The mission of the VA police officer is to serve and protect Veterans, patients, employees, contractors, volunteers, affiliates, visitors, and others who frequent VA facilities. This is accomplished through crime prevention activities, typical law enforcement actions, emergency response capabilities, special training and tactics, and weapons, equipment and systems utilization, and Veteran Centered Policing.

Duties

The incumbent serves as a Federal police officer working for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) performing law enforcement and security duties pursuant to Title 38 USC ?902. Serves as a Police Officer Corporal (Instructor) and administers and coordinates the education and training program for Police Service from initial-entry training to assessment, in-services training, and retraining of Officers throughout the year. Oversees the initial and on-the-job training of all newly assigned personnel. Conducts classroom lectures and PowerPoint presentations, role-playing scenarios, and skills demonstrations. Develops, presents, delivers, or coordinates courses for training programs. Changes training curriculum to fit the criteria focused on the jurisdiction, level of experience and complications observed. Oversees instructors' firearms, ground defense, active threat, etc. to provide guidance and evaluate their courses. Accomplishes the training and development of officers and designates tasks necessary for new Police Officers to gain experience to do work. Prepares lesson plans and critiques instruction and instructional material. Ensures training is conducted in accordance with all applicable policies and regulatory requirements. Ensures training is properly documented in accordance with VA Law Enforcement Training Center (LETC) and Office of Security and Law Enforcement (OS&LE) requirements. Ensures that staff complies with LETC required training commitments, courses, and timeframes and maintains training materials, attendance records, test scores, etc. and completes related reports. Prepares plans, regulations, supplements, standard operating procedures (SOPs), staff studies, estimates, and reports on all phases of the training program. Provides advice and assistance to all levels of management concerning determinations of training needs; sources of training support; design and presentation of training; and evaluation of results. In addition to serving as an instructor, performing law enforcement and security responsibilities. Promotes the protection of property and civil rights of individuals by maintaining law and order. 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. Carries firearms and other 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. Performs vehicular patrols as required. Enforces laws, rules, regulations, and resolves violations/offenses; conducts preliminary investigations and coordinates with surrounding emergency response agencies as needed. Exercises arrest authority; searches and detains suspects; takes charge of emergencies and established operating procedures; makes arrests and performs booking procedures. Responds to traffic accidents, assists with control of the scene, and leads the traffic accidents investigation. Testifies in court as needed. Responds to calls for Police assistance and determines whether incidents are criminal or civil. Searches persons, vehicles, and places and patrols VA controlled property on foot and/or with a motor vehicle in both normal and emergencies. Responds immediately to and engages potentially armed individuals during active threat response situations. Serves in critical workplace violence prevention and risk mitigation functions, including service as the VA Police representative to the interdisciplinary Disruptive Behavior Committee. Escorts persons on VA property prone to violence. Assists sick, elderly, or disabled persons and functions as a first responder (Basic Life Support certified) and administers first aid. As a Police Instructor, the incumbent must attend and successfully complete the Federal Law Enforcement Training Accreditation Certified 80 hour Instructor Development Course (IDC) at the VA Law Enforcement Training Center (LETC). The incumbent will then successfully complete the 80 hour Firearms Instructor Certification and/or Ground Defense/Defensive Tactics Instructor course at the LETC and be assigned as an instructor upon certification. Recertification is required according to the schedule mandated by VA OSLE. Work Schedule: 07:00 to 15:30 and 1500 to 23:30 rotating Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Police Officer (Instructor)/PD99844S Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized for highly qualified applicants

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 Department of Veterans Affairs Personnel

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/13/2023. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS-6 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. 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: Specialized experience that provided 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. Creditable specialized 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; in performing criminal investigative duties; or in other work that provided the required knowledge and skills.. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Education and TrainingFirst ResponsePartneringPublic Safety and SecuritySecurityTeaching 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. LAUTENBERG AMENDEMENT: This position authorizes the incumbent to carry a firearm. Any person who has been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence cannot lawfully possess a firearm or ammunition (Title 18, U.S.C., Section 922(g)(91)). Candidates who have been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence are not qualified for this position. Candidates under consideration will be required to certify whether they have ever been convicted of such an offense. False or fraudulent information provided by candidates is criminally punishable by fine or imprisonment (Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1001). Firearm Requirement: VA Police Officers are required to carry agency-approved firearms while on duty on VA property. Officers must achieve and maintain qualification/certification with the agency-approved firearms as condition of gaining and continuing employment as a Police Officer. Applicants must be able to possess firearms under the terms of the Gun Control Act of 1968, as amended (18 U.S.C. 922(g)(9). POLICE OFFICER CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYEMENT New VA Police Officers are required to attend an 8-10 week course at the VA Law Enforcement Training Center in Little Rock, Arkansas. Satisfactory completion of this course is a condition of continued employment. A medical examination is required. The duties of these 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. Applicants and employees must have the capacity to perform the essential functions of the position without risk to themselves or others. Applicants 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 an applicant 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. A character investigation will be conducted on applicants selected for employment. 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. As a condition of employment, must qualify to be issued a firearm and semi-annually with assigned firearm, annually with an expandable Straight Baton (MEB), maintain a valid State or Commonwealth Driver's License and pass annual physical and psychosocial assessments. Applicants must be able to possess firearms under the terms of the Gun Control Act of 1968, as amended (18 U.S.C. 922(g)(9). Physical Requirements: The work requires, on a regular and recurring basis, considerable and strenuous physical exertion such as 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. The work involves both moderate and high risks and possible endangerment of life or serious injury that requires the exercise of safety precautions and use of personal protective equipment The work is performed in settings in which there is regular and recurring exposure to moderate to severe discomforts and unpleasantness, such as high temperatures in confined spaces, high temperatures due to mandatory protective personal equipment, or adverse weather conditions during extended periods of traffic and patrol duties. The work involves moderate risk requiring exercise of safety precautions when working around hazardous materials such as toxic gases, explosives, infectious biological materials, and others that pose a moderate risk. 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/.

Education

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

Contacts

• Address Wilmington VA Medical Center 1601 Kirkwood Highway Wilmington, DE 19805 US
• Name: Heather Shipp
• Phone: (302) 333-6713
• Email: [email protected]