Police Officer

Summary

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This position is located within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Police Service (PS). The mission of the Police Officer 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.

This job is open to

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The public

U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Clarification from the agency

ALL US CITIZENS. DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY: This position is being filled using Direct-Hire Authority (5 CFR 337.201) for this occupation.

Duties

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MAJOR DUTIES:

• 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 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, apprehensions, or detention of individuals suspected or convicted of offenses against the criminal laws of the US, protection, and transport of U.S. officials.
  
• 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, on 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.
  
• Operates specialized vehicles and equipment in support of law enforcement and security operations.
  
• Determines whether situations are criminal or civil and takes appropriate steps for each.
  
• Determines the level of crime committed (petty offense, misdemeanor, or felony, Federal or State statute); and takes applicable enforcement action.
  
• Enforces traffic rules and regulations, including those related to speeding and reckless operation of vehicles while impaired or intoxicated.
  
• Uses independent judgment in cases where policy is not clear. Initiates investigative contacts/stops, exercises search and arrest authority, detains witnesses, and apprehends suspects.
  
• Seeks, detect s, seizes, and protects evidence and witnesses at procedures. the scene of an incident. Detains witnesses and suspects, makes arrests, and performs booking Interviews witnesses and other persons involved, determines whether facts warrant an arrest or lesser action.
  
• Executes arrest warrants issued by federal and local courts. Coordinates or transports arrested parties to holding facilities and courts as required.
  
• Controls facility access via Entry Control Point (ECP) and Traffic Control Points (TCP) during emergency operations.
  
• Identifies persons requiring assistance or medical aid while on performs on-patrol, scene assessments, and determines the level of aid or emergency response required.
  
• Provides Basic Life Support (BLS) to injured personnel and coordinates additional emergency response when needed.
  

Work Schedule: Sunday - Saturday Nights, weekends, holidays, and rotating shifts

Position Description Title/PD#: Police Officer/PD99925S

Physical Requirements: The work requires regular and recurring physical exertion such as long periods of standing, walking, driving, bending, stooping, reaching, crawling, and similar activities. Employees engage in such exertions when responding to alarms, pursuing suspects, or participating in weapons or other kinds of training activities, climbing stairs in office buildings, or walking foot patrols in and around large buildings. In some positions, the work may regularly involve lifting and carrying of heavy objects of kilograms (50 pounds) or less, such as weapons. Some positions may require common physical characteristics and abilities in agility and dexterity and the strength to pursue, apprehend, and detain uncooperative suspects.

Requirements

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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 may be required
  
• May serve a probationary period
  
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
  
• A complete application package; Resume, Transcripts, etc
  
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents).
  
• Effective May 7, 2025, driver�s licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
  

Qualifications

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

GS-06 grade level: One year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-05 grade level in the federal service); experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) and other characteristics to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled, in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.

Specialized experience includes: 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.

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. A 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.

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).

DRIVER'S LICENSE REQUIREMENT: This position requires a current, valid, state-issued driver's license.

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

• Arrest
  
• Criminal Investigation
  
• First Response
  
• Interpersonal Skills
  
• Public Safety and Security
  
• Security
  

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.

POLICE OFFICER CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:

• 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).
  

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: This factor covers the requirements and physical demands placed on the employee by the work assignment. This includes physical characteristics and abilities (e.g., specific agility and dexterity requirements) and the physical exertion involved in the work (e.g. climbing, lifting, pushing, balancing, stooping, kneeling, crouching, crawling, or reaching).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/.

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.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 (TJO). Please visit the Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP), va.gov/EMPLOYEE/docs/The-Fair-Chance-to-Compete-Act.pdf for more information.

Additional information

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 (TJO). Please visit the Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP), va.gov/EMPLOYEE/docs/The-Fair-Chance-to-Compete-Act.pdf for more information.

The following will be communicated to applicants for VA employment in a testing designated position and will also be included in all VA vacancy announcements for such positions: All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drugs use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.

The

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be well-qualified, applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors if applicable, and must be proficient in most of the requirements of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website which can be found at https://www.opm.gov/.

Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

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

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.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Benefits

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How you will be evaluated

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

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Applicants will be referred in the order in which they were received.

Required Documents

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Documents Accepted:

• Cover Letter
  
• DD-214/ Statement of Service
  
• Disability Letter (Schedule A)
  
• Disability Letter (VA)
  
• License
  
• OF-306
  
• Other (1)
  
• Other (2)
  
• Other (3)
  
• Performance Appraisal
  
• Professional Certification
  
• Resume
  
• Separation Notice (RIF)
  
• SF-15
  
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
  
• Transcript
  

Documents Required:

• Resume
  

Please review the above list(s) to ensure you have included all necessary documents required for your application.Not every applicant will require the same documents, therefore it is the applicants responsibility to ensure that their application package includes all necessary documents to determine qualifications and eligibility for appointment, such as a copy of your SF-50, transcript, ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees).

You will not be contacted for additional information. Applicants will be deemed ineligible if supporting documentation is not submitted.

Veterans' Preference: Since the Direct-Hire Recruitment Authority is being used, traditional Veterans' Preference rules do not apply. Qualified veterans will, however, be given full consideration for this position.

Applications are accepted online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application.

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

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All applicants are encouraged to apply online.

To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 08/19/2025 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12778174.

1. To begin, click

Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.

2. Click

Submit My Answers to submit your application package.

NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date. You may check the status of your application at any time by logging into your USA Jobs account and clicking on Applications. Information regarding your application status can be found in the USAJobs Help Center.

To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.

Agency contact information

Norman Smith

Phone

260-249-0750

Email

Norman.Smith@va.gov

Address

Chalmers P Wylie Veterans Outpatient Clinic

420 North James Road

Columbus, OH 43219

US Next steps

After the vacancy announcement closes, applicants are evaluated to ensure qualification and eligibility requirements are met. After the review is complete, a referral certificate(s) is issued and applicants will be notified of their status by email.

Overview

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Accepting applications

Open & closing dates

08/07/2025 to 08/19/2025

Salary

$61,451 to - $79,883 per year

Pay scale & grade

GS 6

Location

1 vacancy in the following location:

Columbus, OH

1 vacancy

Remote job

No

Telework eligible

No

Travel Required

Not required

Relocation expenses reimbursed

No

Appointment type

Permanent

Work schedule

Full-time

Service

Competitive

Promotion potential

6

Job family (Series)

• 0083 Police
  

Supervisory status

No

Security clearance

Not Required

Drug test

Yes

Position sensitivity and risk

Moderate Risk (MR)

Trust determination process

• Suitability/Fitness
  

Financial disclosure

No

Bargaining unit status

Yes

Announcement number

CBSR-12778174-25-NS

Control number

842758000