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Police Officers (GS-0083) – Working for the U.S. Mint
The U.S. Mint was created in 1792 and is charged with the production and circulation of coinage, paper money is produced by the U.S. Treasury’s Bureau of Engraving and Printing. U.S. coins are used to conduct trade and commerce. The Mint is also responsible for the storage and movement bullion. The U.S. Mint produces coins at four located in Philadelphia, Denver, San Francisco and West Point.
History of the U.S. Mint
Once the Constitution was ratified, the Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton, prepared plans for a national Mint. On April 2, 1792, Congress passed The Coinage Act, creating the Mint.
The Mint was originally under the State Department and was made an independent agency in 1799. The passage of The Coinage Act of 1873 placed the U.S. Mint under the Department of the Treasury.
United States Mint Facilities
There are five United States Mint facilities functioning today including a United States Bullion Depository, whose functions are to fill the United States’ need for circulating coins, comply with the Congressional mandate for numismatic products and to safeguard and store bullion reserves.
Each facility performs many different functions to ensure that all needs are met and all Congressional mandates are accomplished. The United States Mint headquarters, located in Washington, D.C., is responsible for policy formulation, administrative guidance, program management, research and development, marketing operations, customer services and order processing.
The United States Mint at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is the oldest functioning facility. It is responsible for engraving and manufacturing coins and medal dies and the production of circulating and some commemorative coins. This facility and the United States Mint at Denver also conduct public tours.
The Denver facility, like the one in Philadelphia, primarily produces circulating coins. The United States Mint at San Francisco, California is responsible for producing proof coins for numismatic collectibles as well as some commemorative coins.
The United States Mint at West Point, located in New York, is responsible for manufacturing gold, silver, and platinum bullion, proof and uncirculated coins and also strikes some commemorative coins.
The United States Bullion Depository at Fort Knox, located in Kentucky, is not a production facility—it stores precious metal bullion reserves for the United States.
Functions
The Mint manages extensive commercial marketing programs. The product line includes special coin sets for collectors, national medals, American Eagle gold, silver and platinum bullion coins, and commemorative coins marking national events such as the Bicentennial of the Constitution. The Mint’s functions include:
- Producing domestic, bullion and foreign coins;
- Manufacturing and selling national commemorative medals;
- Designing and producing the congressional gold medals;
- Designing, producing, and marketing special coinage;
- Safeguarding and controlling the movement of bullion;
- Disbursing gold and silver for authorized purposes;
- Distributing coins from the various mints to Federal Reserve Banks.
United States Mint Police
The U.S. Mint Police occupation was established in 1792 and is one of the oldest federal law enforcement organizations in the country. Mint police protect over $100 billion in Treasury and other Government assets that are stored in facilities located in Philadelphia, PA, San Francisco CA, West Point, NY, Denver, CO, Fort Knox, KY and the Washington D.C. headquarters. Their primary mission is to protect life, property, preventing, detecting, and investigating criminal acts, collecting and preserving evidence, making arrests and enforcing Federal and local laws.
Police Officer (GS-0083) Occupation
The federal government employs 14,087 police of which 230 work overseas. The Veterans Administration employs 3,378 followed by the Department of the Navy with 2800 civilians employed in this series. Over half of the cabinet level agencies hire police officers and security guards. There are also 4,717 security guards employed in the federal service. Most work for the Department of the Army. Health and Human Services employs 237, while the Department of the Interior employs 182. The DOD, Navy, Air Force and others employ small numbers of security guards.
Occupational Interview with Connie Rupp, a police officer (GS-0083) with the U.S. Mint stationed at Denver, CO.
Why did you decide to become a police officer?
I started as a Law Enforcement Officer in the US Air Force and knew I had found my place. After my tour of duty with the Air Force I sought a degree in Criminalistics and have continued with a Masters in Criminology. The field continues to fascinate me. I’ve been fortunate to work many aspects of the law enforcement field, from thecrime lab to dispatching and security to Police Officer. Police Officers have a special bond and sense of being part of an elite team. I cannot imagine doing anything else.
What is a typical day in the life of a police officer?
I think it’s important to point out that being a Police Officer isn’t an eight hour a day job, it is a 24/7 job. There’s a level of vigilance and an awareness of your surroundings that is always there. However, when I put on the uniform I know I represent the United States and all that makes it great. Working at the Mint is unique, not only in what we produce everyday but, that we welcome the public to observe and learn about it. I interact with the public as well as the employees on a daily basis. Most people have no idea that the U.S. Mint Police have been around for 224 years and are the third oldest federal law enforcement agency. We keep the people and the assets safe. That’s a very important job!
Do you face any dangers as a police officer?
I believe there are more dangers now than ever before. It’s not just a local threat but, a global threat. That’s precisely why we should be vigilant and aware of everything going on around us.
What is the most rewarding experience of being a police officer?
Anytime I can do something to make someone’s day just a little bit better. Even if it is as small as giving directions or letting someone in the tour who didn’t know they needed reservations.
Would you recommend this as a good career option?
Absolutely, what we do here every day is unique and rewarding. I love my job! There are opportunities to advance and new skills to acquire. The Mint Police encourage both personal and professional growth. I am grateful for the opportunity. An example of this is that each year we fill out an individual development plan (IDP) where we set short term and long term goals. When the training goals benefit the Officer and the Division, they are willing to invest in the Officer. The Mint is the only job where I’ve experienced this type of support. In addition, the benefits are good and retirement attainable.
Duties of a Police Officer
- You must be a U.S. citizen to apply.
- Salary is $36,069.00 to $46,888.00 per year.
Information from opm.gov on experience for a GS-0083 series:
Experience
General Experience (for positions at GS-4 and below): Qualifying general experience includes experience in administrative, clerical, technical, or military work that involved protecting property, equipment, data, or materials; or that involved making judgments based on the application of directions, rules, regulations, or laws.
Specialized Experience (for positions at GS-4 and above): Experience that provided knowledge of a body of basic laws and regulations, law enforcement operations, practices, and techniques and involved responsibility for maintaining order and protecting life and property. Creditable specialized experience may have been gained in work on a police force; through service as a military police officer; in work providing visitor protection and law enforcement in parks, forests, or other natural resource or recreational environments; in performing criminal investigative duties; or in other work that provided the required knowledge and skills.
| Grade | Education / Training |
| GS-2 | Graduation from high school may be substituted for the required experience. |
| GS-3 | One year of successfully completed study at an accredited school above the high school level with at least 6 semester hours of study pertinent to police work. |
| GS-4 | Two years of successfully completed study at an accredited school above the high school level with at least 12 semester hours in police administration, police law and evidence, police investigation, criminology, law enforcement, general law, or similar subjects closely related to police work. |
| GS-5 | Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor’s degree in Police Science or a comparable degree program related to the work of the position. |
Successful completion of a Federal, State, county, or municipal police academy or comparable training course that included at least 40 classroom hours of instruction in police department procedures and methods, and local law and regulations, may be substituted for a maximum of 3 months of specialized experience or 6 months of general experience.
No substitution of education or training may be made for the required specialized experience at GS-6 and above.
Medical Requirements
The duties of these positions require moderate to arduous physical exertion and/or duties of a hazardous nature. The following medical requirements apply to all applicants: good near and distant vision, ability to distinguish basic colors, and ability to hear the conversational voice. Agencies may establish additional, job-related physical or medical requirements if the specific position(s) involves the arduous or hazardous duties to which the physical requirements relate.
Information from ooh.gov on the police officer:
Qualities
- Communication skills. Police, detectives, and fish and game wardens must be able to speak with people when gathering facts about a crime and to express details about a given incident in writing.
- Empathy. Police officers need to understand the perspectives of a wide variety of people in their jurisdiction and have a willingness to help the public.
- Good judgment. Police and detectives must be able to determine the best way to solve a wide array of problems quickly.
- Leadership skills. Police officers must be comfortable with being a highly visible member of their community, as the public looks to them for assistance in emergency situations.
- Perceptiveness. Officers, detectives, and fish and game wardens must be able to anticipate a person’s reactions and understand why people act a certain way.
- Physical stamina. Officers and detectives must be in good physical shape, both to pass required tests for entry into the field, and to keep up with the daily rigors of the job.
- Physical strength. Police officers must be strong enough to physically apprehend offenders.
Job Listings
Credit
- Michael White, Public Affairs Officer, U.S. Mint, Washington, D.C.
- www.usmint.gov
- Photos provided by the U.S. Mint
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