SPECIAL INVESTIGATOR

Department of Justice · Los Angeles County

Salary: $5,528 – $9,037 per month

Closes: 2026-11-09T00:00:00.000Z

Job description and requirements

Job Description and Duties Under the general supervision of the Special Agent Supervisor (SAS), the Special Investigator (SI) will be responsible for all aspects of performing background investigations for sworn and non-sworn personnel. The SI will determine the qualifications and suitability of people seeking employment as sworn peace officers and non-sworn professional staff within the Department of Justice. This will be accomplished through extensive reference interviews and record searches to verify information provided by the applicant in a Personal History Statement (PHS/Personal History Questionnaire, or PHQ). You will find additional information about the job in the Duty Statement. Special Requirements • The position(s) require(s) a Background Investigation be cleared prior to being hired. Desirable Qualifications In addition to evaluating each candidate's relative ability, as demonstrated by quality and breadth of experience, the following factors will provide the basis for competitively evaluating each candidate: The candidate should consistently exercise a high degree of initiative, confidentiality, independence, and originality in performing a wide variety of duties. This position also requires the incumbent to demonstrate good judgment and possess the ability to communicate effectively with managers and employees within the Office of the Chief. The candidate must have the ability to follow oral and written instructions; knowledge of correct spelling, grammatical usage, punctuation, and current office methods; and be proficient with Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook. Excellent attendance, punctuality and dependability are essential in this position.
Show full description and requirements

Job Description and Duties

Under the general supervision of the Special Agent Supervisor (SAS), the Special Investigator (SI) will be responsible for all aspects of performing background investigations for sworn and non-sworn personnel. The SI will determine the qualifications and suitability of people seeking employment as sworn peace officers and non-sworn professional staff within the Department of Justice. This will be accomplished through extensive reference interviews and record searches to verify information provided by the applicant in a Personal History Statement (PHS/Personal History Questionnaire, or PHQ).

You will find additional information about the job in the Duty Statement.

Special Requirements

  • The position(s) require(s) a Background Investigation be cleared prior to being hired.

Desirable Qualifications

In addition to evaluating each candidate's relative ability, as demonstrated by quality and breadth of experience, the following factors will provide the basis for competitively evaluating each candidate:
The candidate should consistently exercise a high degree of initiative, confidentiality, independence, and originality in performing a wide variety of duties. This position also requires the incumbent to demonstrate good judgment and possess the ability to communicate effectively with managers and employees within the Office of the Chief. The candidate must have the ability to follow oral and written instructions; knowledge of correct spelling, grammatical usage, punctuation, and current office methods; and be proficient with Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook. Excellent attendance, punctuality and dependability are essential in this position.

About this opportunity

Salary context

The annualized midpoint for this posting is $87,390. That matches the $87,390 median among 6 current California public jobs with the same normalized title.

More jobs at this employer

Department of Justice currently has 57 other open positions in this database.

Regional hiring context

There are 104 current state openings in Los Angeles County, including this position.

Application timeline

Applications close in 5 days, on November 9, 2026.

Similar roles at other employers

These employers are currently listing the same normalized role:

Posting history

This posting appears on CalCareers. CA Public Jobs first observed it on October 27, 2026. It was last verified open on November 4, 2026.

View the official posting