Company Description
The San Francisco Police Department was established in 1849 and continues to evolve as an effective, inclusive, and modern police organization. We are focused on maintaining the trust of the people who live, work, and visit San Francisco by reviewing our initiatives, learning from best practices, and adapting to the changing needs of the City.
The San Francisco Police Department stands for safety with respect for all. We are committed to just, transparent, unbiased, and responsive policing carried out with dignity and in partnership with the community. We collaborate with community members and City partners to promote safety, fairness, and trust across San Francisco, with an emphasis on strong relationships and support for the well‑being of our neighborhoods.
The Department is dedicated to excellence in law enforcement and to the people, traditions, and diversity of San Francisco. Our mission is to keep the public safe by protecting life and property, preventing crime, and reducing the fear of crime. We provide service with understanding, respond with compassion, and perform with integrity as we continue to grow as a forward‑thinking organization serving one of the most dynamic cities in the country.
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Application Opening: August 21, 2026
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Application Deadline: Apply immediately, announcement may close any time after 2 weeks from posting date.
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Class & Compensation: $104,338 - $126,802
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Appointment Type: Permanent Exempt - This position is excluded by the Charter from the competitive Civil Service examination process and shall serve at the discretion of the Appointing Officer. The duration of the appointment shall not exceed 36 months.
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Work Location: 1995 Evans Ave, San Francisco, CA 94124
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Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, Full-time. Up to one day a week Telecommuting work schedule available in line with CCSF policy based on available work/assigned duties. Some assignments may require working weekends and/or holidays.
Job Description
Once trained and under general supervision, the Criminalist I in Digital Forensics performs scientific examination, analysis, and interpretation of physical and digital evidence in support of criminal investigations.
The Criminalist I staff follow established protocols, document analytical results, maintain the integrity of evidence, and provide technical findings to investigators and the courts. Work requires adherence to professional forensic standards, chain‑of‑custody requirements, and quality assurance procedures.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities
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Collect, preserve, examine, process, and analyze digital evidence, including digital media, computers, mobile devices, storage media, cloud environments, and related forensic material.
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Conduct forensic examinations and scientific testing using established laboratory procedures, instruments, specialized forensic software and hardware, and other approved digital forensic tools to recover, authenticate, interpret, and analyze evidence.
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Maintain the integrity, security, and chain of custody of physical and digital evidence in accordance with forensic best practices, laboratory requirements, and departmental policies, including the transportation of evidence between authorized locations.
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Interpret analytical results and prepare clear, concise, and technically accurate reports documenting examination methods, procedures, findings, and conclusions for investigative and judicial purposes.
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Maintain complete and accurate case notes, laboratory records, examination documentation, and other records required for casework, quality assurance, and accreditation.
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Assist with the development, validation, implementation, and periodic review of forensic methods, laboratory procedures, digital forensic processes, and related documentation.
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Maintain, calibrate, and operate laboratory instruments, equipment, and forensic systems in accordance with manufacturer specifications, laboratory requirements, and established procedures.
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Follow established quality assurance and quality control practices, safety requirements, evidence handling procedures, and forensic protocols.
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Participate in proficiency testing, competency assessments, required training, continuing education, and literature reviews; remain current on scientific, technological, and forensic developments relevant to assigned disciplines.
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Provide expert testimony in court and other legal proceedings regarding examinations performed, analytical methods used, findings, and conclusions reached.
The Criminalist I performs related duties as assigned.
Qualifications
How to qualify: To be considered, you must possess the following education and experience.
1. Education: Possession of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited four-year college or university with major course work in criminalistics, chemistry, biochemistry, molecular biology, or a closely related physical science field.
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2. License: Possession of a valid California Driver’s License.
Desirable Qualifications: The stated desirable qualifications may be considered at the end of the selection process when candidates are referred to for hiring.
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Exposure to digital forensics tools or methods through coursework, internships, research, or certificate programs.
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Familiarity with basic principles of digital evidence (file systems, data storage, metadata, timestamps, etc.).
Verification of Education and Experience: Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. If education verification is required, information on how to verify education requirements, including verifying foreign education credits or degree equivalency, can be found at https://sfdhr.org/how-verify-education-requirements
Falsifying one’s education, training, or work experience or attempted deception on the application may result in disqualification for this and future job opportunities with the City and County of San Francisco.
All work experience, education, training and other information substantiating how you meet the minimum qualifications must be included on your application by the filing deadline. Information submitted after the filing deadline will not be considered in determining whether you meet the minimum qualifications.
Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of a completed City and County of San Francisco application.
Applications completed improperly may be cause for ineligibility or disqualification.
Background Investigation: Prior to employment with the San Francisco Police Department, a thorough background investigation will be conducted to determine the candidate’s suitability for employment. The investigation may include, but not be limited to: criminal history records, driving records, drug/alcohol screening, and other related employment and personal history records. Reasons for rejection may include use of controlled substances and alcohol, felony conviction, repeated or serious violations of the law, inability to work with co-workers, inability to accept supervision, inability to follow rules and regulations or other relevant factors. Candidates may be required to undergo drug/alcohol screening, and must clear Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation fingerprinting. Criminal records will be carefully reviewed; candidates who do not report their complete criminal records on their applications will be disqualified. Applicants will be fingerprinted.
Additional Information
Applications for City and County of San Francisco jobs are only accepted through an online process.
Visit https://careers.smartrecruiters.com/CityAndCountyOfSanFrancisco1/ and begin the application process.
- Select the “I’m Interested” button and follow instructions on the screen
Applicants may be contacted by email about this recruitment and, therefore, it is their responsibility to ensure that their registered email address is accurate and kept up to date. Also, applicants must ensure that email from CCSF is not blocked on their computer by a spam filter. To prevent blocking, applicants should set up their email to accept CCSF mail from the following addresses (@sfgov.org, @sfdpw.org, @sfport.com, @flysfo.com, @sfwater.org, @sfdph.org, @asianart.org, @sfmta.com, @sfpl.org, @dcyf.org, @first5sf.org, @famsf.org, @ccsf.edu, @smartalerts.info, and @smartrecruiters.com).
Applicants will receive a confirmation email that their online application has been received in response to every announcement for which they file. Applicants should retain this confirmation email for their records. Failure to receive this email means that the online application was not submitted or received.
If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the Recruitment Analyst, Danny Wan, at [email protected]
Additional Information Regarding Employment with the City and County of San Francisco:
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Information About The Hiring Process
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Conviction History
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Employee Benefits Overview
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Equal Employment Opportunity
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Disaster Service Worker
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ADA Accommodation
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Right to Work
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Copies of Application Documents
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Diversity Statement
SFPD Recruitment: https://www.joinsfpd.com/
The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.
