Public Defender Investigator II

About the role

The Public Defender's Office provides legal representation to indigent persons charged with crimes in Monterey County, ranging from the simplest misdemeanor to complex capital cases. The guiding principle of the office is that each client is entitled to the best outcome legally attainable. Our attorney’s, investigators and support staff take great pride in providing a consistently high level of service.

Responsibilities

• Independently conducts investigations of the more complex and sensitive misdemeanor and felony cases referred to the Public Defender’s Office, such as murder cases.
• Evaluates various types of evidence and advises attorneys in investigative procedures and techniques, physical evidence matters, and information sources.
• Aids attorneys in the preparation and presentation of defense evidence and testimony.
• Locates and interviews defendants, complainants, and witnesses; interviews police and other public agencies, and others who may have official or professional information relevant to a legal defense.
• Confers with the attorneys on the reliability and credibility of witnesses; helps prepare witnesses’ testimony.
• Makes arrangements or transports witnesses to and from court or to court-ordered programs; arranges travel and lodging needs for out-of-county witnesses; attends to appropriate witness fee payments.
• Locates, obtains, evaluates, and preserves documentary evidence from a variety of sources.
• Prepares and provides oral and written reports and correspondence regarding investigation performed, contacts made, physical evidence found, which includes statements, scene descriptions, and analysis of physical evidence.
• Gathers, marks, records, and preserves physical evidence; determines the importance and relevance of the evidence in investigations.
• Operates and maintains a variety of photographic, tape, graphic, and projection equipment.
• Photographs crime scenes, clients’ injuries for use as evidence in cases, and prepares photographic line-ups for witness review.
• Serves subpoenas for court appearances of defense witnesses.
• Searches computer resources.
• May testify in court regarding investigations and the evidence obtained.

Requirements

Thorough Knowledge Of Principles, methods, and techniques of criminal investigations, including gathering, preserving, and presenting evidence, basic identification techniques, and methods of operation.

Working Knowledge Of Laboratory procedures, methods, and uses of scientific investigative equipment and analysis incident to the investigation of crimes.

Investigative methods applied in the penalty phase of capital offense cases.

Criminal law, including the laws of arrest, search and seizure, subpoena service, rules of evidence, rules and regulations regarding juveniles, laws, regulations, and procedures regarding conservatorship, custody, and mental health proceedings, and courtroom procedures in felony, misdemeanor, and juvenile court or jury trial matters.

Basic psychological principles, interviewing techniques, and interrogating witnesses of varied socio-economic and cultural backgrounds, and mentally deficient clients.

Current technology and trends in the profession.

Telephone, office, and online etiquette.

Location of and means to obtain information, evidence, records, and reports, including the use of skip tracing techniques.

Techniques employed in diagramming and making demonstrative evidence to be presented in court.

Mental defenses to a crime such as diminished capacity and legal insanity.

Qualifications

• Possess and maintain a valid California Class C driver license or the ability to arrange necessary and timely transportation for field travel.
• Be available to work a flexible schedule, including evenings, weekends, holidays, and during times of disaster and/or emergency; travel out of County to attend meetings.

Skills

• Gather, assemble, analyze, and evaluate facts and evidence to draw logical conclusions and to formulate sound recommendations.
• Be objective in fact finding.
• Determine priorities and importance of various types of evidence.
• Effectively communicate in oral and written form by preparing, reviewing, and evaluating comprehensive reports on investigations.
• Obtain information through interviews.
• Work effectively under decreasing supervision, over time.
• Communicate clearly, concisely, calmly, respectfully, effectively, and diplomatically in dealing with clients, management, other employees, subordinates, professionals from other agencies, and the public from diverse cultures and backgrounds.
• Maintain effective audio-visual discrimination and perception needed for making observations, communicating with others, and reading and writing.
• Maintain mental capacity, which allows the ability of making sound decisions and demonstrating intellectual capabilities.
• Exercise good judgment and tact in dealing with sensitive cases.
• Develop demonstrative evidence for use in court, such as diagrams, charts, and photographs.
• Testify in court in a direct, clear, and concise manner.
• Read and comprehend legal material.
• Deal effectively with various levels of government, law enforcement agencies, judicial groups, and individuals.
• Recognize potentially hostile situations; adapt to many different environments; function calmly in situations which require a high degree of sensitivity, tact, and diplomacy.
• Provide prompt, efficient, and responsive service to management, the attorneys, and/or the clients.
• Exercise appropriate judgment in answering questions and releasing information; analyze and project consequences of decisions and/or recommendations.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with employees, other criminal justice agencies, courts, and the public.
• Use laptop and personal computers, word processing programs, and access the internet; learn computer programs and databases; use computer presentation software.
• Use film and digital photographic equipment; use measuring devices; draw diagrams to scale; operate various scientific investigation equipment.

Benefits

The County of Monterey offers an excellent benefits package. Please visit our website to view the Unit J Benefit Summary Sheet. This information is not legally binding, nor does it serve as a contract. The benefits listed in the Monterey County Personnel Policies and Practices Resolution or Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) prevail over this listing.