Cold Case Investigator - (Contingent Professional) - Police Department, Major Crimes Bureau

Cold Case Investigator - (Contingent Professional) - Police Department, Major Crimes Bureau

Salary

$16.00 - $38.00 Hourly

Location

Warfield Building 3410 Court House Dr: Ellicott City, MD 21043, MD

Job Type

Contingent

Job Number

26-00382

Department

Police

Opening Date

05/18/2026

Closing Date

6/1/2026 11:59 PM Eastern

• Description
• Benefits
• Questions

POSITION SUMMARY/CLASS DESCRIPTION

This position will be responsible for investigating unsolved major criminal cases to include, but not limited to homicides, rapes, missing and unidentified person cases and other significant incidents. Work is performed under general supervision of a sworn supervisor within the Major Crimes Bureau.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Include the following. Other duties may be assigned.

• Identify, locate, and interview potential witnesses and suspects, complete detailed written reports, and present findings to investigators and the Office of the State's Attorney.
• Assist with the review of case files and the identification and collection of physical evidence.
• Present new information to the State's Attorney and the Grand Jury for prosecutorial review.
• Maintain contact with victims and/or family members with case status and updates.
• Communicate with internal and external customers including Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies, the Medical Examiners Office, fingerprint, firearms, and forensic specialists.
• Testify in court when necessary.
• Assist with active criminal investigations where additional resources are needed to support sworn investigators.
• Conduct follow up and interviews.

MINIMUM REQUIRED EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE

Bachelor's degree and one (1) year of experience or equivalent combination of education and experience.

PREFERRED EDUCATION, KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

• Demonstrated experience in law enforcement, performing law enforcement work preferably in homicide and violent crimes investigations.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT:

The physical demands and environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel and talk or hear.
• The employee frequently is required to sit, stand, walk, and reach with hands and arms.
• The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 20 pounds.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, and depth perception.
• Traveling to sites, physically traversing the ground and visually inspecting the meeting area, attending meetings onsite or in other offices/locations.
• The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet.

LANGUAGE SKILLS, MATHEMATICAL SKILLS, AND REASONING ABILITY:

• Demonstrated experience in law enforcement performing law enforcement work.
• Interview and interrogation training and experience.
• Proficiency in MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint software and the ability to work within and develop standard database programs.
• Proficiency with criminal databases.
• Excellent writing, grammar, and punctuation skills.
• Ability to keep information confidential.
• Knowledge/experience with collection and submission of evidence.
• Have an above average level of understanding of Federal and local laws relating to investigations. Organizational skills and the ability to meet deadlines.
• A person in this position represents the Police Department with each contact. For this reason, the person in this position must possess a high level of professionalism.
• Must possess excellent communication skills and work interchangeably with government officials and the general public.
• Must possess strong interpersonal skills due to the nature of cold case investigations.
• Ability to read and interpret documents.
• Ability to write routine reports and correspondence.
• Ability to speak effectively before groups of customers or employees of organization.
• Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals.
• Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent and to draw and interpret bar graphs.
• Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form.
• Ability to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations.
• Ability to travel to and move around job sites independently to conduct investigations, attend meetings, events, and other related work.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES AND REGISTRATIONS

• Class C Maryland Drivers license or equivalent issued by State of residence.
• MILES/NCIC Authorization.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

TO APPLY: You must complete an employment application online to be considered for this recruitment. Resumes cannot be substituted for completion of the job application work history. No paper applications will be accepted.

Selected candidates may be subject to drug screening, background screening, and reference checks.

At time of application, please submit a copy of any college degree, coursework, licenses, or certifications that you have referenced on your application. Applicants who have education obtained outside of the U.S. may need to provide proof of the equivalent U.S. education as determined by a foreign credential evaluation service, such as the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (http://www.naces.org) or World Education Services: International Credential Evaluation (https://www.wes.org/).

Howard County Government is not sponsoring employees in application of the H-1B Visa or providing an extension of an existing H-1B Visa. All applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States under the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986.

Howard County is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer, and we are committed to a workplace that values diversity, equity, and inclusion. The County prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, ancestry, creed, national origin, disability status, genetics, marital status, military service, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. Applicants requiring accommodations during the hiring process should contact the Office of Human Resources directly at HiringPreference@howardcountymd.gov. Requests for accommodations should not be attached to the application.

Employees in this category may not be eligible for all County benefits.

01

The supplemental questions are a very important first step in our screening process. Therefore, you are required to complete these questions so that we may initially determine your eligibility for this position. A lack of detail and explanation in the supplemental questions and in your application may result in failure or disqualification for this position. This means you will be ineligible for further consideration in this recruitment process. Please check "yes" to show that you have read and understand this statement.

• Yes
• No

02

Do you possess a Bachelors degree and one (1) year of experience in law enforcement investigations?

• Yes
• No

03

If you possess one (1) year of experience in law enforcement investigations, please explain where you acquired this experience include your employer, position title, dates of employment, and position responsibilities. Be advised that "See Resume" is not an adequate response.

04

Do you possess experience identifying, locating, and interviewing potential witnesses and suspects as well as complete detailed written reports and present findings?

• Yes
• No

05

If you possess experience identifying, locating, and interviewing potential witnesses and suspects as well as complete detailed written reports and present findings, please explain where you acquired this experience include your employer, position title, dates of employment, and position responsibilities. Be advised that "See Resume" is not an adequate response.

06

Do you possess knowledge and experience with collection and submission of evidence?

• Yes
• No

07

If you possess knowledge and experience with collection and submission of evidence, please explain where you acquired this experience include your employer, position title, dates of employment, and position responsibilities. Be advised that "See Resume" is not an adequate response.

08

Do you possess experience testifying in court?

• Yes
• No

09

If you possess experience testifying in court, please explain where you acquired this experience include your employer, position title, dates of employment, and position responsibilities. Be advised that "See Resume" is not an adequate response.

10

Do you possess experience maintaining a high level of confidentiality in a professional setting?

• Yes, I have maintained confidentiality in a professional setting.
• No, I have not had to maintain confidentiality in a professional setting.

11

If you possess experience maintaining a high level of confidentiality in a professional setting, please explain where you acquired this experience including your employer, position title, dates of employment, and position responsibilities. Be advised that "See Resume" is not an adequate response.

12

Do you possess experience interviewing and interrogating training and experience?

• Yes
• No

13

If you possess experience interviewing and interrogating training and experience, please explain where you acquired this experience including your employer, position title, dates of employment, and position responsibilities. Be advised that "See Resume" is not an adequate response.

14

Which of the following best describes your level of proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint)?

• Beginner
• Intermediate
• Advanced
• None

15

Please state your level of proficiency in using criminal databases.

• Beginner
• Intermediate
• Advanced
• None

16

Do you possess a valid drivers license?

• Yes
• No

17

Do you possess MILES/NCIC authorization?

• Yes
• No

18

I understand I am responsible for maintaining the accuracy of my contact information, including my street address, my e-mail address, and my contact telephone numbers. My failure to maintain accurate contact information may result in my not receiving information regarding this job announcement and/or may result in my not being further considered for this employment opportunity. To update this information visit www.governmentjobs.com, click on the "career seekers" link, and follow the prompts.

• Yes
• No

19

I certify that the information submitted in this application is true and correct to the best of my knowledge. I understand that providing false, erroneous, and/or misleading information may result in elimination from the hiring process and termination of employment if hired.

• I have read and understand the language outlined above.

Required Question

Employer Howard County Government

Address 3430 Court House Drive

Ellicott City, Maryland, 21043

Phone 410-313-2033

Website https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/howardcounty