Position Overview
Criminal investigators investigate potential cases and gather evidence related to assigned criminal incidents. Generally assigned cases include burglaries, homicides, assaults, and other law violations.
The routine duties involve collecting and studying crime-related facts to identify the criminal or offender and to prove a suspect either guilty or innocent of the claimed charges.
Following is a complete list of duties and responsibilities for a criminal investigator. You may use these bullet statements to build/update your resume for the criminal investigator position.
Job Description for Criminal Investigator Resume
• Write affidavits for obtaining search warrants and arrest permits
• Take fingerprints and process the same for identification
• Tape crime scenes and collect evidence
• Preserve crime scene evidence and submit the same for laboratory analysis
• Attend autopsies and make notes for case solving
• Compile all collected evidence to issue case reports while maintaining the confidentiality
• Interview suspects and witnesses to cross-check information for determining the factual happenings and gaining a greater insight into the incident
• Set up surveillance equipment and monitor suspect movements
• Coordinate case progress and exchange important information with forensic investigation agencies and federal law enforcement authorities
• Follow up on case leads and conduct background checks on prime suspects
• Assess the crime scene and process evidence pieces after preserving the same
• Submit samples for DNA analysis and drug screening to help solve the case
• Conduct covert surveillance operations to identify and expose criminal activity
• Search through computer records to determine suspects’ guilt or innocence
• Collect and examine crime scene evidence including fingerprints, recovered weapons, blood samples, and pieces of clothing
• Detain suspects for interrogation and obtain detention warrants from law enforcing agencies until the investigation is complete
• Organize and manage caseloads effectively while meeting case deadlines
• Develop and submit complete case reports at the conclusion while maintaining information confidentiality
• Collaborate with other authorizes in criminal research, surveillance set up, and transcription
• Analyze the case in detail and determine its scope, timing, and exact location
• Determine the missing pieces of evidence collected upon detailed analysis of charges or law violation allegations
• Utilize expert knowledge of state laws relevant to case allegations to determine evidence sufficiency
• Participate in policy amendments for reduction of crime rate based on criminal research
• Serve as primary case investigator for cases assigned by the inspector general
• Determine crime motive propositions and develop the cases on these hypotheses, checking them for validity through extensive criminal research
• Utilize various investigative methods including lie detectors to determine the validity of the information being provided by the suspects or the witnesses
• Tactfully plan and conduct investigations, communicating and collaborating each step effectively with the assigned team
• Investigate drug-related crimes and identify cases of violations of federal code statutes for exposing illegal drug dealing activities
• Develop productive relationships with informants and ensure their security to create a facilitative atmosphere for case investigation