Police Officer

Job Summary

This position is located within the Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Police Service. The mission of the Police Officer Corporal (Instructor) is to serve and protect Veterans, patients, employees, contractors, volunteers, affiliates, visitors, and others who frequent VA facilities. Safety and Security are paramount to ensuring that the VA successfully serve and honor the men and women who are America's Veterans.

Key Responsibilities

• Serves as a Police Officer (Instructor) ensuring a safe and secure environment across VHA within various settings, including a variety of jurisdictional environments, such as VHA Medical Centers and facilities, inpatient Clinics, and domiciliaries throughout the United States.
• Provides security and assistance to Veterans, patients, employees, contractors, volunteers, affiliates, visitors, and others who frequent VA facilities daily.
• Expected to empathize, engage, and communicate with all individuals one encounters to ensure a positive outcome and the safety of the facility and all its occupants.
• This position serves as Policing Corporal Instructor to provide training education to VHA's Police Officers.
• Pursuing and apprehending persons fleeing a crime scene or attempting to resist arrest.
• Subduing individuals causing disturbances, such as in family disputes.
• Identifying and arresting violators based on eyewitness accounts.
• Performing desk sergeant, control desk, or dispatcher duties involving passing of directions and information to officers on patrol assignment, coordinating emergency responses between security, fire, and other emergency units, and receiving and acting on calls concerning reports of violations or complaints.
• Taking charge of a crime or accident scene and restricting access to those persons required on the scene.
• Seek, detect, and protect evidence and witnesses at the scene of an incident.
• Taking statements from witnesses.
• Clarifying conflicting statements.
• Making arrests and performing booking procedures.

Work Schedule

Rotating shifts to include weekends and holidays

Virtual

This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#

Police Officer (Instructor)/PD99844S

Critical Skills Incentive (CSI)

Authorized (15% of base salary)

Requirements

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• 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.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/21/2024.

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-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-06. 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 described below:

• Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-06 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: conducting investigations, apprehensions and detentions of persons suspected or convicted of criminal violations; maintaining order to protect life and property; taking initial complaints; interviewing witnesses; securing a crime scene and conducting limited searches; responding to emergency situations; gathering information and preparing reports; conducting routine patrol, traffic control; and traffic accident investigation.

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

• Education and Training
• First Response
• Partnering
• Public Safety and Security
• Security
• Teaching Others

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.

Physical Requirements

The duties of this position 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. Agencies may establish additional, job-related physical or medical requirements provided that the specific position(s) involves the arduous or hazardous duties to which the physical requirements relate. Applicants tentatively selected for appointment must pass a physical and psychological pre-employment examination prior to employment and on an annual basis. The work requires, on a regular and recurring basis, considerable and strenuous physical exertion such as running, frequent climbing of multiple flights of stairs, and carrying items weighing over 50 pounds. It requires stamina, physical agility, dexterity, and the strength to pursue, apprehend or detain persons who are often uncooperative, assaultive, and/or armed.

Education

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

Additional Information

This occupation is currently approved for a Veterans Health Administration enterprise-wide Critical Skills Incentive through October 5,2024. Candidates may be eligible for a lump sum CSI for a pro-rated amount if onboard prior to the CSI expiration date. Eligible candidates will be required to sign a service agreement agreeing to an obligated service period and failure to complete the obligated service period may result in a debt for the unearned portion of the CSI.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

Pursuant to VHA Directive, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

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