Village Public Safety Officer

Job Title:              Village Public Safety Officer

Supervisor:          Public Safety Director

Classification:     Classified

FT/PT Status:      Full Time

FLSA Status:        Non-Exempt

Benefits:              Medical, Dental, PERS, and Life Insurance

DESCRIPTION:  The VPSO, works along with the oversite of the Public Safety Director, VPSO Coordinator and the Alaska State Troopers (AST) to ensure deliver of community law enforcement, probation and parole supervision, and public safety services within the Northwest Arctic Borough (NAB). Village Public Safety Officers (VPSO'S) are dedicated employees living in rural Alaska who assists their community in all aspects of public safety to include search & rescue, fire protection, emergency medical assistance, and especially law enforcement. Service coordination is provided with the cooperation of the city council or local tribal governments.

DUTIES:

• EMS
  • Help Health Aids in emergency situations
• Law Enforcement:
  • Patrol and enforce curfew
  • Investigate misdemeanor crimes and write reports
  • Assist Troopers during investigations
  • Complete required reports on time
• Assists the Battalion Fire Chief in the following:
  • Conduct fire drills and teach fire prevention classes at schools
  • Conduct fire department meetings
  • Train volunteer firefighters in firefighting
  • Conduct fire prevention surveys within the community
• Assists Village Search and Rescue (SAR) Committee:
  • Organize a search and rescue team or act as a liaison for the Department of Public Safety within the community
  • Assist in training SAR team members
  • Assist the SAR President in maintaining a list of available SAR equipment and supplies
• General Public Safety:
  • Provide public safety information to schools and to the public
  • Conduct boat, ATV and snow machine safety training
• Probation/Parole Monitoring:
  • VPSOs will document personal contact with specified probationers and parolees as requested by the Supervisor of the District Probation Office for the Department of Corrections
• Emergency Management:
  • Serve as a liaison for emergency preparedness and response, assists the NAB Public Safety Department
  • Provide input on the community's Emergency Operations Plan
  • Assist with the coordination of any emergency related training (e.g., Incident Command System, Emergency Trauma Technician, etc.)
• Travel as required from village based-work location
• Perform other duties as assigned

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

• Must be a citizen of the United States or a resident alien who has demonstrated intent to become a citizen of the United States.
• Must be twenty-one years of age or older.
• Must have a good moral character.
• High School Diploma, or its equivalent or General educational development (GED)
• Must within six months of hire or prior to academy, whichever comes first, certified by a physician licensed in Alaska, on a medical record form supplied by the department, to:
• Be free from any physical or hearing condition which would adversely affect performance of an essential function of a village public safety officer;
• Have normal color discrimination, normal binocular coordination, normal peripheral vision and corrected visual acuity of 20/30 or better in each eye;
• Free from mental or emotional condition that would adversely affect the performance of an essential function of a village public safety officer; 
• Has not been convicted, by a civilian court of this state, the United States, or another state or territory, or by a military court, of one or more of the following offenses, or of an offense with substantially similar elements to such an offense under Alaska law   
  • a felony;
  • any misdemeanor within five (5) years of the date of hire;
  • a misdemeanor within 10 years of the date of hire, if the misdemeanor involved:
    • an assault against a family member, former family member, member of the individuals' household, or former member of the household
    • the violation of a domestic violence restraining order
  • two or more DUI offenses
• Has not ever:
  • illegally manufactured, transported, or delivered:
    • a controlled substance
    • an alcohol beverage in violation of a local option under AS 04.11 or a municipal ordinance
  • illegally used a controlled substance other than marijuana during the 10 years immediately before the date of hire, unless you were under the age of 21 at the time of using the controlled substance
  • Used marijuana within one year before the date of hire.

• Has not been denied village public safety officer certification or had that certification revoked
• Has not been discharged for cause or resigned under threat of discharge for cause from employment as a village public safety officer, a village police officer, or a police officer in this state or any other state
• Must attend and successfully complete a ten-week training course at the Public Safety Training Academy in Sitka, Alaska.