Individual Occupational Requirements for

GS-1801:    Canine Enforcement Officer

Department of the Treasury

U.S. Customs Service

Use these individual occupational requirements in conjunction with the "Group Coverage Qualification Standard for Administrative and Management Positions."

EDUCATION
Undergraduate Education: Major study--any field.

Graduate Education: One full academic year of graduate education is qualifying for positions at the GS-7 level, provided that it included at least 15 semester hours of course work 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

EXPERIENCE
General Experience (for GS-5 positions): Experience that demonstrated all of the following:

• Ability to understand legal provisions, regulations, and administrative procedures and to apply them to specific situations;
• Ability to analyze narrative and numerical data, draw conclusions, and make decisions; and
• Ability to communicate with others effectively, both orally and in writing.

Specialized Experience (for positions above GS-5): 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.

Specialized Experience for Inservice Placement Actions Only: Experience in law enforcement work that demonstrated the ability to make rapid, accurate judgments and decisions with respect to the application of regulations, instructions, and procedures for examining and inspecting imports for admission to the United States; or inspection work concerning investigations, law enforcement, or employment of dogs in patrol duty and/or detection of specific materials such as drugs, explosives, etc.

Employees with Customs inspection experience who lack dog handling experience may be reassigned to Canine Enforcement Officer positions; however, retention in the position requires satisfactory completion of the basic training course for Canine Enforcement Officers in accordance with U.S. Customs Service requirements.

DOG HANDLER TRAINING
Successful completion of training in a school for dog handlers (other than dog obedience), e.g., patrol dog school, sentry dog school, etc., may be substituted for specialized experience at the rate of 1 week of training for 2 weeks of specialized experience up to a maximum of 6 months of training for the 1 year of specialized experience required at the GS-7 level.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS
Applicants must be willing and able to engage effectively in contacts with hostile persons, and to work independently under conditions of high accountability. A background investigation may also be employed in assessing applicants' suitability.

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. Environmental: Incumbents perform job tasks in a variety of environmental conditions. These conditions include working (1) in hot or cold outdoor temperatures (i.e., below 32 degrees or above 90 degrees), (2) at high elevations (i.e. 15 feet or greater above ground level), (3) near moving vehicles and aircraft, (4) in dusty conditions, (5) near fumes, (6) in stressful conditions, and (7) for extended and irregular hours. Vision: Applicants must meet the following requirements:

• Near vision. Must be at least 20/40 Snellen binocular (with or without corrective lenses). Binocular visual acuity must be at least 20/30 (corrected) and 20/100 (uncorrected).
• Color perception. Must be able to distinguish primary colors as defined by color perception plate tests.
• Refractive surgery. Individuals who have undergone refractive surgery (i.e., surgery to improve distant visual acuity) must meet Treasury approved requirements which include documentation that they have passed specific exam and protocol testing.

Hearing: Uncorrected bilateral hearing loss must not exceed 25 dB for the average of the following frequencies: 500, 1000, 2000, and 3000 Hz; and, must not exceed 45 dB loss at 4000 and 6000Hz in either ear. The difference in hearing levels between the better ear thresholds and worse ear thresholds may not exceed 15 dB for the average of 500, 1000, 2000, and 3000 Hz only and must not exceed 30 dB loss at 4000 and 6000 Hz only. Use of a hearing aid is not allowed.

Special Medical Requirements: The duties of this position are of a strenuous and hazardous nature. Additionally, the position requires a high degree of interaction and responsibility to the public. Therefore, any medical condition resulting from an injury or disease or any psychiatric condition may result in disqualification for appointment either: (1) if the condition(s) would affect the ability of the individual to perform the essential functions of the position or (2) if recurrence of the condition(s) cannot be medically ruled out, and the duties of the position are such that a recurrence would pose a reasonable probability of substantial harm to the individual or to others, if the individual were appointed to the position.

Appointment will be contingent upon a candidate's passing a pre-employment medical examination and drug test to ascertain possession of the physical, emotional and mental requirements for the position. A direct relationship exists between specific medical requirements and the condition and the duties of the position. Any chronic disease or condition affecting the auditory, cardiovascular, endocrine and metabolic, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, integumentary, musculoskeletal, neurological, psychological, respiratory, and visual systems that would impair full performance of the duties of the position is disqualifying. These medical requirements must be met by individuals subsequent to appointment and for in-service placement actions, including reinstatement of former employees and transfers from positions not covered by this standard.

USE OF FIREARMS
Applicants must, after appointment, (1) qualify periodically in the use of firearms, and (2) carry firearms.

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Updated 01 January 1999