United States Park Police Officer

JOB SUMMARY:

Note: Please be sure to read the entire vacancy announcement before submitting an application for consideration.

Note: In order to obtain all the information provided in this advertisement, please print the detailed version of the vacancy announcement. All applicants must successfully pass a Physical Fitness test, Written examination and Psychological examination to be further considered. Upon completion of the online assessment through USAStaffing, you will receive an email confirmation.

The mission of the United States Park Police is to support and further the goals of the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service by providing quality law enforcement to safeguard lives, protect our national treasures and symbols of democracy, and preserve the natural and cultural resources entrusted to their care.

The United States Park Police was founded in 1791 and is one of the nation's oldest uniformed federal law enforcement agencies. The United States Park Police provide law enforcement services to designated areas within the National Park Service, primarily the metropolitan areas of Washington, D.C.; New York, NY; and San Francisco, CA.

KEY REQUIREMENTS:

U.S. Citizenship Age Restrictions Meet Selective Service Requirement Complete the questionnaire and/or KSA's/Compentency Statement Background and/or Secuirty Investigation required Applicant required to carry firearms

Duties

Additional Duty Location Info:

Many vacancies - Washington DC Metro Area, DC

Multiple Vacancies – Washington DC Metro Area, New york, NY and San Francisco, CA

United States Park Police Officers are employed by the National Park Service, United States Department of the Interior. Officers provide law enforcement services, e.g., the prevention, detection and investigation of violations of criminal laws of the United States or of the state and local area in which the United States Park Police have jurisdiction. The United States Park Police is a full function law enforcement agency with patrol and other specialized units that include; horse mounted, motorcycle, aviation, marine, canine, SWAT, criminal investigations and narcotics and vice. All selected candidates will initially report to the Washington Metropolitan area. After appointment and orientation, all officers will report to the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, GA for approximately 18 weeks of training. Initial appointments may be made to the Washington Metropolitan area where the largest contingent of officers are located. Officers may be reassigned to the Gateway National Recreation Area in New York City or to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in the city of San Francisco, CA. All initial appointments will be made in Washington, D.C. unless otherwise specified. Officers may also be detailed to any area of the National Park Service.

Qualifications and Evaluations

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED:

A. Two years of progressively responsible (i.e. managerial or supervisory) experience that demonstrates the ability to learn and apply detailed and complex regulations and procedures that involve making sound judgment based on the application of directions, regulations, or laws. Examples of qualifying experience are:

Work on a police force, service as a military police officer, specialized military experience, i.e., decision-making and leadership ability.

Work providing visitor protection and law enforcement in parks, forest, or other natural resource or recreational environments. Work performing criminal investigative duties, supervisory experience that demonstrated decision-making and leadership abilities.

B. Two years (60 semester hours or 90 quarter hours) of education above the high school level from an accredited college or university.

C. Combination of experience and education as described in A and B above.

If you do not qualify based on experience or education alone, you can combine your education and experience by converting each to a percentage and then adding the percentages.

If your education is currently described in quarter hours, convert the quarter hours into semester hours by multiplying the quarter hours by the fraction 2/3. To calculate your percentages of undergraduate education, divide your number of undergraduate semester hours by 60.

Refer to A above for a description of the type of experience that is considered qualifying. To determine your percentages of qualifying experience, divide your total number of months of qualifying experience by 24.

Finally, add your percentages of education and experience. The two percentages must total 100% for you to qualify under the combination of education and experience.

Successful completion of a Federal, State, county or municipal police academy or comparable training courses that included 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 responsible experience.

NOTE: APPLICANTS QUALIFYING BASED ON EDUCATION MUST SUBMIT A COMPLETE COPY OF THEIR TRANSCRIPTS OR AN ITEMIZED LIST OF COLLEGE COURSES WHICH INCLUDES EQUIVALENT INFORMATION FROM THE TRANSCRIPT (Course title/quarter hours and grade). You may submit your transcripts or list of college courses by fax. Failure to provide this information may result in an ineligible rating.

By Fax: Always use the official cover sheet which is here -
http://staffing.opm.gov/pdf/usacover.pdf and be sure to fill it out completely and clearly. The fax number is 1-478-757-3144. Feed all documents into your fax machine top first so that we receive them right- side up.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: The demands of the position necessitate high physical standards, therefore, you must be in excellent physical condition. Prior to the written examination, the applicant will be required to pass a PHYSICAL FITNESS TEST (Physical Efficiency Battery – PEB).

HOW TO PREPARE FOR THE PEB CAN BE FOUND BY CLICKING ON THE FOLLOWING LINK:

http://www.nps.gov/uspp/pebstan.htm

WRITTEN EXAMINATION INFORMATION: Applicants who meet the experience/education, age requirements and pass our PEB must pass a written examination. To view sample test questions please click on the link listed below.

http://www.nps.gov/uspp/SampTQuests.pdf

It is the applicant's responsibility to report to the PEB and written examination location on time and at his/her expense. Applicants must notify the United States Park Police if they require a reasonable accommodation for the written examination room, and specify the nature of the accommodation.

MAXIMUM ENTRY AGE (MEA) REQUIREMENT: This is a primary position covered by the law enforcement officer retirement provisions of 5 U.S.C. 8336, 8412 and Public Law 100.238 which stipulate mandatory retirement at age 57 after 20 years of service. To be eligible for this enhanced retirement coverage, applicants must be at least 21 years of age, and must not have reached their 37th birthday upon appointment to this position. Two exceptions are allowed: 1) an applicant has prior Federal service in a position covered by the enhanced retirement provisions sufficient to complete 20 years of service on or before the mandatory retirement age of 57; or 2) an applicant is a qualified preference eligible, in which case the maximum entry age is waived and the corresponding retirement age may be higher than 57 and no more then 60 after completing 20 years of service.

Applicants’ vision must be 20/20 or better and no higher than 20/100. If the applicant’s vision is lower than 20/100 it must be correctable to 20/20 with glasses or contact lenses.

A Post Refractive Vision Test is required 90 days after having LASIK surgery. If your surgery was performed before that, then it is only necessary for you to have the information packet filled out by your surgeon or treating ophthalmologist. The packet can be obtained by calling the U.S. Park Police, Sgt. Tam (202) 269-7435.

All applicants selected for this position will be required to submit a urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment.

INVESTIGATION OF SUITABILITY: The applicant must be able to obtain and maintain a security clearance. This position has been designated as critical- sensitive and requires successful completion of a comprehensive background investigation. Applicants will be investigated in order to secure evidence of their honesty, integrity, and general character. Evidence of habitual use of intoxicant of excess, use of narcotics, moral turpitude, disrespect of the law, unethical and criminal conduct, or material misstatement of fact on any application form will be considered sufficient grounds of rejection.

To view a complete list of qualifications, please click on the following link:

http://www.nps.gov/uspp/qual_page.htm

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT: New employees of the Department of the Interior must identify a financial institution for direct deposit of net pay within 30 days of entrance on duty. This position requires a background investigation completed for a security clearance with favorable adjudication.

All applicants selected for this position will be subject to random testing for illegal drugs.

If selected for this position, you must successfully complete specialized law enforcement training at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) in Brunswick, GA and must successfully complete and pass the United States Park Police Agency Specific Basic Training (approximately 18- weeks in duration) for retention.

New Federal employees must satisfactorily complete a 1-year probationary period.

Applicants for this position must pass a pre-employment medical examination.

Must possess and maintain a valid state, District of Columbia, or territory motor vehicle operator's license and have a good driving record.

You must have a passing score on required tests before any further processing is initiated.

You may need to lift and move heavy items.

You may need to stand for prolonged periods and walk or run over rough and uneven terrain.

You will need to be able to work outdoors, often under adverse weather conditions.

PAY, BENEFITS, AND WORK SCHEDULE: This is a permanent full- time position.

Applicants with creditable service (DC Metropolitan Police, and United States Secret Service) will receive credit for qualifying service for pay and retirement purposes.

LAUTENBERG AMENDMENT: Applicants who have been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence are ineligible for Federal Law Enforcement, including U.S. Park Police positions.

Newly appointed officers are covered under the Federal Employee Retirement Systems (FERS) and are eligible for retirement at age 50 after 20 years of service or at any age with 25 years of service.

New Federal employees must satisfactorily complete a 1-year probationary period. In addition, if selected, must successfully complete training at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center and the Field Training Evaluation program for retention.

It is the applicant's responsibility to provide documentation/proof of qualifications, education, veteran’s preference, status (SF-50), and/or verification of eligibility for non-competitive appointment. Applicants will not be solicited for additional information if what has been provided is determined to be inadequate / incomplete. If you are substituting education for experience, you must furnish a transcript of college work completed. Non- submission will result in your being ineligible.

Requirements when selecting Specialty Codes

Please refer to the specialty code requirements below when selecting a specialty code for consideration.

001 – All United States Citizens · United States Citizens who have never been permanent employees of the Federal government

· Current or former employees of the Federal government who would like to be considered under Delegated Examining procedures.

002 – Merit Promotion – Competitive

· Former civilian Federal employees who achieved career status in the competitive service (Generally, this means you have served three continuous years on a permanent career-conditional appointment in the competitive service of the Federal government.) or; a veterans preference eligible who has served at least one day on a career-conditional appointment in the competitive service.

· Current, permanent (non-temporary) civilian employees on a competitive service appointment in a Federal agency; or are you an interchange agreement eligible; or have you served in the military for three or more years of continuous service, and have an honorable discharge; or a preference eligible who is eligible for a Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA) appointment.

· Former civilian Federal employees who served on a career-conditional appointment and was separated less than three years ago without achieving career status in the competitive service?

003 – Merit Promotion – Non-Competitive

· Current, permanent (non-temporary) civilian employees on a competitive service appointment in a Federal agency.

Eligible under Special Appointment Authority: You may apply if you meet the basic eligibility requirements and you are eligible for special appointment such as those authorized for the severely disabled; certain Vietnam era and disabled veterans; returned volunteers from the Peace Corps or Vista, etc. Please indicate the type of special appointment you are seeking, if any, on your application and follow all other instructions for applying shown in this announcement. For additional information regarding Schedule A appointment eligibility visit:

https://www.opm.gov/disability/PeopleWithDisabilities.asp

Status applicants who wish to be considered under both merit promotion and competitive procedures must select specialty code 001 and either 002 or 003 to receive consideration. If you select only one specialty code, you will only be considered for the code you select.

HOW YOU WILL BE EVALUATED:

Once you complete and submit your application package, your application will be reviewed to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. Next, your responses to the questionnaire and/or competency statements will be evaluated to determine the degree to which your skills match this position. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified.

If you meet the minimum qualification requirements and satisfactorily pass the steps to become a police officer, your scores will be combined and averaged for you to be placed in one of three categories; Highly Qualified, Well Qualified or Qualified. Within the Highly Qualified category, applicants eligible for Veteran’s Preference will receive selection priority over non-veterans.

Highly Qualified – Meets the minimum qualification requirements and demonstrates exceptional experience and passed all required scored phases (i.e. PEB, Written Examination, Psychological Examination, Panel Review) of the process with a combined average score of 93 percentile or better.
Well Qualified – Meets the minimum qualification requirements and demonstrates strong experience and passed all required scored phases (i.e. PEB, Written Examination, Psychological Examination, Panel Review) of the process with a combined average score of 80 - 92 percentile.
Qualified – Meets the minimum qualification requirements of the position and passed all required scored phases (i.e. PEB, Written Examination, Psychological Examination, Panel Review) of the process with a combined average score of 70 – 79 percentile.

VETERANS PREFERENCE:

When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible veterans should claim preference on their application or résumé. Applicants claiming 10-point preference must complete an SF 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference. Veterans who are still in the service may be granted 5 points tentative preference on the basis of information contained in their applications, but they must produce a DD Form 214 prior to appointment to document entitlement to preference.

For more information on Veterans' Preference, please visit
http://www.opm.gov/veterans/html/vetsinfo.asp.

Benefits and Other Info

BENEFITS:

Working for the United States Park Police offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation, sick leave, holidays, life insurance, health benefits, and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System. The following Web address is provided for your reference to explore the major benefits offered to most Federal employees. To find out more click here http://www.usajobs.gov/EI/benefits.asp or http://www.nps.gov/uspp/benpag.htm.

If you use public transportation, part of your transportation costs may be subsidized. Our human resources office can provide additional information on how this program is run.

OTHER INFORMATION:

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) provides eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if this vacancy is within your ICTAP eligibility, you apply under the instructions in this announcement, and you are found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified and exercise selection priority for this vacancy, displaced Federal employees must be rated at 85 or above on the rating criteria for this position. You must provide proof of eligibility with your application to receive selection priority. Such proof may include a copy of your written notification of ICTAP eligibility or a copy of your separation personnel action form. Information about ICTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/ctap/index.asp.

You may be required to serve a probationary period of 1 year.

If you are a male applicant who was born after 12/31/59 and are required to register under the Military Selective Service Act, the Defense Authorization Act of 1986 requires that you be registered or you are not eligible for appointment in this agency.

Travel Relocation Expenses

Travel, transportation, and relocation expenses will not be paid.

How To Apply

HOW TO APPLY:

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

Your Résumé
A complete Occupational Questionnaire
Additional Required Documents (see Required Documents section below) The complete Application Package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on Friday, July 1, 2011.

To begin the process, click the Apply Online button to create an account or log in to your existing USAJOBS account. Follow the prompts to complete the occupational questionnaire. Please ensure you click the Submit My Answers button at the end of the process.

Note: To check the status of your application or return to a previous or incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account, select Application Status, and click on the more information link under the application status for this position. Once you complete the online process, you must schedule yourself for the PEB (Physical Fitness Test) from one of the below listed links. To fax supporting documents you are unable to upload, complete this cover page http://staffing.opm.gov/pdf/usascover.pdf using the following Vacancy ID TJ361420. Fax your documents to 1-478-757-3144.

If you cannot apply online:

Click the following link to view and print the occupational questionnaire View Occupational Questionnaire,
Print this 1203FX form to provide your response to the occupational questionnaire http://www.opm.gov/forms/pdfimage/opm1203fx.pdf, and
Fax the completed 1203FX form along with any supporting documents to 1-478-757-3144. Your 1203FX will serve as a cover page for your fax transmission.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS:

The following documents are required:

Résumé or application
List of college courses, with credit hours, major(s), and grade point average or class ranking. (Prior to appointment, an official college transcript will be required.)
Veterans Preference documentation (DD-214 or equivalent, SF-15 and VA Letter, as appropriate)
Schedule A Certification letter (if applicable)

AGENCY CONTACT INFO:

If you are a male applicant who was born after 12/31/59 and are required to register under the Military Selective Service Act, the Defense Authorization Act of 1986 requires that you be registered or you are not eligible for appointment in this agency.

Travel Relocation Expenses

Travel, transportation, and relocation expenses will not be paid.

How To Apply

HOW TO APPLY:

Akia Harley-Atkins
Phone: (202)354-1905
Email: [email protected]

Agency Information:
United States Park Police
1100 Ohio Drive SW
Washington, DC 20242

WHAT TO EXPECT NEXT:

After successfully applying via USAStaffing, all applicants must successfully pass our PHYSICAL FITNESS TEST (PEB) to be invited to our written examination. Upon completion of the online assessment through USAStaffing, you will receive an email confirmation. You MUST bring your Physician's Consent form, PEB Waiver form and Personal History Questionnaire to the PHYSICAL FITNESS TESTING (PEB) location of your choice.

These forms are available by clicking on the following link:

http://www.nps.gov/uspp/2011Appcheck.htm

Applicants should be advised that they must complete our Physical Fitness (PEB) test FIRST. You must select your own PHYSICAL FITNESS TEST (PEB) DATE, LOCATION AND TIME FROM ONE OF THE BELOW LINKS.

Applicants are encouraged to arrive 30 minutes prior to the scheduled testing time. Spaces may be limited. Specific information pertaining to PHYSICAL FITNESS (PEB) testing locations are included in this announcement (see next page).

WE WILL NOT NOTIFY YOU REGARDING YOUR PHYSICAL FITNESS TEST. IT WILL BE YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO SELECT A TESTING DATE, LOCATION AND TIME BY CLICKING ON ONE OF THE FOLLOWING LINKS;

TO TEST IN ATLANTA, GA -
http://pebschedulerusppatl.eventbrite.com/

TO TEST IN SAN FRANCISCO, CA –
http://pebschedulerusppsf.eventbrite.com/

TO TEST IN STATEN ISLAND, NY –
http://pebschedulerusppny.eventbrite.com/

TO TEST IN WASHINGTON, DC -
http://pebschedulerusppdc.eventbrite.com/

WE WILL NOT SEND YOU ANY CORRESPONDENCE CONCERNING YOUR TEST SCHEDULING. YOU CAN CHANGE YOUR PEB DATES AT ANY TIME UNTIL THE ANNOUNCEMENT CLOSES. ONCE THE ANNOUNCEMENT CLOSES YOU MUST CONTACT SERGEANT SOMERS FOR ANY POSSIBLE REASSIGNMENT.

PEB LOCATIONS CAN BE FOUND BY CLICKING ON THE FOLLOWING LINK:

http://www.nps.gov/uspp/2011Appcheck.htm

YOU MUST BRING THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTS WITH YOU TO BE ADMITTED FOR YOUR PHYSICAL FITNESS (PEB) TEST; PHYSICIAN'S CONSENT FORM, PEB WAIVER FORM, PERSONAL HISTORY QUESTIONNAIRE.

THESE ARE CAREER/CAREER-CONDITIONAL POSITIONS.

Note: Please be sure to read the entire vacancy announcement before submitting an application for consideration.

Note: In order to obtain all the information provided in this advertisement, please print the detailed version of the vacancy announcement.

To view additional information please visit the United States Park Police Official website:

http://www.nps.gov/uspp