• Gathers and verifies background information concerning persons charged with a federal criminal offense when they are arrested or summoned to court.
• Ability to query and interpret law enforcement automated criminal records systems to obtain and verify information.
• Evaluates information and prepares a report for the judicial officer prior to the Initial Appearance hearing with an assessment of risks of non-appearance and danger to the community.
• Attends court hearings to represent Pretrial Services, provides the court, government, and defense counsel with additional information as needed, and stays current with the case status and requirements of the court’s orders.
• Assigns and schedules the work of the investigation unit regarding all pretrial investigative work and coordinates/assigns necessary court coverage. Conducts community contacts.
• Be available for weekend arrest duty court coverage as needed.
• Investigates violations, prepares written reports for the court, and recommends appropriate action to be taken by the court.
• Supervise a caseload of defendants which may include location monitoring (LM) defendants, on 24 hours, 7 days per week basis including community and home contacts.
• Provide weekend location monitoring coverage as needed and coverage for an additional caseload as determined by office needs.
• Monitor defendant compliance according to procedures outlined within district and national policy l and report any violations pertaining to supervision conditions to the judicial officer.
• Perform all other duties as assigned.

The above list is intended to reflect typical duties and does not include all duties or special work assignments. U.S. Pretrial Services Officer (and Officer Assistant) duties are performed in an office, courtroom, and community setting and are subject to irregular work hours to include nights, weekends, and holidays. This does include regular contact with people of varying backgrounds and characteristics. These duties will also require the investigation and management of defendants and who may present physical danger to themselves and/or the public. The supervision, treatment, and oversight of those persons under pretrial supervision may require moderate to arduous physical activity, including prolonged periods of walking and standing, physical dexterity, and coordination necessary for a safe, physical retreat.

Conditions of employment

• Applicant must be a United States citizen or provide documentation proving eligibility to work in the United States.
• All employees are required to adhere to the Code of Conduct for Judicial Employees.
• The incumbent will be subject to local and federal background investigations and may be subject to submit a recent credit report.
• This position is subject to mandatory electronic funds transfer for payment of net pay.
• A driver’s license and access to a vehicle is required.

Qualifications

All Pretrial Services officer positions require completion of a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with at least one year of specialized experience*. At least one year of experience at or equivalent to the next level below the level of the position for which the person is being considered. Sufficient keyboarding skills (or alternative skills) to demonstrate proficiency in producing reports/documents/correspondence using electronic word processing and other office system technology is required.

*Specialized Experience: Progressively responsible experience in such fields as probation, pretrial services, parole, corrections, criminal investigations, or work in substance/addiction treatment, public administration, human relations, social work, psychology, or mental health. Experience as a police officer, custodial, or security officer, other than any criminal investigative experience, is not creditable.

Maximum Age Requirement: First time appointees to positions covered under federal law enforcement officer retirement provisions must not have reached their 37th birthday at the time of appointment. Applicants 37 years old and older who have previous law enforcement experience covered under the Federal Employees’ Retirement System (FERS) and who have either a subsequent break in service or intervening service in a non-law enforcement officer position may have their previous law enforcement officer experience deducted from their age to determine whether or not they meet the maximum age requirement.

Physical Requirements: Officers must possess, with or without corrective lenses, good distance vision in at least one eye and the ability to read normal size print. Normal hearing ability, with or without hearing aid(s), is also required. Any severe health problems, such as physical defects, disease, and deformities that constitute employment hazards to the applicant or others, may disqualify the applicant.

Background Investigation, Drug Screening & Medical Standards: As part of the interview process and due to the sensitivity level of this position, candidates will be asked about their background including criminal history and illegal drug use. In addition, candidates must complete the AO-78, questions 18-20 regarding criminal history. Providing false and/or misleading information may be grounds for removal from the application and selection process. Prior to appointment, the final candidate considered for this position will undergo a medical examination and drug screening. Upon successful completion of the medical examination and drug screening, the candidate may then be appointed provisionally, pending a favorable suitability determination by the Court. The final candidate must also successfully complete a ten-year background investigation conducted by the Office of Personnel Management. In addition, as conditions of employment, the 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 and the essential job functions derived from the medical guidelines for probation officers, pretrial service officers and officer assistants are available for public review at https://www.uscourts.gov/careers/who-works-judiciary/us-probation-pretrial-services-careers/us-probation-pretrial-services-employment-suitability-requirements

A driver’s license and access to a vehicle is required.

How you will be evaluated

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

We will review your resume and supporting documents to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. We will evaluate each applicant who meets the basic qualifications on the information provided and evaluate your relevant professional, educational, and work experiences as it relates to fundamental competencies, identified in the Qualifications section above, required for this position.

• Cover letter describing your qualifications for this position and answering the following questions (Not to exceed two pages):
  • Please describe your experience of preparing reports and working with external stakeholders during the pretrial investigation process.
  • Please describe your experience supervising individuals in the community (including location monitoring) along with the number of cases supervised and how you handle priorities with a high-risk caseload.
• Resume (two page maximum)
• Completed AO-78, Application for Judicial Branch Federal Employment. Optional Background Information (questions 19, 20, and 21) on page 5 must be answered.
• Last two performance appraisals/evaluations from your current and/or previous employer(s). (If unable to provide these, please explain the reason in your cover letter.)
• Copy of transcript(s) for a bachelor’s degree & any advanced degree.
• In the cover letter tell us how you found this vacancy. If a referral, please list the employee’s name.

Next steps