Criminal Investigator

This position is located within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Police Service (PS). The mission of the PS is to serve and protect Veterans, patients, employees, contractors, volunteers, affiliates, visitors, and others who frequent VA facilities. Safety and security are paramount to ensuring that the VA successfully serve and honor the men and women who are America's Veterans.

Qualifications:

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 06/05/2026.

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-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. 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 and/or education as described below:

• Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: conducting investigations of complaints, tips/leads, obtaining physical evidence, testimony, etc.; researching and utilizing applicable federal guidelines to investigate crimes; and analyzing raw investigative data and converting it comprehensive written reports. NOTE: Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must clearly indicate the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. OR,
• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed a master's or equivalent graduate degree, or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree, in a field related to Criminal Investigation that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position (such as law enforcement or criminal justice). NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. OR,
• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond successfully completed graduate level education (in excess of the first year or 18 semester hours) and specialized experience to meet total experience requirements. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation.

• DRIVER'S LICENSE REQUIREMENT: This position requires a current, valid, state-issued driver's license. NOTE: We cannot accept photographs, therefore; please do not submit a copy of your driver's license with your application package. If an interview is requested, you may be required to provide a copy of your valid state-issued driver's license.
• FIREARM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT: VA Police Officers are required to carry agency-approved firearms while on duty on VA property. 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)).

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/.

Responsibilities:

Duties include but not limited to:

• The position is directed to plan and conduct investigations relating to alleged or suspected violations of criminal laws by utilizing investigative techniques and applying the laws of evidence, rules of criminal procedures, and precedent court decisions concerning criminal activities.
• Investigates crimes which cannot be resolved through the initial efforts of the reporting officer's preliminary investigation or are beyond the scope of a Detective's responsibility. Cases investigated by the position normally involve an equal mixture of serious crimes or complex misdemeanors, which almost always take several months and sometimes more than a year to fully investigate. The position utilizes an extensive array of standardized, optional, and innovative investigation procedures, techniques and methods to detect, investigate, and resolve crimes and other activities that are beyond the scope or requirements for solutions associated with standard patrol assignments. The position performs a variety of standard and nonstandard assignments in resolving a wide range of conditions or criminal/administrative activities typically requiring extensive research, interviewing, planning, observing, conducting stakeout operations, and executing investigative techniques, resulting in arrest of suspects and in some instances, changes in patrol operating procedures.
• Participates in surveillance activities that are coordinated by an OIG and/or other federal agency's senior investigator to ensure investigator support and protection.
• The position prepares and reviews reports, makes recommendations, and prepares cases for prosecution. In performing the above, the position employs a methodology consistent with established criminal investigation techniques, renders detailed accurate statements, and reduces the information gathered into a clear, concise, and accurate report that is forwarded to the Chief of Police, Assistant United States Attorney or State District Attorney's office.
• The position is responsible for collecting/compiling data that includes criminal trends, performance metrics, and quality assurance for all functions of Police Service. The position creates graphs, charts, and descriptions of the data collected to include analyzing the information and providing ways to reduce crime, improve performance, and meet customer needs while maintaining an acceptable performance service level. The position analyzes, evaluates, and advises on law enforcement delivery systems and operations, as well as assesses the productivity, effectiveness, and efficiency of the activities and operations of Police Service. The primary responsibilities are to provide detailed and timely information on crime trends, predictive analysis, workload/performance metrics, quality assurance, and customer service data and to seek avenues for process improvements or system redesign.
• The position conducts and oversees Internal Affairs Investigations (IA), under the direction of the Chief of Police or as assigned by VHA Leadership. In conjunction with Internal Affairs records system, reviews IA reports for completeness, accuracy, and relevance, and reports back to the Chief or team leader on the findings and conclusions. Leads or assists in the conduct of administrative investigations of alleged administrative misconduct, patient abuse, and other improprieties as directed by the Chief of Police, Medical Center Director, Associate Director, or Chief of Staff.
• The position will, on occasion, be required to coordinate and/or participate in a taskforce or other team to conduct highly complex, difficult and sensitive criminal, civil and administrative investigations involving alleged misconduct, criminal activity and/or corruption by VA employees and related entities, employing all of the agency's authorities and capabilities in support of criminal, corruption, and misconduct investigations directly affecting agency integrity.
• As part of the internal affairs group, the position may be required to travel on short notice to participate in serious administrative investigations including, but not limited to, Officer involved shootings, in-custody deaths, alleged constitutional violations, allegations of racial profiling or discriminatory policing or racial prejudice, dishonesty, drug use, sexual misconduct cases handled for other jurisdictions/VISN interagency cases, and cases referred directly by the agency head, OSLE, VHA Leadership, OIG or command staff.

Performs other related duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Rotating shifts

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Criminal Investigator/PD99782S
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: No
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): No
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): No

Salary : $61,722