It takes special individuals to meet the demands of being a United States Park Police officer. We are looking for individuals that are highly motivated, of good moral character, that possess inner pride and self-respect, and who have a desire to better the Nation that we serve.

If selected as a United States Park Police officer, individuals must be willing to work different hours of the day; all days of the week; holidays; scheduled and unscheduled overtime; schedules that may be subject to change; and willing to work in different work locations. In addition, individuals must be able to work under a great deal of pressure, and yet still maintain a clear head, a strong demeanor, a positive attitude and good work ethic.

The selection process to become a United States Park Police officer consists of several steps. All steps must be successfully completed before an applicant may be considered for appointment. Applicants must complete each step before being scheduled or invited to the next step. Successful applicants may expect to make several visits to various testing sites during the process.

t Once a vacancy announcement is opened, applicants must apply on-line at www.usajobs.opm.gov. To be considered eligible to take the written examination applicants must meet the minimum qualifications:

t Be a United States Citizen

t Have 20/100 vision or better that is correctable to 20/20 with glasses or contact lenses

t Possess a valid driver's license (must have a good driving record)

t Have a high school diploma or equivalent

t Have a minimum of sixty college credits, or two years of progressively responsible experience that has demonstrated the ability to learn and apply detail and complex regulations and procedures or managerial or supervisory skills. You can have a combination of acceptable experience and education of at least 2 years. In combining education and experience, an academic year of study (30 semester hours or 45 quarter hours) will be considered equivalent to 1 year of experience.

If you do not qualify based on education or experience 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. (i.e. 45 x 2/3). To calculate your percentages of undergraduate education, divide your number of undergraduate semester hours by 60.

 Refer 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.  Two percentages must total at least 100% for you to qualify under the combination of education and experience.

Examples of qualifying experiences are:

• Work on a police force

• Served as 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

• Works performing criminal investigate duties

• Supervisory or Managerial experience that demonstrates decision-making and leadership abilities

Applicants must have reached their 21st birthday but have not reached their 37th birthday by the date of appointment to this position. These positions are covered by the special retirement provisions for Federal Law Enforcement Officers and have a mandatory retirement age of 57. Selectees for these positions who are over age 37 must have been or currently be covered by the special retirement provisions and be able to complete at least 20 years of covered service by age 57. You must submit proof of your status in the Law Enforcement retirement system.

Exceptions:
(1) This age restriction does not apply to those who have sufficient creditable service in a Federal civilian (not military) law enforcement position covered by 5 U.S.C. 8336(c) or 5 U.S.C. 8412 (d) to permit retirement on or before the mandatory retirement age of 57.
(2) If you are a veteran who is eligible for veterans preference ("preference eligible"), you may be eligible for a waiver of the maximum entry age for this position if you are otherwise qualified and meet medical and fitness requirements. If you are claiming veterans preference, you must submit proof of your veterans' preference. Please be advised that if you do not submit this required documentation of your service, you will not be eligible for consideration of this limited waiver of the maximum entry age.

There are specific elements that will automatically disqualify applicants for employment with the United States Park Police. Some of the automatic disqualifyers are:

t Conviction of a felony

t Conviction of Domestic Violence

t Use of illegal drugs in violation of the United States Park Police qualification standards

We recognize, however, that some otherwise qualified applicants may have used drugs at some point in their pasts. The following criteria is to determine whether any prior drug use makes an applicant fail our standards for employment, balancing the needs of the United States Park Police to maintain a suitable drug-free workplace while ensuring the public's trust in our integrity and to accomplish our mission.

In making the determination on a applicant's qualification standards on their criminal, driving, and employment history as well as their drug usuage, all revelant facts, including recency and frequency, will be evaluated.

The four components are as follows;

1) Trunk Flexion Standard - (Sit and Reach) - Flexibility determined by seated forward flexion evaluation. Applicants will have two attempts.

2) Body Weight Pushed Standard - (Bench Press) - Muscular strength determined with One maximal repetition chest press. Applicants will have five attempts.

3) Agility Run Standard (Illinois Agility Course) - Agility measured by negotiating a timed obstacle course. You will start in a prone position. Applicants will have two attempts.

4) 1.5 Mile Run/Walk Standard - Cardiovascular endurance measured witha 1.5 mile walk/run. Applicants will have one attempt.

Please see our PEB Standards for efficiency scores.

Applicants that have successfully passed all of the previously mentioned steps will be given a Qualification review. The review is conducted by a panel of Force officials and applicants are evaluated on their responses to scenario an qualification questions.

The applicants that successfully complete all steps in the hiring process will be reviewed by a selection committee where recommendations for hire will be made. The timetable to go through a process for hire generally takes a minimum of six months.

Selections for hire will have to participate in a one-week orientation in Washington, DC and will then be assigned to participate in recruit training at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Brunswick, GA where they will attend a 18 week (approx 4 1/2 months) paid academy. After successful completion of the academy, recruits will be assigned to Washington, DC and receive additional training and field training from experienced Field Training Instructors.

** 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.