Law Enforcement Specialist (Canine Handler)

This position is located within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Office of Security and Preparedness (OSP), Field Operations Division, VA Police Service with the Clemet J. Zablocki Medical center, Milwaukee Wi. The Canine Program Coordinator is responsible for managing the Canine Program at the field level and assisting and providing support for multiple stations. THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION Duties will include, but may not be limited to: Coordinates the Canine Program at the facility level that covers a geographically dispersed area. Directing the Canine to perform detection searches of buildings and office areas, vehicles, packages, materials, and persons housed or located in or near property owned, occupied or secured by the VA. Responsible for training the canine and administrative functions not limited to budget and contract responsibilities related to the care and certification of the canine. Performs law enforcement duties in accordance with Title 38 U.S.C. §§ 901 and 902, enforcing federal, state, and local laws on VA-controlled property. Conducts patrols with the assigned canine to deter criminal activity, detect contraband, and provide rapid response to security threats. Ensures proper care, feeding, and housing of the canine, and maintains equipment and vehicles assigned for canine operations. Adherence to strict safety and handling procedures to prevent injury to personnel, the public, or the canine. Responsible for receiving accounting and maintaining appropriate security of canine training aids used for proficiency training. Conducts training to maintain a high level of proficiency and must be certified on a regular and reoccurring basis. Enforces laws and initiates investigations into possible violations of laws on government property and federally controlled assets across a wide geographically dispersed area. Apprehends wanted persons who are accused of crimes in other jurisdictions; stops, questions, and detains such persons and notifies the appropriate law enforcement or judicial agencies. Serves as a member of a Crisis Intervention Team, responding to and recognizing through the canine, Veterans experiencing mental health crisis, utilizing advanced deterrence, detection, and de-escalation strategies and knowledge of VA resources to ensure the best possible outcome for our nation's Veterans. Ensures the Canine Program maintains compliance with all required training and certifications. Analyzes problems, determines deficiencies, finalizes inspection results to include draft, review, editing, and evaluation, and takes corrective action. Prepares a report of findings, providing detailed conclusions and recommendations for program deficiencies, improvements, corrections of irregularities, and rectification of injustices revealed by inspections. Performs other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Varies, candidates must be willing to work weekends, irregular work hours and extended hours if determined by the needs of the service. Furthermore, candidates must be willing to be placed, detailed, or temporarily assigned to other related services and/or locations, if necessary. Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT DRUG TEST REQUIREMENT: Applicant selected for movement into positions covered by the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention and Control must pass urinalysis testing as required before appointment and periodically after that. Position is subject to random drug testing. TRAINING: Incumbent must meet the established experience, basic training, and in-service training requirements established for the enforcement of police powers. Incumbent must successfully complete the designated, required training, which includes the basic VA Police Officer Standardized Training (POST), K9 certification, and additional training required by LETC. Additionally, the selectee must successfully complete the Field Training and Evaluation Program (FTEP) conducted at the selectee's assigned duty location or a different geographic area, and other in-service requirements and weapons qualifications for the enforcement of arrest authority as conferred under 902 authorities. New VA Police Officers are required to attend an 8-10 week course at the VA Law Enforcement Training Center in Little Rock, Arkansas. ESSENTIAL PERSONNEL: This position may be designated as essential personnel. Essential personnel must be able to serve during continuity of operation events without regard to declarations of liberal leave or government closures due to weather, protests, acts of terrorism, or lack of funding. Failure to report for or remain in this position may result in disciplinary or adverse action in accordance with applicable laws, rules, and regulations (5 U.S.C. § 7501-7533 and 5 CFR Part 752, as applicable). LAW ENFORCEMENT: This position will possess law enforcement authority under Title 38 of the United States Code, Sections 901 & 902, exercising such authority to provide investigative and law enforcement services to Veterans, Federal employees, and members of the general public located and/or conducting business in government­ owned or leased properties. CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT CONTINUED PRE-EMPLOYMENT MEDICAL REQUIREMENT: Prior to appointment, the person selected for this position must be determined physically fit by an authorized government physician to perform strenuous and physically demanding duties, which may include protecting citizens, taking suspects into custody using reasonable physical force in the face of physical resistance, and responding to situations requiring physical agility and quick and legally sufficient decision making. Also successfully pass a pre-employment medical examination (which includes, but is not limited to, vision, hearing, cardiovascular, and mobility of extremities) given by an authorized government physician. This position may be subject to periodic incumbent examinations in the future. MEDICAL REQUIREMENTS: General: The physical demands of the essential job tasks range from sedentary to arduous and are classified into the following categories: lift/carry, push/pull, climb, bend/stoop, run/walk, sit, stand, drive, write, vision, comprehend/read, and communicate. Individuals are responsible for: lifting items to inspect cargo; reading, comparing and reviewing shipping documents and itineraries to determine cargo and time of arrival of vessels and airplanes; communicating with citizens, passengers and exporters to exchange and gather information and testify at trials; driving vehicles; running to pursue suspects; making arrests; using firearms; conducting traffic control; and operating computers, radios, and small hand tools. Additionally, individuals must perform the above tasks and also handle dogs (weighing approximately 70 pounds) to search for contraband. LAUTENBERG AMENDMENT: This position is covered by the 1996 Lautenberg Amendment to the Gun Control Act of 1968. Persons convicted of a misdemeanor or felony crime of domestic violence are not eligible for this position. FIREARMS REQUIREMENT: Employee will be required to carry a firearm while performing the duties of this position. Maintaining firearm proficiency is mandatory. Police Officers are required to carry agency-approved firearms while on duty. Officers must achieve and maintain qualification/certification with the agency-approved firearms as condition of gaining and continuing employment as a Police Officer. 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). OTHER REQUIREMENT: Applicants must be willing and able to engage effectively in contacts with hostile persons and work independently under conditions of high accountability. A background investigation may also be employed in assessing applicants' suitability. To qualify for this position, applicant(s) must meet the following qualifications requirements. SELECTIVE PLACEMENT FACTOR (SCREEN-OUT) • A Selective Placement Factor (SPF) has been identified for this position. Selective Placement Factors (SPF) are a prerequisite to appointment and represent minimum requirements for the position. Applicants who do not meet the SPF are ineligible for further consideration. The SPF for this position is: Experience as a Law Enforcement Officer with arrest authority. The SPF for this position is: Requires a valid State Driver's License. (We are unable to accept pictures, therefore, please DO NOT provide a copy of your Driver's License. This requirement will be verified during interview. In addition to the SPFs, applicant(s) must meet at least one of the following minimum qualification requirements. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Requires one full year of specialized experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-7) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Qualifying specialized experience is experience in law enforcement work involving the training, handling, and employment of dogs in patrol duty and/or detection of specific materials and substances such as drugs, explosives, etc. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include: Work as a police officer using dogs in law enforcement, patrol, or inspection work and/or detection of substances; Military service using dogs in patrol and inspection and/or detection of drugs, explosives, etc.; Work as an instructor at a dog training center training dogs for law enforcement work such as patrol duty and/or detection of substances. In addition, specialized experience for this GS-9 grade level includes: Conducting patrols with canine to deter criminal activity, detect contraband, and provide rapid response to security threats; Performing law enforcement duties, including investigations into possible violations of laws and apprehending persons who are accused of crimes; Training the canine and maintaining administrative documentation of the canine's training, health, and operational readiness and certifications of the canine; performing animal husbandry (e.g. proper care, feeding, and housing of the K-9); and Analyzing canine program problems, determining deficiencies, and preparing reports of findings with recommendations for program improvements. (NOTE: Resume must clearly support the required experience. For detailed position responsibilities, see the duties section of this announcement.) OR SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION FOR EXPERIENCE (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED): Successfully completed a master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related. Related graduate education includes a major study in such fields as police science, police administration, police law and evidence, police investigation, criminology, criminal justice, law enforcement, general law, or similar subjects pertinent to law enforcement and police work. OR COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED): Equivalent combinations of successfully completed graduate education (in excess of 1 year) and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements. Both education and experience must be related to the position, as described above. 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/. You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the 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 PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: Involves on-site work with prolonged walking over flat and even surfaces, work in confined spaces, crouching, bending, crawling, standing, and climbing. Outside exposure to all temperatures. Arduous physical exertion and exposure to personal danger. Must maintain physical fitness to handle the canine during enforcement actions and training exercises. Occasional lifting of items up to 50 pounds may be required. 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 identification 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 (HCP) • See "Required Documents" below for details. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on 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. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.