Medical Legal Investigator

Salary : $56,594.10 - $90,324.62 Annually

Location : Fort Lauderdale, FL

Job Type : Full-Time

Job Number : 1413256

Department : Med Exam Operations

Opening Date : 01 / 03 / 2025

Closing Date : Continuous

Veterans' Preference Notice : Under Section 295.07, Florida Statutes, certain servicemembers and veterans, and the spouses and family members of such servicemembers and veterans, receive preference and priority, and certain servicemembers may be eligible to receive waivers for postsecondary educational requirements, in employment with Broward County and are encouraged to apply for the positions being filled.

REQUIREMENTS AND PREFERENCES

The Broward County Board of County Commissioners is seeking qualified candidates for Medical Legal Investigator.

NOTE : Announcement is open until a sufficient number of applications are received and may close at any time.

General Description

Performs technical, laboratory and investigative work in the Office of the Medical Examiner.

Works under general supervision, independently developing work methods and sequences.

Supervision is provided by a technical or administrative superior through work assignment and review of completed tasks.

Minimum Education and Experience Requirements

Requires either an associate's degree in criminal justice or biological science plus evidence of six (6) months volunteer work or internship in the field or one (1) year of related investigation experience including six (6) months knowledge and experience in the use of medical terminology.

Special Certifications and Licenses Required

American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigator (ABMDI) certification, minimum at the Diplomat Level, must be obtained within 24 months of hire and maintained for duration of employment. Must possess and maintain a valid Florida Class E Driver's License for duration of assignment

Preferences

Bachelor's or master's degree in criminal justice, biological science or related field.

ABMDI-D or ABMDI-F Certification

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The functions listed below are those that represent the majority of the time spent working in this class. Management may assign additional functions related to the type of work of the job as necessary.

Responds to scenes, photographs and examines deceased for documentation and assists in determining the cause and manner of death; assists in positive identification; writes detailed scene report to provide the medical examiner with a description of the scene.

Enters the cause and manner of death, researches / locates next of kin of deceased; relays information to the assigned funeral home once the office received body released from next of kin; assists family members with identifying and releasing bodies; oversees the cremation program for the Office of the Medical Examiner.

Requests medical records from doctor's office and hospitals; speaks to the deceased's doctors to obtain further medical history.

Answers phones (answer general questions from family members, funeral homes, and others); interfaces with public, answers indigent cremation program inquiries; investigates and answers inquiries about cold cases and unidentified bodies.

Contacts the police in reportable deaths in accordance with Office of the Medical Examiner's procedures and protocols.

Develops physical description of cadavers by viewing the body. Researches missing person reports, comparing physical descriptions to assist in identifying persons.

May assist with crime laboratory work in the field, assembling material evidence. Follows internal procedures to ensure proper handling of evidence including drugs, medicines, poison, x-rays of ballistic location in cadavers, fingerprints, weapons, etc.

Organizes case records for the deceased for cases to be processed by the Medical Examiner's Office. Case data includes medical and family history, reports of circumstances and evidence surrounding the death.

Follows up on cases until a final disposition is reached.

Prepares death certificates, releases of the body and other narrative and technical reports / forms as required by the situation. Prepares summary reports or cases using computer applications and enters case data into the Office of the Medical Examiner's data base.

Receives notice of death by telephone, in person, or from written reports. Conducts interviews to gather information surrounding the terminal event including physical descriptions of decedents and their personal habits; determines appropriate action to be taken.

Using established criteria determines if cases fall under the jurisdiction of the Medical Examiner's Office and initiates action for applicable cases.

Depending on assignment, may act as lead worker assisting with the training and work of other investigators, and interviewing and research in office and field setting to determine the cause and manner of death.

Depending on assignment, may be assigned the task of overseeing the Indigent Program, which assists in the proper disposition of unclaimed and indigent bodies within Broward County.

Depending on assignment, may be assigned the task of overseeing the death certificates submitted for cremation approval that must be reviewed, and possibly investigated, each business day for the approval of the Medical Examiner on duty.

Depending on assignment, may be assigned the task of overseeing Broward County's cold cases, along with performing casework on all of the unidentified persons currently falling under the jurisdiction of Broward Medical Examiner's Office.

Depending on assignment, may be assigned the task of assisting with the purchasing and oversee the maintenance of investigative equipment, uniforms and County vehicles.

Performs related work as assigned.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

Physical Demands

Physical demands refer to the requirements for physical exertion and coordination of limb and body movement.

Performs medium work that involves walking, standing, stooping, stretching, or lifting all of the time and also involves exerting between 20 and 50 pounds of force on a regular and recurring basis or exceptional skill, adeptness, and speed in the use of fingers, hands, or limbs in tasks involving very close tolerances or limits of accuracy.

Unavoidable Hazards

Unavoidable hazards refer to the job conditions that may lead to injury or health hazards even though precautions have been taken.

Involves routine and frequent exposure to radiation; disease / pathogens.

Involves routine and frequent exposure to extreme heat and / or cold, wet or humid conditions, odors, dust, poor ventilation, fumes.

Involves routine and frequent exposure to toxic / caustic chemicals.

SPECIAL INFORMATION

Competencies

• Tech Savvy

Anticipates and adopts innovations in business-building digital and technology applications. Investigates technologies to learn some cutting-edge best practices. Uses digital / social media to benefit the team and add value to the work being done; understands how to avoid misuse of these tools.

Makes sense of complex, high quantity, and sometimes contradictory information to effectively solve problems. Quickly determines the most critical data and focuses analysis there; recognizes even subtle symptoms that indicate problems; probes deeply for root causes; uses systematic problem-solving methods. Well.

Makes good and timely decisions that keep the organization moving forward. Swiftly internalizes coaching on routine issues; handles issues confidently after instruction. Leverages rules and procedures to speed up decision making. Confidently and quickly draws on others' expertise.

Knows the most effective and efficient processes to get things done, with a focus on continuous improvement. Pursues, explores, and develops ways to ensure own work is as effective as possible within all relevant processes. Shares an analysis of process problems with stakeholders; discusses how to resolve the issue.

County Core Values

All Broward County employees strive to demonstrate the County's four core behavioral competencies.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Compliance

Broward County is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to inclusion. Broward County is committed to providing equal opportunity and reasonable accommodations to qualified persons with disabilities. We support the hiring of people with disabilities; therefore, if you require assistance due to a disability, please contact the Professional Standards Section in advance at 954-357-6500 or email Profstandards@broward.org to make an accommodation request.

Emergency Management Responsibilities

Note : During emergency conditions, all County employees are automatically considered emergency service workers. County employees are subject to being called to work in the event of a disaster, such as a hurricane, or other emergency situation and are expected to perform emergency service duties, as assigned.

County-wide Employee Responsibilities

All Broward County employees must serve the public and fellow employees with honesty and integrity in full accord with the letter and spirit of Broward County's Employee Code of Ethics, gift, and conflict of interest policies.

All Broward County employees must establish and maintain effective working relationships with the general public, co-workers, elected and appointed officials and members of diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, political affiliation, familial status, sexual orientation, pregnancy, or gender identity and expression.

Broward is a dynamic county that offers an exciting, stable career with incredible employee benefits such as 11 annual holidays, accrued annual / vacation and sick leave, FRS retirement, $50,000 of free life insurance, training and development, and participation eligibility in a deferred compensation (457) plan with a match up to $2,600. In addition, Broward County offers 2 health plans, a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) with a County-funded Health Savings Account (HSA), and a Consumer Driven Health plan (CDH), Dental insurance, Vision insurance and Section 125 Flexible spending accounts for Medical Expenses and Dependent Care. Part-time 20 benefit eligible employees receive the benefits described above at a reduced amount.

Please select your highest level of degree in Criminal Justice or Biological Science.

In what field is your degree?

Do you have 6 (six) months of volunteer work or internship in the field OR one (1) year of related investigation experience including six (6) months knowledge and experience in the use of medical terminology? If yes, please specify how many years and type of experience.

Do you currently possess the American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigator (ABMDI) certification?

Do you understand that this position requires you to handle deceased bodies that may have traumatic injuries?

Do you understand that this position may expose you to a variety of potential biological hazards, such as blood?

Are you willing to work in such a potentially bio-hazardous environment, using Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)?

Are you willing to work late or come in early in order to meet deadlines and job responsibilities?

Are you able to be on-call and respond to work requirements after hours, on weekends, and on holidays?

What technique or steps would you take to detach yourself emotionally from working with dead bodies and the trauma that can be associated with them?

You are on the scene of a suicide death and the family is demanding to see their loved one prior to being transported to the Medical Examiner's Office. How would you handle this situation?

Please describe your interest in the field of medico-legal death investigation.

Please explain your interest in the Medical-Legal investigator position with Broward County and why you would be the best person for this position.

Required Question

Salary : $56,594 - $90,325