Clarification from the agency

This vacancy is open to Status Applicants and VEOA Eligibles. This is an open continuous announcement. The first cut-off date is 02/18/20. Certificates will be issued every 2 weeks after the cut-off date or at the needs of the Service for that location.

As a VA Police Officer, the incumbent's duties include, but are not limited to:

• Identify situations where criminal activity has occurred or is about to occur, assess danger and threats, and take proper recourse, including taking statements, making arrests, and conducting short and long-term investigations.
• Use various special weapons and tactics to resolve security and law enforcement-related issues.
• Work within a mix of jurisdictional arrangements, ensure compliance with and enforce a full range of Federal, state, territorial, and/or commonwealth, county and municipal laws, ordinances, rules and regulations.
• Conduct investigations and recurring security assessments. Identify security vulnerabilities and recommend changes in crime prevention programs.
• Utilize a special skill set to assist the needs of Veterans and de-escalate a crisis situation (i.e. a Veteran experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) flashbacks, various mental health issues, alcohol or drug addictions and traumatic brain disorders (TBI).
• Respond with emergency medical teams to provide on scene support as a team member.
• Provide direction during natural disasters, terrorist acts, criminal activity and other emergency situations.
• Operate a variety of security equipment and systems to review, assess and document criminal acts and perform dispatch/alarm monitoring duties.
• Achieve and maintain qualification on multiple weapons (i.e. batons, handguns, long guns and lethal or non-lethal munitions).
• Maintain qualification in defensive driving, various thermal imaging devices, radar guns or riot control equipment.

Work Schedule: Rotating shifts, Sunday thru Saturday with rotating days off. Tour of duty is based on the needs of the service and location selected.
Compressed/Flexible: Available, dependent upon location.
Telework: Not available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Police Officer/70514-A (* PD # subject to change based on location selected)
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• Designated and/or random drug testing may be required
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• You may be required to serve a probationary period
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/30/2020.

Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-6 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-5. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.

You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:

Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-05 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: experience that provided knowledge of a body of basic laws and regulations, law enforcement operations, practices, and techniques; experience may have been gained in work on a police force; through service as a military police officer; in work providing visitor protection and law enforcement in parks, forests, or other natural resource or recreational environments. Specialized experience is defined as regularly pursuing and/or apprehending persons fleeing a crime scene or attempting to resist arrest; actually subduing individuals causing disturbances; arresting violators based on eyewitness accounts; performing control desk duties; taking charge of a crime or accident scene; and performing criminal investigative duties. (Your resume MUST reflect specialized experience in order to be considered. Experience cannot be assumed.)

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

• Criminal Law
• Criminal Investigation
• First Response
• Physical Security
• Communication

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR POLICE OFFICER POSITION:
1. Incumbent will be required to operate a police vehicle and must retain a valid, state issued driver's license.
2. Incumbent will be required to carry a firearm while performing duties and must maintain firearm proficiency.
3. New VA Police Officers are required to undergo and successfully complete ten (10) weeks of police academy training at the VA Law Enforcement Training Center in Little Rock, Arkansas within 90 days of entrance on duty.
4. The incumbent will undergo a character investigation during preemployment for review of their employment and criminal history, if any, and may be disqualified for employment based on the information received. The purpose of such an investigation is to secure evidence of the candidate's honesty, integrity, general character, and loyalty to the U.S. Government.
*5. A medical examination is required by all selected candidates. Please refer to the Police Officer Physical Requirements included in this announcement.
*6. Selected candidates and employees must possess emotional and mental stability. A psychological examination is required. In most instances, a specific medical condition or impairment will not automatically disqualify a selected candidate or employee. A medical condition or impairment is disqualifying only if the condition, for good medical reason, precludes assignment to or warrants restriction from the duties of the specific position. For some positions, the loss or impairment of a specific function may be compensated for by the satisfactory use of a prosthesis or mechanical aid. Reasonable accommodation shall also be considered in determining an applicant's ability to perform the duties of a position.
The initial psychological assessment will consist of a structured interview and standardized, objective written psychological testing by a psychologist or psychiatrist. The annual psychological assessment will consist of a structured interview, which may lead to further testing as determined by the examining psychologist of psychiatrist.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: The work requires regular and recurring physical exertion, long hours of standing, walking, driving and similar activities. The incumbent must respond to alarms, pursue suspects, participate in training activities, climb stairs and walk during assigned foot patrols in and around large building, campus, and other physical settings. Agility, dexterity and strength are needed to pursue, apprehend and detain uncooperative suspects. Incumbents must be physically able to lift or carry injured or hurt persons, evacuate persons to safety during storms, disasters, fires or other emergencies. The incumbent is expected to maintain a high standard of physical fitness and hand and eye coordination to maintain his or her semi-annual qualification with his/her assigned firearm and annual qualification with his/her assigned departmental issued intermediate weapons.

WORK ENVIRONMENT: The incumbent works in an environment identified as potential soft targets for Active Threat and other terrorist-like events. The work environment regularly involves high risks with exposure to potentially dangerous situations or unusual environmental stress which require a range of safety and other precautions. The work involves high risk with exposure to dangerous situations subject to possible physical attack by armed and unarmed persons. Dangers faced by VA police officers include death, increased risk of infectious diseases, and serious and minor trauma, both physical and emotional. The work is performed in settings in which there is regular and recurring exposure to moderate discomforts and unpleasantness, such as high levels of noise in industrial settings, high temperatures in confined spaces, or severe weather conditions during extended periods of traffic and patrol duties; and moderate to high risk working around hazardous materials such as toxic gases, explosives, infectious biological materials, and others that pose a moderate risk of exposure. Incumbent may face extreme heat or cold, insects, wild and domestic animals, flood waters, earthquakes, hurricanes, nuclear fallout, biological substances and chemical agents, armed gangs, looters and/or emotionally disturbed individuals.
For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or contact for an interview.Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.