Clarification from the agency

Consideration will be given in the following order: Current, permanent VA Las Vegas and nationwide employees; current, permanent Federal employees from other services; eligible applicants to include Veterans, Person with Disabilities, former Federal employees with reinstatement rights and Public.

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Major duties may include but are not limited to:

• Policing services in a variety of jurisdictional environments where each type of jurisdiction.
• Provides services routinely at all segments of VA facilities located over large geographical areas.
• Protects civil rights of all individuals on VA controlled property.
• 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 were 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Operates specialized vehicles and equipment in support of law enforcement and security operations.
• Obtains assistance from a more senior Police Officer or supervisor in cases where policy is not clear.
• Participates in investigative contacts/stops, exercises search and arrest authority, detains witnesses, and apprehends suspects. Seeks, detects, seizes, and protects evidence and witnesses at the scene of an incident. Detains witnesses and suspects, makes arrests and performs booking procedures.
• Executes arrest warrants issued by federal and local courts.
• Coordinates or transports arrested parties to holding facilities and courts as required.
• Establishes initial command and control to coordinate immediate steps needed to stop threats, preserves life, and contains the situation.
• Preserves crime scenes, summons additional emergency response personnel, communicates risks, facilitates access and coordinates, initiates or assists with partial or total evacuations.
• Provides an initial and thorough briefing and advises the appropriate facility senior leadership and supervisors on recommended police response requirements, procedures and resources needed during emergencies in the absence of the supervisor.
• Protects high-value VA assets, personnel and materials and ensures continuity of operations.
• Initiates investigative stops on suspicious and potentially dangerous persons and suspicious vehicles independently.
• Responds to highly dangerous and active crimes in progress and responsible to make independent decisions and take immediate steps to preserve life and property without supervision.
• Identifies security vulnerabilities and documents and/or reports changes in crime prevention programs.
• Uses the National Incident Management System and Incident Command System protocols to establish command and control, develop a course of action and contain, mitigate, and recover from an incident.

Conditions of employment

• 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. 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.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel.
• Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel - See "Additional Information" below for details.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 04/02/2025.

POLICE OFFICER CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

1. 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.

2. A medical examination is required. The duties of these positions require moderate to arduous physical exertion and/or duties of a hazardous nature.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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).

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:

• Specialized experience in the context of this position includes 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 investigations.

How you will be evaluated

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.

Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or contact for an interview. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.

Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.