Background Investigator - Public Safety Civilian

This is a civilian, non-TCOLE-certified position and does not require peace officer licensure. The Background Investigator is a civilian professional staff position within the Human Resources Division responsible for conducting comprehensive pre-employment background investigations for all applicants seeking employment with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. This position independently gathers, verifies, analyzes, and documents sensitive personal, criminal, financial, employment, and educational information to assess applicant suitability for employment in a public safety environment.

The Background Investigator applies departmental hiring standards, Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) requirements where applicable, and county and agency policies to prepare detailed investigative reports and recommendations for supervisory and command-level review. This position plays a critical role in protecting the integrity of the agency by ensuring that all candidates are evaluated in a fair, consistent, legally defensible, and confidential manner.

• Conduct fair and impartial background investigations on assigned applicants, adhering to all applicable Departmental and Section Policies and Procedures.
• Ensure timely processing of all applicants while verifying employment history, education credentials, criminal records, and other relevant background information, including a detailed credit check.
• Conduct background investigations specifically for all Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) licensed applicants.
• Extract and organize pertinent information, including but not limited to criminal history and employment history, to generate comprehensive reports for review by the Sergeants in Background Investigations to assess applicant suitability.
• Enter and maintain candidate background data in law enforcement databases while ensuring the integrity and confidentiality of all records.
• Create and maintain detailed background investigation files in accordance with departmental policies.
• Facilitate and coordinate the exchange of background information between internal divisions, bureaus, and external law enforcement agencies.
• Attend all Roll Call meetings as required.
• Maintain county-issued equipment and inventory as directed or required.
• Represent the Harris County Sheriff’s Office professionally and positively at all times.
• Adhere to all contractual obligations, ensuring compliance with applicable laws and policies governing contract investigators.
• Investigators are required to maintain confidentiality and handle sensitive information in accordance with state and federal regulations.
• Performs other assignments and duties as required and/or necessary.

This Job Description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this position. Management may, at its discretion, assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.

This is a civilian (professional staff) position and does not require or confer Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) licensure. Applicants are not required to be peace officers.

• Civilian Professional Investigator Pathway (Preferred)

• Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice, Criminology, Public Administration, Human Resources, Business Administration, Psychology, Sociology, or a related field OR
• Associate’s degree in a related field plus two (2) additional years of directly related investigative, compliance, or personnel suitability experience

• Two (2) or more years of experience conducting background investigations, internal investigations, compliance reviews, suitability assessments, or personnel investigations
• Experience reviewing and verifying criminal history, financial responsibility, employment records, education, and personal references
• Experience preparing written investigative summaries or reports for supervisory or executive-level review
• Prior Peace Officer Pathway (Experience-Based Equivalency)

• High School Diploma or GED