QUALIFICATIONS

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
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-5 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: pursuing and/or apprehending persons fleeing a crime scene or attempting to resist arrest, subduing individuals causing disturbances, arresting violators based on eyewitness accounts, and taking charge of a crime or accident scene.
Preferred Experience: Successfully completed Department of Veterans Affairs Police Academy
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.

EDUCATION

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/.
If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education.

IF YOU ARE RELYING ON YOUR EDUCATION TO MEET QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

• How to Apply

IF YOU ARE RELYING ON YOUR EDUCATION TO MEET QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
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Serves as a Police Officer carrying out responsibilities where most work is performed on Veterans Affairs Departmental properties, which includes any properties owned, leased, or licensed to VA.
Provides policing services in a variety of jurisdictional environments where each type of jurisdiction (Exclusive, Concurrent and Proprietorial) has different enforcement rules and requires Police Officers to understand the complexities and legally apply the correct set of laws, regulations, and processes.
Provides services routinely at all segments of VA facilities located over large geographical areas, some of which may be in different states, counties, municipalities, or townships.
Performs certain elements of the work away from Departmental properties when consistent with Federal law, regulation, VA policy and operational guidance.
Protects Veterans, volunteers, and others on Departmental property, U.S. officials, other individuals, and him or herself during any given situation against threats to personal safety when force becomes necessary to enforce laws and regulations.
Protects Veterans, employees and visitors sensitive and protected medical information from unauthorized release or unauthorized use where prohibited by law and or policy as guided by the privacy officer, FOIA, HIPPA, etc.
Carries firearms and other VA approved weapons, intervenes when necessary to deescalate situations and determines when and how much force must be applied.
Advises individuals of their (Miranda, Weingarten, Garrity, etc.) rights, and protects the constitutional and civil rights of persons.
Conducts investigations with a nexus to VA, prisoner transports, patient search and recovery, life-saving efforts, disaster response and recovery, asset protection during transit, training, and other matters.
Identifies and preserves evidence, writes comprehensive incident reports, prepares case files and testifies in court as it pertains to enforcing laws and regulations.
Provides patrol in vehicles, by foot and/or on a bicycle.
Detects and intervenes in criminal activity; responds to calls for police assistance, irregularities, and unusual or suspicious circumstances. Investigates incidents and takes steps to mitigate further risk and resolve situations
Provides emergency response coordination as needed.
Performs drug and contraband intervention techniques and provides training to those areas where contraband identification and knowledge is imperative for the staff.
Participates in the suicide prevention program and intervenes when needed to deescalate active suicidal behavior and/or prevents suicides.
Work Schedule: Rotating shifts to include nights and weekends.
Position Description Title/PD#: Police Officer/PD99924-S
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. On a regular and recurring basis the work requires strenuous exertion physically restraining disorderly individuals to prevent harm to others or the individual.
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 in order to maintain his or her semi-annual qualification with his or her assigned firearm and annual qualification with his or her assigned departmental issued intermediate weapons. Strenuous physical exertion is also required during many required and recurring training activities such as those related to weapons training, Active Threat Response training and Ground Defense and Recovery training.