Police Officer (Lateral/Certified)

Summary

This is a full-time position with the Police Department of the Supreme Court of the United States.

$81,552 - $139,419: Salary range for applicants currently employed as a federal, state, or municipal law enforcement officer with at least one year of full duty service after training. Starting salary is determined upon validation of the current annual base salary with locality pay of the selectee.

Applicants without LEO experience may apply to our Police Officer (Entry-Level) announcement.

This job is open to

• The public
  U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Duties

The Supreme Court of the United States Police is a Federal law enforcement agency that derives its authority from United States Code 40 U.S.C. 6121. The Supreme Court Police enforce Federal and District of Columbia laws and regulations, as well as enforce regulations governing the Supreme Court Building and grounds prescribed by the Marshal and approved by the Chief Justice of the United States. The department's mission is to ensure the integrity of the Constitutional Mission of the Supreme Court of the United States by protecting the Supreme Court, the Justices, employees, guests, and visitors.

The Supreme Court Police are responsible for providing a full range of police services, to include:

• Protection of the Supreme Court Building and grounds, and persons and property therein;
• Dignitary Protection for the Supreme Court Justices, both domestically and internationally;
• Maintain suitable order and decorum within the Supreme Court Building and grounds, to include policing demonstrations and large-scale events;
• Provide Courtroom security;
• Prepare numerous reports to include incident, found property, accident, and arrest reports, as well as testify in court.

Specialty Units are available to officers depending on time-in-service, completion of training, and experience. The Supreme Court Police offers both part-time and full-time specialized units. These units include:

• Dignitary Protection Unit
• Protective Intelligence Unit
• K-9 Unit
• Background Investigations Unit
• Nuclear, Biological, Chemical (NBC) Team
• Recruitment Division
• Police Operations Center - Dispatch
• Physical Security Unit
• Liaison positions with partner agencies (FBI, JTTF, DHS, USCP)
• Training Unit
• Honor Guard
• Various instructor positions, to include: Firearms, Driving, Defensive Tactics, CPR/First Aid

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• Status as a U.S. Citizen, National, or one who owes allegiance to the United States
• If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See: www.sss.gov
• Meet Experience Requirements (see Qualifications)
• Applicants must be licensed to drive for at least one year at the time of application, and have an excellent driving record.
• A Supreme Court Police Officer must be able to maintain proficiency in the use of a firearm. Applicants who have been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence cannot lawfully possess a firearm and are ineligible for the position.
• Officers are prohibited from having visible body markings (including, but not limited to: tattoos, body art, facial piercings, gauges, and brandings) on the head or neck (above the collar), hands, and fingers (any area from wrist bone to fingertips).
• Hair of female officers shall not exceed more than four (4) inches (to include being restrained by hair restraints) below the top of the collar. Hair color shall consist of only natural hair colors.
• Hair of male officers shall not extend more than half an inch below the top of the collar. Hair color shall consist of only natural hair colors.
• Well-trimmed, neat mustaches and beards are permitted. The length and bulk of the mustache or beard shall not exceed more than a quarter of an inch.
• Employment is subject to successful completion of a medical exam, which includes rigorous fitness standards. Medical exam consists of blood work, drug screening, height, weight, stress test, EKG, vision, hearing, and body fat.
• Body fat will be measured using a body composition analyzer at the time of the medical exam.
• Vision requirements: For distance, corrected 20/20 or better binocularly with at least 20/40 in each eye. Uncorrected distant visual acuity should be 20/100 or better binocularly.
• Colorblindness: Applicant must be able to pass the Ishihara's Test for Color Deficiency.
• Hearing Requirements: Applicant must be able to pass the hearing test without the use of hearing aids.
• Police Officer Selection Test (POST): You must receive a 70% or higher on each section of the POST. The exam consists of four sections, which include Math, Spelling, Reading Comprehension, and Report Writing. The exam is multiple choice and timed.
• Completion of a psychological exam, which includes a Personal History Questionnaire, the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) Exam, the Inwald Personality Inventory (IPI) Exam, and a structured psychological interview with a clinical psychologist.
• Successful completion of a Physical Abilities Test (PAT): The PAT will consist of four events, completed as one continuously timed exam. The maximum allowable time (regardless of age or gender) is three minutes and forty-five seconds (3:45).
• Successful completion of a comprehensive background investigation, which will include employment references dating back 10 years, personal references, driving history, credit history, criminal history, drug history, and academic records.
• Failure to provide correct information, or omitting information, at any point during your application will be grounds for termination from the hiring process.

Qualifications

The following criteria must be met in order to be eligible to apply:

• Successful completion (or willingness to complete) the Uniformed Police Training Program (UPTP) at FLETC
• Currently employed as a federal, state, or municipal law enforcement officer with at least one year of full duty service after training
• Applicants must be mature, reliable, skilled in oral and written communication, and have excellent interpersonal skills.
• Must have the ability to display a high standard of ethical conduct and be trusted in all work situations.
• Applicants must have no record of felony convictions, and must not currently be involved in any pending criminal charges.
• Applicants must be licensed to drive for at least one year at the time of application, and have an excellent driving record.
• Applicants who possess prior military service must have been separated under honorable conditions (honorable discharge).
• Applicants must be U.S. citizens by birth or naturalization.
• Applicants must be at least within six months of turning 21 years of age, but not yet 39 years of age at the date of application, with some exceptions as noted below:
  
  • Applicants over the age of 39 may still be considered if they can demonstrate sufficient prior coverage under the federal law enforcement retirement system special provision to allow them to achieve at least 20 years of total service before reaching age 60. See 5 U.S. Code 8425(d) for details on the special provision.

Education

A high school diploma is the minimum educational requirement for applicants meeting the other eligibility criteria.

Additional information

Working for the Supreme Court Police offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes paid vacation, sick leave, holidays, life insurance, health insurance benefits, premium pay, and eligibility for retirement with 20 years of service at age 50, or 25 years of service at any age.

• Recruitment Bonus - $5,000 will be provided at the time of appointment, with another $5,000 provided following completion of 18 months of service. Provision of these payments requires the execution of a two-year service agreement with the department.
• Sick Leave - Employees earn 104 hours of sick leave per year that accrues without limit. Sick leave not utilized at the time of retirement will be added to the annuitant's length of service when calculating their retirement benefit.
• Annual Leave - Employees earn annual leave at the following rates: 13 days per year for the first three years of service, 20 days after three years of service, and 26 days every year after 15 years of service. Employees may carry over a maximum of 240 hours (30 days) of annual leave from one calendar year to the next;
• Overtime - Supreme Court Police Officers working overtime are eligible to earn monetary pay or compensatory time at a rate of 1.5 times their derived hourly pay;
• Premium Pay - Supreme Court Police Officers working the hours between 6:00 PM and 6:00 AM are eligible to earn Night Differential at a rate of 10% of their derived hourly pay. Sunday premium is earned at a rate of 25% of their derived hourly pay;
• Paid Parental Leave - The Court provides up to 12 administrative workweeks of paid parental leave during the 12-month period following the birth or new placement of a child;
• Retirement - The Federal Law Enforcement Retirement System offered by the Supreme Court of the United States is a special variant of the Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS) offered to most U.S. government employees. Law Enforcement FERS is a three-part retirement program:
  
  • The first part is a defined-benefit plan (annuity) calculated by applying the average of the highest three years of earnings (high-3) to the length of service of an employee. Police annuitants receive 1.7% of their high-3 for the first 20 years of their service, and 1% for each additional year. This translates to 34% of the high-3 for police officers retiring after 20 years of service, and 39% if retiring after 25 years.
  • The second part is the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), which is a defined-contribution pension (savings account). Employees may contribute up to the IRS maximum, and the Court will match any contributions up to 5% of base salary;
  • The third part of the FERS benefit is access to social security. As Supreme Court Police Officers are able (and required) to retire before they are eligible to apply for social security, a FERS supplement is paid to compensate until age 62;
  • Employees with prior military service may buy back their active duty military time to be added to their length of service for the purposes of the annuity calculation. Military time cannot, however, be added to the length of service for determining retirement eligibility;
• Educational Assistance - Up to $5,000 per calendar year is available based on budget approval and the relevance of the requested courses to enhance job performance. A signed agreement committing the employee to repaying any amounts paid by the Court if the employee discontinues service from the Court within one year of completing the course is required.

• Benefits
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How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Your application and responses to the Pre-Screening Questionnaire will be reviewed and evaluated. Employment is subject to successful completion of the Police Officer Selection Test (POST), structured oral interview, background investigation interview, medical exam, physical abilities test, psychological exam, and a comprehensive background investigation. The POST and oral interviews are currently being offered virtually. To participate in our hiring process, you will need to travel to the Washington, D.C. area if you advance to the background investigation stage. The Supreme Court does NOT pay a travel per diem, hotel costs, or travel expenses for applicants to participate in our hiring process.

The four events for the Physical Abilities Test (PAT) will be:

• A Slalom Run between two (2) sets of cones, placed 75 feet apart for an overall distance of 375 feet;
• Descending and Ascending one (1) flight of steps, completing five (5) down and up series;
• Dragging a 165 lbs Rescue Dummy a distance of 40 feet;
• Fifteen (15) single-handed trigger pulls with each hand, while the arm is extended. The timer will stop once the 30th trigger pull is completed.

Applicants who are hired may also be required to successfully complete the 13-week Uniformed Police Training Program at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC). This determination will be made on a case-by-case basis for those with federal experience who have previously graduated from the UPTP at FLETC. All candidates without federal experience will be required to attend FLETC.

Due to the high number of applications received and the number of positions available, passing all phases of the hiring process does not guarantee an offer of employment if better qualified applicants are identified.

• Benefits
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• Required Documents
  As a new or existing federal employee, you and your family may have access to a range of benefits. Your benefits depend on the type of position you have - whether you're a permanent, part-time, temporary or an intermittent employee. You may be eligible for the following benefits, however, check with your agency to make sure you're eligible under their policies.
  The following documents are required of all applicants:
  
  1. Resume
  2. OF-306 Declaration for Federal Employment
  3. Police Applicant Pre-Screening Questionnaire
  4. Documentation demonstrating current employment as a federal, state, or municipal law enforcement officer; for applicants with federal experience this must be an SF-50 Notice of Personnel Action or equivalent
  
  The following additional documents are also required if applicable to you:
  
  1. Cover Letter (optional, but encouraged)
  2. FLETC Diploma and/or Transcript showing completion of the Uniformed Police Training Program (UPTP)
  3. DD-214 or Statement of Service (must include characterization of service)