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Police Officer

Employer
VA Health Care System
Location
Fargo, North Dakota
Salary
DOE

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Job Details

Summary

 

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 Sec. 902. VA police officers are a vital part of ensuring a safe and secure environment. VA police officers not only carry out their policing duties but are often the first to interact with and assist Veterans, patients, employees, contractors, volunteers, affiliates, visitors, and others who frequent VA facilities.

 

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

This is an Open Continuous Announcement to establish a standing register of qualified candidates to refer as vacancies occur or as requested by facility hiring officials. Candidates will be reviewed every 2 weeks, with referral to occur 1 week following. Applicants may expect to receive application status every 3 weeks via system notification, beginning October 29, 2020.

Please reference the following locality-based salary ranges applicable to each medical center within this announcement:

  • Des Moines, Iowa ($42,486 - $55,233)
  • Iowa City, Iowa ($44,980 - $58,475)
  • Minneapolis, Minnesota ($56,644 - $73,639)
  • Saint Cloud, Minnesota ($50,015 - $65,021)
  • Grand Island, Nebraska ($46,994 - $61,093)
  • Lincoln, Nebraska ($50,351 - $65,457)
  • Omaha, Nebraska ($50,351 - $65,457)
  • Fargo, North Dakota ($49,511 - $64,366)
  • Fort Meade, South Dakota ($38,921 - $50,598)
  • Hot Springs, South Dakota ($38,921 - $50,598)
  • Sioux Falls, South Dakota ($38,921 - $50,598)

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. Their safety and security is paramount to ensuring that the VA can successfully fulfill President Lincoln's promise "To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his orphan" by serving and honoring the men and women who are America's Veterans. Veterans should be able to enter any VA facility across the country with the confidence that they will receive a consistently high level of protection and customer service from VA police officers. This ls 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.

Veteran Centered Policing is a VA-specific model by which the VA police force serves and protects Veterans, employees, and all others who access VA care and services. This model of policing goes beyond law enforcement and focuses on ensuring that VA police demonstrate the Ideals of the Department's core values reflected in the acronym l CARE (integrity, commitment, advocacy; respect, and excellence when interacting with Veterans and those that. also serve Veterans. Successful application of Veteran Centered Policing requires VA police use good independent Judgement in assessing situations and determining appropriate responses. VA police must work in partnership with other VA employees to first and foremost carry out the VA mission of serving Veterans. Traditional policing activities should be limited to situations in which the safety and security of the Veteran or others takes precedence over delivering an excellent customer experience.

  • Performs a full range of police duties by following and executing rules, regulations, or procedures covering law and rules enforcement, physical, and personal security operations, patrol duties, control desk duty, coordination with local courts, and/or crime prevention activities for the local jurisdiction.
  • Patrol VA facilities, 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 at least 25% of the time to resolve security and law enforcement-related issues.
  • Works within a mix of jurisdictional arrangements.
  • Ensures compliance with and enforces a full range of Federal, state, territorial, and/or commonwealth, county and municipal laws, ordnances, rules, and regulations.
  • Initiate investigative stops on suspicious and potentially dangerous persons, determining whether their presence and/or actions are authorized or require some level of corrective/enforcement action.
  • Prevents and/or resolves criminal offenses at the scene; conducts preliminary investigations at the crime scene; pursues and apprehends persons fleeing from a crime scene or resisting arrest; informs individuals about their rights as suspects; provides testimony in court; takes charge of a crime or accident scene and interviews witnesses of a crime or accident.
  • Conduct recurring security assessments of Department property to identify security vulnerabilities that may result in crime-conducive conditions.
  • Proactively conducts random anti-crime measures sets (RACMS) such as: identification verification, bag and package checks or operation of a magnetometer screening device as directed by police leadership.
  • Targeted patrolling or limited duration fixed posts to mitigate escalation of criminal activity in a particular area.


Work Schedule: 12-hour rotating shifts; nights/weekends/holidays (to be further discussed during interview with local hiring officials)
Position Description Title/PD#: Police Officer/PD190181
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

 

Travel Required

Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.

Supervisory status

No

Promotion Potential

None

Requirements Conditions of Employment

  • You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job.
  • Subject to a background/suitability investigation.
  • Designated and/or random drug testing is required.
  • May serve a probationary period.
  • Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
  • Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
  • VA Police Officers must be able to achieve and maintain mandatory firearm and weapons qualification/certification.
  • Must possess a valid, unrestricted State driver's license, have a safe driving record, and demonstrate that he or she is medically qualified to operate the appropriate motor vehicle safely.
  • New VA Police Officers are required to attend and pass the 10-week Police Officer Standardized Training (POST) course at the VA Law Enforcement Training Center in Little Rock, Arkansas.
  • 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.
  • A medical examination is required. The duties of these positions require moderate to arduous physical exertion and/or duties of a hazardous nature.
  • 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.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 12/31/2020.

You may qualify based on your experience 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: Experience that provided knowledge of a body of 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.
  • Specialized experience must have included active arrest authority and firearm proficiency with a license to carry; experience as a security guard or corrections officer is generally not qualifying. Examples of specialized experience include performing duties such as:
    • Responding to calls or alarms involving crimes
    • Establishing the identity of injured parties
    • Identifying the nature of incidents, and taking statements
    • Informing individuals about their rights as suspects and/or witnesses
    • Operating radar or other speed detection equipment and pursuing speeding vehicles when enforcing traffic regulations or laws
    • Issuing citations
    • Enforcing speed limits
    • Assisting at accident scenes
    • Preparing reports that describe events that may be used in future legal actions
    • Responding to duress alarms and subduing unruly individuals
    • Patrolling
    • Pursuing and apprehending person
    • Subduing individuals causing disturbances
    • Identifying and arresting violators
    • Making arrest and performing booking procedures, conducting investigations
    • Questioning and taking statements from victims, witnesses, and complainants; interrogating suspects
    • Applying correct rules of search and seizure
    • Analyzing facts to identify suspects and develop case information.


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.

NoteA 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 AGREEMENT: 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).

Physical Requirements: 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. 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 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. 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. Reasonable accommodation may include, but is not limited to the use of assistive devices, job modification or restructuring, provision of readers and interpreters, or adjusted work schedules.

Equal Employment Opportunity Policy

The United States Government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factor.

Company

At the Fargo VA Healthcare System, we strive to hire only the best! Working with and for America's veterans is a privilege, and we pride ourselves on the quality of care we provide. If you have what it takes, please consider applying for one of our available positions.

Company info
Location
Fargo
ND
58102
US

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