Clarification from the agency

Current Federal employees serving under a career or career-conditional appointment in the competitive service; former Federal employees with reinstatement eligibility; Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) eligibles; applicants eligible under special hiring authorities; veterans who are preference eligible, or separated from the U.S. Armed Forces under honorable conditions after 3 years or more of continuous active service (VEOA).

As a Police Officer, you will perform the following duties which represent the full performance GS-7 level:

• Enforce federal/state laws, ordinances, and regulations, including criminal, civil, and traffic; executes misdemeanor and felony warrants of arrest. Appear in federal, state, or local courts of law to testify.
• Interview witnesses to gather statements. Write reports of preliminary investigations which may be used in court.
• Write citations for clear-cut, observed violations of laws and rules.
• Monitor closed circuit television (CCTV) systems to detect illegal activities.
• Utilize standard operating procedures and checklists to enforce laws, ordinances, and regulations.
• Provide security patrol/physical presence to promote a sense of security. Respond to alarms and calls for service and reports observations with regard to environmental health, safety, and fire code hazards/violations.
• Operate weapons properly and qualifies at the range (passing required weapons qualifications), demonstrates proper officer safety techniques and procedures, and uses less than lethal weapons properly.
• Protect oneself and the public while responding to criminal situations.
• The duties of this positions require moderate to arduous physical exertion and/or duties of a hazardous nature. The following medical requirements apply to all applicants: good near and distant vision, ability to distinguish basic colors, and ability to hear the conversational voice.

This Job Opportunity Announcement may be used to fill other Police Officer GS-0083-5/6/7 (FPL: GS:07) positions within the Department of Commerce in the same geographical location with the same qualifications and specialized experience.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position.
• You must successfully pass a background investigation. This may include a credit check, a review of financial issues, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use of possession of drugs.
• A probationary or trial period may be required.
• Selective Service: Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see https://www.sss.gov/).
• If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment, and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application.
• All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing.
• Drug Test: Yes
• This position is subject to pre-employment drug testing and random drug testing thereafter.
• License required: Yes; will be required to operate a motor vehicle, and must possess and maintain a valid state operator's license.
• Pre-employment physical required: Yes
• Bargaining Unit Position: Yes
• Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE form 450): No
• Permanent Change of Duty Station (PCS) Expense: Will not be paid
• Time-in-grade/band requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement unless eligible for special hiring authority, reinstatement eligible, non-current Federal employee applying as a VEOA eligible which do not require time-in-grade/band.
• Medical Exam/Drug Testing: All applicants tentatively selected for this position will be required to submit to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use and successfully pass all required physical/ medical examinations prior to appointment. Selectee must be able to successfully pass, as applicable, annual and periodic physical/medical examinations, drug screenings, and psychological screenings to maintain a level of physical fitness in accordance with the standards and policies of this agency.
• All Office of Security, Insider Risk and Continuity employees are considered Emergency Employees and may be required to assist in providing essential services during an emergency, weather, or COOP event at the worksite, an alternate location, or via telework.

Qualifications

Selective Placement Factor(s):

Selective placement factors are applied in the same manner as minimum qualification requirements. Failure to meet the selective placement factor will result in you not receiving further consideration. In addition to the minimum qualifications described below, you must meet the following selective placement factors:

Must have successfully graduated from one of the following training courses with the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC).

You may also submit a certificate from another "equivalent" course for consideration such as the Department of Defense (or Component) Civilian Police Academy or Veterans Affairs Law Enforcement Center's VA Basic Police Officer Course.-

• FLETC Uniformed Police Training Program (UPTP).
• FLETC Mixed Basic Police Training Program (MBPTP).
• FLETC Criminal Investigator Training Program (CITP).
• FLETC Land Management Police Training Program (LMPT)
• Equivalent training certificate for consideration.

NOTE: You must submit a copy of your FLETC or equivalent training certificate with your application, or you will be rated ineligible.

Must possess and maintain a valid state operator's license.

Have not been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence and are prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition in accordance with the Lautenberg Amendment.

Have successfully passed a weapons exam in the use of firearms and non-lethal weapons within the last three years.

Firearms: Selectee will be required to carry and use a firearm, demonstrate proficiency on a recurring basis, and not be in violation of 18 USC 922 (Lautenberg Amendment).

Lautenberg Amendment: This position authorizes the incumbent to carry a firearm. Any person who has been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor crime of domestic violence cannot lawfully possess a firearm or ammunition (Title 18, USC Section 992(g)). A felony or misdemeanor crime of domestic violence is generally defined under the statute, as any offense involving the use or attempted use of physical force, or the threatened use of a deadly weapon, committed by the victim's current or former domestic partner, parent or guardian. The term convicted, as defined in the statute, excludes any person whose conviction has been expunged, set-aside or pardoned, or any person whose civil rights have been restored, so long as such restoration does not restrict the shipping, transport, possession or receipt of firearms or ammunition. Candidates who have been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor crime of domestic violence within the meaning of the referenced statutes are not eligible for the position.

Qualification requirements in the vacancy announcements are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook, which contains federal qualification standards. Additional qualification information can be found from the following Office of Personnel Management website: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0000/police-series-0083/.

Applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the next lower grade level in the Federal Service or its non-federal equivalent. Specialized experience is experience that which equipped you with the particular knowledge of a body of basic laws and regulations, law enforcement operations, practices, and techniques and involved responsibility for maintaining order and protecting life and property.

Applicants must demonstrate that they meet the Minimum Qualification requirements as noted below.

To qualify at the GS-5 level: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade (GS-04) or equivalent grade in the Federal service or its non-federal equivalent in applying laws and regulations, law enforcement operations, practices, and techniques and involved responsibility for maintaining order and protecting life and property.

OR

Education: Successfully completed at least four years of education above the high school level leading to a bachelor's degree in Police Science or a comparable degree program related to police officer work.

OR

Equivalent combinations of education and experience: A combination of the above specialized experience and education are qualifying. Successful completion of a Federal, State, County, or Municipal Police Academy or comparable training course that include at least 40 classroom hours of instruction in police department procedures and methods, and local law and regulations, may be substituted for a maximum of 3 months of specialized experience.

To qualify at the GS-6 level: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade (GS-05) or equivalent band in the Federal service or its non-federal equivalent in enforcing a range of federal, state, and local laws, ordinances, rules and regulations as they pertain to law enforcement work to also include at least two of the specialized experience statements listed below:

(1) Responding to calls or alarms concerning reports of violations or Complaints.
(2) Issuing citations for personally observed violations of laws, rules, or regulations.
(3) Performing traffic patrol and emergency response duties to include enforcing speed limits, assisting at accident scenes, taking statements from principals and witnesses, and/or directing; traffic/controlling the movement of vehicles and pedestrians at worksites.

To qualify at the GS-7 level: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade (GS-06) or equivalent band in the Federal service or its non-federal equivalent enforcing a range of federal, state, and local laws, ordinances, rules and regulations as they pertain to law enforcement work to also include at least three of the specialized experience statements listed below:

(1) Interviewing and questioning witnesses to prepare detailed reports of incidents.
(2) Coordinating emergency responses between security, fire, and/or other emergency units.
(3) Taking charge of a crime or accident scene and restricting access as necessary.
(4) Conducting long and short-term investigations when solutions cannot be achieved during the course of a normal patrol shift.

Time-in-Grade Requirements: Under competitive merit promotion procedures, an individual must spend 52 weeks at their current grade before being eligible for promotion in a General Schedule position under a non-temporary appointment in the competitive or excepted service. Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to current employees applying for a Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.

All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. Qualification claims will be subject to verification.

NOTE: 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; religious; 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. For work in the federal service, include the grade level for the position(s).

How you will be evaluated

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

Order of Referral: This is an open continuous announcement. Eligible and qualified applicants who apply from the opening of the job announcement until the first cut-off date of Tuesday, March 11, 2025, will be in the first group referred to the hiring manager.

The remaining cut-off dates are as follows:

April 11, 2025
May 11, 2025
June 10, 2025
July 10, 2025

We will review your resume, optional cover letter and supporting documentation (transcripts if applicable) to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications for the position. If you meet the minimum qualifications stated in the vacancy announcement, we will compare your resume, optional cover letter and supporting documentation to your responses on the scored occupational questionnaire that you completed as part of the application. However, your resume or optional cover letter must support your responses to the occupational questions, or your score will be lowered. The best-qualified candidates will be identified for referral to the hiring manager and may be invited for an interview.

For Certain Military Spouses: All applicants who meet the qualification requirements and military spouse noncompetitive eligibility requirements (see "Additional Information" section above") will be forwarded to the Selecting Official for consideration on a separate referral list. While veterans' preference is not a consideration when filling positions under the military spouse non-competitive hiring authority, preference eligibles are encouraged to submit their supporting documentation (DD-214, stating disposition of discharge or character of service, VA letter, SF-15, etc.).

The scored occupational questionnaire will evaluate you on the following competencies; please do not provide a separate written response:

• Incident Management
• Police Security
• Police Law
• Technical Competence
• Firearms/Weapons Competence

If applicable, performance appraisals and/or Incentive award documentation may be submitted and will be forwarded to the selecting official as support in consideration of your application in the evaluation process. To receive due weight, you must submit a recent performance appraisal (dated within 18 months) showing the official rating of record, signed by a supervisor, or statement why the performance appraisal is unavailable (do not submit a performance plan) and/or incentive award documentation (i.e. superior performance awards, special act or achievement awards, quality step increases, etc.) Due weight shall be given to performance appraisals and awards in accordance with 5 CFR 335.103(b)(3), during the interview/selection process conducted by the hiring manager.

Do NOT include the following types of information in your resume/application. If any are included, you will be deemed INELIGIBLE for consideration.

• Classified or government sensitive information
• Social Security Number (SSN)
• Photos of yourself
• Personal information, such as age, gender, religious affiliation, etc.

We recommend that you preview the online questions for this announcement before you start the application process. To preview the questionnaire, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12700300