DEPUTY CHIEF OF DETECTIVES- STATE INVESTIGATOR, DEPARTMENT OF LAW & PUBLIC SAFETY

Definition

Under general direction of the Chief of Detectives- State Investigator, or other superior official in the Division of Criminal Justice, assists in the planning, developing, organizing, coordinating, directing, and evaluating of investigative objectives and in overseeing the administration of investigating activities conducted in compliance with state enforcement programs; is authorized to exercise all powers and rights of police officers, constables, and special deputy sheriffs in criminal matters, and is empowered to act as an officer for the detection, apprehension, arrest, and conviction of offenders against the law; performs other related administrative and managerial responsibilities as required.

Examples of work

• Exercises all powers and rights of police officers, constables, and special deputy sheriffs in criminal matters, and functions as a law enforcement officer for the detection, apprehension, arrest, and prosecution of offenders against the law.
• Oversees and directs complex, comprehensive investigations.
• Oversees and directs investigations, including multimillion dollar investigations, conducted by assigned investigative personnel to prepare cases for prosecution involving alleged noncompliance with or violations of New Jersey state statutes.
• Advises the Chief of Detectives on the status of all ongoing investigations, and recommends short term and long range initiatives pursuant to establishing prosecution criteria of persons or organizations engaged in alleged illegal activities.
• Directs and coordinates the assigned workload of the division's state investigators engaged in organizing investigations at varying levels of difficulty and complexity concerning criminal, and civil violations of state statutes and public laws.
• Plans, develops, and implements investigation procedures used to improve complex, specialized, and nonroutine investigative functions, and updates the State Investigator's Manual accordingly.
• Establishes and monitors uniform policies/procedures for investigative personnel and personally assumes control of complex and major phases of investigations when warranted by circumstances or directed by superiors.
• Monitors investigative program needs and directs redeployment of personnel from various investigative sections and units to meet changing investigative priorities, deadline assignments, and to ensure attainment of investigative objective and case closure.
• Manages work operations and/or functional programs, and has responsibility for employee evaluations and for effectively recommending the hiring, firing, promoting, demoting, and/or disciplining of employees.
• Maintains liaison and working relationships with international/federal/state/local law enforcement officials on matters of mutual interest, and advises superiors of possible impact of other law enforcement actions of state investigators assigned temporarily to other jurisdictions and/or taskforce cases.
• Coordinates the presentation of conducted investigations for prosecution, and testifies as a state witness before grand juries, courts of law, and other judicial bodies.
• Recommends budgeting, employment, promotions, programs, retention, training, and other personnel and administrative actions concerning state investigation initiatives and programs of the Department of Law and Public Safety.
• Supervises and coordinates extradition of all defendants from other and foreign jurisdictions, and reviews affidavits for search warrants, consensual authorizations, and wiretap orders, and oversees their execution.
• Coordinates the supervision of reviews and searches and seizures relative to certain investigations, and inventory of items seized pursuant to the authority granted by NJ State Statutes relating to seizure and/or forfeiture laws.
• Plans, assigns, and directs the workload of subordinate supervising personnel to ensure efficiency and compliance with established laws and governing polices; advises other affected personnel on changes in policies, directives, regulations, precedents, investigative techniques, and other matters relating to the technical/ administrative aspects of assigned work requirements and caseload mandates.
• Oversees and coordinates programs of instruction to properly utilize various types of video, photographic, audio, and electronic communications, computer information systems, and other types of recording equipment, devices, and manual records used by the agency and in the corporate, casino, gaming, and financial environment.
• Monitors individual/unit/section investigative productivity and case closure accountability with superior officers of assigned sections and units, and develops and reviews training procedures and evaluates in-house training programs of State Investigators for firearms qualification requirements, caseload progress, goal accomplishments, reporting logs, and daily activity reporting and surveillance reports.
• Ensures all subordinate investigators are following state grand jury plea, immunity, pretrial intervention, electronic surveillance, arrest, evidence retention, administrative, and case tracking standard operating procedures established by the Attorney General.
• Coordinates and supervises large scale covert type operations, and maintains records for such cases; for the Division of Criminal Justice, functions as principal security officer and is responsible for securing the physical premises which house the offices and evidence vaults by developing security plans, policies, and procedures and by instructing and assigning investigators and other authorized personnel as required.
• Will be required to learn to utilize various types of electronic and/or manual recording and information systems used by the agency, office, or related units.

Education

Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor's degree.

Experience

Nine (9) years of investigatory experience as a sworn law enforcement officer conducting investigations, collecting evidence, and/or preparing investigative reports related to criminal and/or civil matters involving acts of criminal and/or civil misconduct, five (5) years of which shall have been in a supervisory capacity.

License

Appointees will be required to possess a driver's license valid in New Jersey only if the operation of a vehicle, rather than employee mobility, is necessary to perform essential duties of the position.

Knowledge, skills and abilities

• Knowledge of law enforcement investigative techniques.
• Knowledge of law enforcement operations and procedures on local/state/national/federal/international levels.
• Knowledge of investigative systems, methodologies, and procedures including the continuous revision and alteration of investigative methods and procedures as may be required.
• Knowledge of principles of communications to achieve desired results.
• Knowledge of management principles and supervisory techniques.
• Knowledge of practices and techniques of employee supervision and conducting evaluations and performance assessments.
• Knowledge of methods used in developing work procedures and in delegating work assignments, instructions, and directions to subordinate supervisory investigators.
• Knowledge of programs for directing the care, usage, security, training, and integrity of firearms and other restraint and defense equipment.
• Knowledge of electronic communications equipment and database software applications utilized in the performance of assigned duties.
• Knowledge of procedures for recording statements attained from witnesses during the course of an investigation.
• Knowledge of surveillance methods and procedures.
• Knowledge of principles and practices of identifying needs assessment.
• Knowledge of principles and techniques of mediation.
• Knowledge of public and government resources management concepts and techniques.
• Ability to exercise all powers and rights of police officers, constables, and special deputy sheriffs in criminal matters and to function as a law enforcement officer for the detection, apprehension, arrest, and prosecution of offenders against the law.
• Ability to prepare and provide detailed reports on any issues, cases, problems, or conditions warranting specific action and the action taken.
• Ability to interrogate and interview witnesses and evaluate the reliability/credibility of witnesses' oral or written statements.
• Ability to maintain informants and to isolate legal implications from the interrogations and information attained from interviews of witnesses.
• Ability to evaluate and gather intelligence information and to identify and direct the pursuit of potential investigative areas.
• Ability to direct investigations of detecting white-collar methods of defrauding the public, corruption, and complicated civil/criminal antitrust matters.
• Ability to prepare and direct the preparation of detailed and/or technically concise, accurate financial and investigative reports containing findings, conclusions, and recommendations.
• Ability to maintain liaison and working relationship with local/state/national/federal/international law enforcement agencies.
• Ability to give and solicit testimony involving investigations for use before a court of law or other investigative forums or hearings.
• Ability to testify as a state witness in investigations before grand juries, courts of law, or other judicial or hearing forums.
• Ability to make decisions and determine what recommendations should be referred to superiors.
• Ability to qualify with firearms on a semiannual basis.
• Ability to instruct and oversee programs on how to properly utilize various types of video, photographic, audio, and electronic communications, computer information systems, other types of recording equipment, devices, and manual recordings used by the agency.
• Ability to learn to utilize various types of electronic and/or manual recording and information systems used by the agency, office, or related units.
• Ability to read, write, speak, understand, and communicate in English sufficiently to perform the duties of this position. American Sign Language or Braille may also be considered as acceptable forms of communication.
• Persons with mental or physical disabilities are eligible as long as they can perform essential functions of the job with or without reasonable accommodation. If the accommodation cannot be made because it would cause the employer undue hardship, such persons may not be eligible.
• CODE: 36/M-36 MER 04/11/09

Note

The definition and examples of work for this title are for illustrative purposes only. A particular position using this title may not perform all duties listed in this job specification. Conversely, all duties performed on the job may not be listed.

Experience as a police officer performing criminal follow-up investigations (not preliminary investigations) may be substituted for the above non-supervisory experience on a year-for-year basis.

Applicants who do not possess the required education may substitute additional experience as indicated on a year-for-year basis with thirty (30) semester hour credits being equal to one (1) year of experience.

A Master's degree or Certified Public Accounting Certificate (CPA) may be substituted for one (1) year of the indicated non-supervisory experience.

<b>AGE:</b>

Not less than 18 years of age

<b>CITIZENSHIP:</b>

Must be a citizen of the United States.

<b> MEDICAL EXAMINATION:</b>

As a prerequisite for appointment, appointees may be required to pass a thorough medical and psychiatric examination to be administered by the appointing authority. Any psychological, medical or physical condition or defect which would prevent efficient performance of the duties of the position, cause the appointee to be a hazard to himself/herself or others, or become aggravated as a result of performance of these duties, will be cause for rejection.

<b>SPECIAL QUALIFICATIONS:</b>

Applicants must have successfully completed the police training commission course administered by the Police Training Commission. This training includes successful attainment of a required level of proficiency in the use of firearms.

Appointees to this position shall qualify semi-annually in the use of firearms.

<b>SPECIAL NOTE:</b>

Applicants accepting employment are required to adhere to employment restrictions that they not pursue outside gainful employment during their tenure with the Division of Criminal Justice unless approved by the Attorney General.