumbent may be required to issue reports and give sworn testimony in legal proceedings. The incumbent may be assigned to a team that responds to crime scenes. Routine work is performed with some independence, but assignments of greater complexity may be performed under direct supervision, depending on the level of difficulty. Work is reviewed by a technical and/or administrative supervisor through conferences and a review of reports issued. Does related work as required.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Either:

(a) Graduation from a college with federally-authorized accreditation or registration by NY State with a Master's Degree** in one of the natural or forensic sciences, including or supplemented by sixteen (16) credit hours in chemistry, and one (1) year of professional experience* in the analysis of trace evidence; or,

(b) Graduation from a college with federally-authorized accreditation or registration by NY State with a Bachelor's Degree** in one of the natural or forensic sciences, including or supplemented by sixteen (16) credit hours in chemistry, and two (2) years of professional experience* in the analysis of trace evidence.

Note: *Professional experience is defined as experience involving independent responsibility for the analysis of evidence, and may include signing and issuing reports. Qualifying experience must have been gained within the last ten (10) years.

Necessary Special Requirements

At the time of appointment and during employment in this title, employees will be required to possess a valid license to operate a motor vehicle in New York State. Candidates will be subject to a background investigation.

**Please attach to the application a copy of your college transcript(s) which must have your name, college name, and date of graduation printed on it by the institution. Grade reports, incomplete transcripts and other similar documents are unacceptable.

SCOPE OF THE EXAMINATION

There will be no written or oral test for this examination. Candidates who meet the minimum qualifications will receive a rating based on an evaluation of their training and experience against the background of the duties of the position. Please prepare a complete summary of your relevant education and experience for this position.

In your summary of training include a copy of your college transcript(s) showing all college degrees.

In your summary of experience describe fully each relevant position you have held during the past ten (10) years. Give the type of organization and your place within it. Give a clear and precise description of your principal duties and responsibilities in forensic trace evidence. Include the percent of work time you normally devote to each.

Applications may be supplemented by a resume, but submission of a resume does not relieve a candidate of the responsibility for completing all sections of the official application. To receive credit for experience on a job, basic information such as your title, name and address of employer, title of supervisor, hours in the work week, dates of employment (including month and year), etc., must be shown. Be as concrete and specific as possible in your summary of training and experience; ambiguity and vagueness will not be resolved in favor of the candidate. Additional information concerning a candidate’s training and experience will not be accepted after the application has been rated. Rank on the eligible list will be determined by the scores received on the training and experience evaluation plus veterans’ credits if applicable.

NOTES

1. Should it become necessary to amend any part of this announcement, the Department of Civil Service reserves the right to make such amendment on the Department’s web page without notification to applicants. The most current copy of this announcement is available during the filing period at www.suffolkcountyny.gov/Departments/Civil-Service.

2. Candidates who filed for this examination more than six months ago are advised to amend their applications to include current information.

LOCAL

DATE PREPARED: May 19, 2025

GENERAL CONDITIONS OPEN-COMPETITIVE ANNOUNCEMENT

1. Application may be made using the Suffolk County Application for Employment (Forms CS-205A and CS-205B).

2. Applicants may complete a “Request for Application Fee Waiver and Certification” form and submit it with Forms CS-205A and CS-205B.

3. Candidates must meet the minimum qualifications by the date of the written test, or last filing date in the case of training and experience evaluations. Candidates who are within twelve months of obtaining the minimum education requirements will be allowed into the examination on a pending basis. Unless otherwise stated part-time experience will be pro-rated.

4. Candidates found ineligible to compete in the written examination may appeal to the Department of Civil Service for reconsideration prior to the written test date appearing on this announcement. Appeals received on or after the announced written test date will not be considered.

5. Candidates who fail the examination, or who fail to appear for the examination as scheduled, will be eliminated from further consideration for purposes of this competition. Unless otherwise specified, the final rank order of the eligible list will be determined on the basis of the score received on the written test, plus veterans’ credits where appropriate.

6. Eligible applicants will be notified when and where to appear for examination. If an application is rejected, due notice will be sent.

7. Unless specifically prohibited by the examination instructions, candidates are permitted to use quiet, hand-held, solar or battery-powered calculators. Devices with typewriter keyboards, spell-checker, personal digital assistant, address books, language translators, dictionaries and any similar devices are prohibited.

8. When the examination is prepared and rated by the Suffolk County Department of Civil Service, the provisions of the Suffolk County Civil Service Rules dealing with the rating of examination will apply.

9. When the written examination is prepared and rated by the New York State Department of Civil Service in accordance with Section 23-2 of the Civil Service Law, the provisions of the New York State Civil Service Rules and Regulations which deal with the rating of examination will apply.

10. The eligible list established as a result of this examination will remain in force for at least one year and may be extended by the Department of Civil Service for a maximum of four years. Changing conditions may make it necessary to certify to future vacancies at higher or lower salaries than those announced.

11. Information regarding eligibility for veterans’ credits appears on the open-competitive application form.

12. Pursuant to Section 85-a of the Civil Service Law, children of firefighters and police officers killed in the line of duty shall be entitled to receive an additional ten points added to a passing score attained in a competitive examination for original appointment in the same municipality in which his or her parent served. If you are qualified to participate in this examination, and you are the child of a firefighter or police officer killed in the line of duty, please so notify us in writing when you submit your application for examination. A candidate claiming such credit must submit appropriate documentation to verify eligibility to receive these additional credits before the eligible list is established. No additional credits will be granted after the eligible list is established.

13. Inquiries may be made as to character and ability and all statements made by candidates are subject to verification. Some employers may require the candidate to be fingerprinted and to pass a background investigation.

14. Candidates must be medically, physically and psychologically capable of performing the duties of the job. Candidates who are appointed to positions in the Suffolk County service may be required to pass qualifying medical and/or physical and/or psychological evaluations.

15. Residency is not required for taking any examinations. However, some jurisdictions, such as schools, libraries, etc., give hiring preference to residents. Some towns also require employees to establish residency within the township. For employment in a Suffolk County Department, with only limited exceptions set forth in Suffolk County Law, residency within Suffolk County is required within five years of employment with the county. In any case in which residency preference is given, the appointee(s) must meet a specific residency standard as defined in the Civil Service Rules.

16. Saturday Sabbath Observers and handicapped persons: If special arrangements for testing are required, indicate this on your application.

17. No smoking is permitted in the building or on the grounds of the examination site.

18. If you will be on active military duty with the armed forces of the United States on the date of this test, please contact the Suffolk County Department of Civil Service before the last filing date appearing on this announcement for alternate test date information.

19. Multiple Examinations Scheduled for the Same Day: If you have applied to take a written test announced by either one or several local jurisdictions (county, town, city) scheduled to be held on the same test date as this written test, you must notify each of the local jurisdictions no later than two weeks before the test date, so they can make arrangements for taking all tests at one test site. All examinations for positions in State government will be held at a State examination center. If you have any questions, please call the Suffolk County Department of Civil Service at (631) 853-5500.

20. For information regarding a weather-related cancellation of this examination, please refer to our website at www.suffolkcountyny.gov/Departments/Civil-Service.

Suffolk County Department of Civil Service

725 Veterans Memorial Hwy.,

William J. Lindsay County Complex, Bldg. # 158

P.O. Box 6100, Hauppauge, NY 11788-0099

Phone: (631) 853-5500