Police Officer

Qualification requirements in the vacancy announcements are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook, which contains federal qualification standards. This handbook is available on the Office of Personnel Management’s website located 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, religious; 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. Applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the next lower grade level in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is experience that which equipped you with the particular 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. Applicants must demonstrate that they meet the Minimum Qualification requirements as noted below. To qualify at the GS-5 level: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade (GS-04) or equivalent band in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as experience applying laws and regulations, law enforcement operations, practices, and techniques and involved responsibility for maintaining order and protecting life and property; OR Have successfully completed at least four years of education above the high school level leading to a bachelor’s degree in Police Science or a comparable degree program related to police officer work; OR Equivalent combinations of experience and education. NOTE: Successful completion of a Federal, State, County, or Municipal Police Academy or comparable training course that include at least 40 classroom hours of instruction in police department procedures and methods, and local law and regulations, may be substituted for a maximum of 3 months of specialized experience. Please provide certificate of completion at the time of your application. To qualify at the GS-6 level: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade (GS-05) or equivalent band in the Federal service. This experience must include at least two of the following types of duties: Responding to calls or alarms concerning reports of violations or complaints; Issuing citations for personally observed violations of laws, rules, or regulations; Performing traffic patrol and emergency response duties to include enforcing speed limits, assisting at accident scenes, taking statements from principals and witnesses, and/or directing traffic/controlling the movement of vehicles and pedestrians at worksites. To qualify at the GS-7 level: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade (GS-06) or equivalent band in the Federal service. This experience must include at least three of the following types of duties: Interviewing and questioning witnesses to prepare detailed reports of incidents; Coordinating emergency responses between security, fire, and/or other emergency units; Taking charge of a crime or accident scene and restricting access as necessary; Conducting long and short term investigations when solutions cannot be achieved during the course of a normal patrol shift. Selective Placement Factor(s): Selective placement factors are applied in the same manner as minimum qualification requirements. Failure to meet a selective placement factor will result in you not receiving further consideration. In addition to the minimum qualifications described above, you must meet the following selective placement factor(s): You must have successfully graduated from one of the following training courses with the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC). You may also submit a certificate from another “equivalent” course for possible consideration. An example could be Department of Defense Civilian Police Academy or Veterans Affairs Law Enforcement Center’s VA Basic Police Officer Course. – FLETC Uniformed Police Training Program (UPTP) – FLETC Mixed Basic Police Training Program (MBPTP) – FLETC Criminal Investigator Training Program (CITP) – FLETC Land Management Police Training Program (LMPT) NOTE(s): Education: You must submit a copy of your college transcripts (official or unofficial) to document education. Experience: Your resume must support your claim of experience or you will be found ineligible. Training: You must submit a copy of your FLETC (or equivalent) training certificate or you will be found ineligible. All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. Qualification claims will be subject to verification. Time-in-Grade Requirements: Under competitive merit promotion procedures, any individual who is currently holding, or who has held within the previous 52 weeks, a General Schedule position under a non-temporary appointment in the competitive or excepted service, must meet “time-in-grade” requirements (have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade of the grade for which you are applying). Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to current employees applying for a Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. NOTE: All current or former Federal employees must provide a copy of their SF-50 (you may need to submit more than one), “Notice of Personnel Action” that indicates proof of status and time-in-grade eligibility. The SF-50 must include your position, title, series, grade, step, tenure (1 or 2), and type of service (Competitive or Excepted). NOTE: 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; religious; 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. For work in the federal service, include the grade level for the position(s). Firearms: Selectee will be required to carry and use a firearm, demonstrate proficiency on a recurring basis, and not be in violation of 18 USC 922 (Lautenberg Amendment). NOTE: Lautenberg Amendment: This position authorizes the incumbent to carry a firearm. Any person who has been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor crime of domestic violence cannot lawfully possess a firearm or ammunition (Title 18, USC Section 992(g)). A felony or misdemeanor crime of domestic violence is generally defined under the statute, as any offense involving the use or attempted use of physical force, or the threatened use of a deadly weapon, committed by the victim’s current or former domestic partner, parent or guardian. The term convicted, as defined in the statute, excludes any person whose conviction has been expunged, set-aside or pardoned, or any person whose civil rights have been restored, so long as such restoration does not restrict the shipping, transport, possession or receipt of firearms or ammunition. Candidates who have been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor crime of domestic violence within the meaning of the referenced statutes are not eligible for the position.
This vacancy is for a Police Officer in the Office of the Secretary within the Department of Commerce. The selected candidate will play an important role in providing law enforcement and security services for the Department of Commerce, Office of Security, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Police Services Group. Salary will vary based on locality: Boulder, Colorado: $52,850 – $82,927 Gaithersburg, Maryland: $55,560 – $89,473