U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services Officer Assistant

Summary

U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services Officer Assistants serve in a judiciary law enforcement position and provide technical and operational support and assistance to probation/pretrial services officers in a variety of areas, including assisting with compiling information for investigations; assisting with and monitoring select persons under supervision; drafting reports and correspondence; appearing in court, and assisting with similar operational duties.

Duties

• Under the guidance of a probation officer, supervise a caseload of persons under supervision which may include contact by telephone, in the office, and in the field. Investigate employment, sources of income, lifestyle, and associates to assess risk and determine compliance. Maintain case files and records to include documentation of case activities. Assist probation officers with presentence report investigations to include compiling criminal histories, and profiles, running record checks through local and national databases, conducting inquiries with collateral agencies, and performing other similar activities. Provide officers with accurate information to assist in their completion of probation reports. Assist with pretrial services, under the direction of the supervisory officer, including attending court, conducting interviews, completing investigations, preparing reports, and providing other assistance as required. Under the guidance of a probation officer, respond to judicial officer requests for information. Occasionally testify in court, accompanied by a probation officer, regarding the basis for factual findings and, if applicable, guideline applications. Conduct and monitor drug screens from persons under supervision and maintain appropriate records. Monitor inactive and/or administrative cases. Prepare violation and related reports on inactive cases when violation behavior is detected and appear in court on the violation matter. Operate various criminal justice, law enforcement, and probation automated systems. Participate in ongoing training and development programs.

Qualifications

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: 1) The selected candidate must be a U.S. citizen or foreign national eligible for federal employment. 2) Possession of a valid driver's license. 3) High school graduation or equivalent and two years of progressively responsible general clerical, office, or other work experience that indicates the possession of, or the ability to acquire, the particular knowledge and skills needed to perform the position's duties. 4) Further, the selected candidate must have specialized experience: CL-24: Requires one year of specialized experience, including at least one year equivalent to work at the CL-23 level. CL-25: Requires one year of specialized experience, including at least one year equivalent to work at the CL-24 level . Promotional potential from classification level 24 to 25 is earned and does not require further competition; promotional opportunities for officer positions are available to qualified employees on a competitive basis. Specialized Experience: Progressively responsible clerical or administrative experience requiring the regular and recurring application of clerical procedures that demonstrate the ability to apply a body of rules, regulations, directives, or laws and involve the routine use of specialized terminology and automated software and equipment for word processing, data entry or report generation. Such experience is commonly encountered in law firms, legal counsel offices, banking and credit firms, educational institutions, social service organizations, insurance companies, real estate and title offices, and corporate headquarters or human resources/payroll operations. Educational Substitution: Education above the high school level may be substituted for required general experience on the basis of one academic year (30 semester or 45 quarter hours) equals one year of general experience. Education may not be substituted for specialized experience because operational court support positions require hands-on experience to be credited as specialized experience. Preferred Qualifications: 1) Excellent writing skills, with the ability to produce clear, accurate, and professional documents. 2) Demonstrated computer (Windows & Microsoft environment) and automated electronic case filing systems skills; experience in a pretrial or probation system or relevant experience in a court; and/or customer service experience. 3) Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in a field of academic study, such as criminal justice, criminology, psychology, sociology, human relations, or business or public administration. 4) Bilingual candidates who have the ability to read, write and speak Spanish proficiently. EMPLOYEE REQUIREMENTS: This position allows for retirement at age 50 with 20 years of service, any age with 25 years of service and mandatory separation at age 57. First-time appointees must not have reached their 37th birthday at the time of appointment to meet this requirement. Previous law enforcement officer experience under the Federal Employees' Retirement System (FERS) may be subtracted for qualified applicants over the age of 37. Prior to appointment, the selectee considered for this position will undergo a medical examination and drug screening. Upon successful completion of the medical examination and drug screening, the selectee may then be appointed provisionally, pending a favorable suitability determination by the Court. A 10-year background investigation including FBI fingerprinting is required. In addition, as a condition of employment, incumbent will be subject to ongoing random drug screening, updated background investigations every five years and, as deemed necessary by management for reasonable cause, may be subject to subsequent fitness-for-duty evaluations. The medical requirements for law enforcement officer and officer assistant positions are available for public review on the USCourts.gov web site under Officer and Officer Assistant Medical Requirements. The Unite…

Education

High school graduation or equivalent.