Summary This position is located within the Raymond G Murphy Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Police Service, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The position serves as a Lead Police Officer (Sergeant) performing law enforcement work for the preservation of peace and the prevention, detection, and investigation of crimes occurring on Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) controlled property. Responsibilities This Lead Police Officer directs, coordinates and/or performs a variety of lead and non-lead policing law enforcement assignments and projects that are performed on Departmental property; including any properties owned, leased, or licensed when consistent with Federal laws, regulations, VA policy and operational guidance. Major duties include, but are not limited to: Lead a team of Police Officers and other administrative staff. Directs day-to-day lead policing operations and non-lead policing assignments. Assign, distribute, review, approves, and disapprove employees' assignments. Monitor and reviews the status and progress of the work and makes workload adjustments to ensure the workload is balanced. Consult with the immediate supervisor for assistance on problems, such as backlogs to ensure work is completed timely, effectively, and efficiently. Review police reports, patrol reports and ongoing investigations to ensure complete, concise, and factual-information reporting. Provide input on performance rating and any disciplinary action (to include removal) of PS employees. Informs employees of available services and employee activities. Participate in the selection of staff as requested by the supervisor; provides or coordinates staff training, either during shift briefing or designated training days. Serve as a Federal Police Officer with full law enforcement and investigative authority as defined within 38 USC 902, VA Directives, Handbooks, and other operational guidance. Carry firearms and other weapons, intervene when necessary to deescalate situations and determines when and how much force must be applied. Enforce traffic rules and regulations, including those related to speeding and reckless operation of vehicles while impaired or intoxicated Detain witnesses and apprehend suspects, make arrests and perform booking procedures. Interview witnesses and other persons involved, determine whether facts warrant an arrest or lesser action. Execute emergency response procedures designed to isolate, contain, and defeat aggressive actions and restore normal operations as quickly and efficiently as possible. Summon additional emergency response personnel, communicate risks, facilitate access and coordinates, initiate or assist with partial or total evacuations. Respond to highly dangerous and active crimes in progress and responsible to make independent decisions and take/coordinate immediate steps to preserve life and property. Designated Drug-Testing Position: 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. Applicants will not be appointed to the position if a verified positive drug test result is received. Work Schedule: Full Time, Sunday thru Saturday; 8-12 hour shifts; to include weekends, holidays, rotating shift and overtime Compressed/Flexible: Not Authorized Telework: Not Authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Lead Police Officer (Sergeant)/PD99900S Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized??????? PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized??????? Financial Disclosure Report: Not required. Requirements 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 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 Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 12/23/2024. 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-8 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-7. 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 as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-7 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: leading and directing employees in their duties in response to potential threats of violence, detecting criminal activity, fire and other emergencies; enforcing federal, state, and local laws; making arrests; conducting foot and vehicle patrol; maintaining control of a scene or incident; taking statements from witnesses/suspects and advising them of their rights; preparing detailed reports of criminal offenses, violations, incidents, and citations issued; interrogating suspects; and applying all correct rules of search and seizure. 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. Experience as a security guard or corrections officer is generally not qualifying. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Arrest Criminal Law Leadership Manages Human Resources Security Teaching 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. Physical Requirements: The work requires, on a regular and recurring basis, considerable and strenuous physical exertion such as running, 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 persons who are often uncooperative, assaultive, and/or armed. Standardized Training: All selected applicants will be required to complete the VA Police Officer Standardized Training. The VA Police Officer Standardized Training is a 320-hour training program designed to provide duly appointed VA Police Officers with a specialized orientation to agency law enforcement policies and procedures. Students are trained in the proper exercise of federal statutory law enforcement authority and specialized skills in situations involving patients or persons of diminished capacity. This course is designed to provide police officers with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to blend their duties as law enforcement officers with the special needs of the public they serve. Satisfactory completion of this course is a condition of continued 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. Medical 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. 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. Investigation of Fitness: 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. ???????Firearm Requirement: 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).All positions involving Federal motor vehicle operation carry the additional medical requirements specified in 5 CFR 930 and the "General Policies and Instructions" section of this Manual. 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. Additional Information Receiving Service Credit or 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. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. 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. 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. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.