City and County of San Francisco

According to Civil Service Commission Rule 9, the duties specified below are representative of the duties assigned to this class and are not intended to be an inclusive list.

1. Examines and analyzes questioned documents such as threat and extortion letters, bank robbery notes, etc. to determine/develop handwriting patterns or other comparative similarities.

2. Operates highly specialized scientific instrumentation such as stereo microscope, infrared/infrared luminescence, computer-image enhancer and thin layer chromatography in order to resolve questions concerning the age, content, or authenticity of documents.

3. Observes safety regulations in the use of forensic equipment and the preparation, storage and disposal of chemicals to ensure personal safety as well as validity of scientific process.

4. Provides individual instruction to law enforcement personnel in the proper method of taking exemplars of handwriting, handprinting and typewriter specimens.

5. Reviews and interprets private document examiner's reports to Police and District Attorney's investigators.

6. Prepares formal written reports detailing the findings and conclusions of questioned document examinations.

7. Provides expert witness testimony in criminal cases, depositions, and other administrative hearings concerning conclusions drawn from laboratory examinations and analysis.

8. Constructs photographic exhibits and other visual aids used in court hearings or for educational/training purposes.

9. Manages, plans and prioritizes assigned caseload of questioned documents to be examined to ensure timely completion of workload.

10. Prepares reports and maintains statistical records on the number and type of cases examined.

11. Reviews and keeps current on laws pertaining to the rules of evidence in the submission, collection and preservation of evidence.

12. Performs related duties as required.

Knowledge of: handwriting styles and their physiological characteristics, and the proper operation and application of equipment/chemicals in preparing forensic analysis.

Ability to: detect genuineness, forgery, or alterations in questioned documents, prepare formal written reports of findings and conclusions to support legal action, present findings and conclusions clearly and concisely with the use of visual aids in a courtroom or instructional setting, convey orally in layman's terms, the process of examining questioned documents and their results.

Skill in: operating highly specialized equipment and preparing chemical compounds in a safe and secure manner.

Possession of a Baccalaureate degree from an accredited four-year college or university with major course work in a Physical Science; AND

Two years (4000 hours) of verifiable journey-level experience as a forensic document examiner in a recognized crime laboratory for a large public jurisdiction performing detailed and complex examinations of questioned documents. Experience must have included expert witness testimony as a forensic examiner in a court of law.