Detention Officer

Akima, LLC•Brownsville, TX

2d•Onsite

About The Position

Akima Infrastructure Protection is hiring a Detention Officer for the Port Isabel Detention Center in Brownsville, Texas. The role is assigned to unarmed posts inside the detention facility and is responsible for supervising detainees and maintaining their safety and security within the secure perimeter. The officer must perform duties with fairness, integrity, and high ethical standards. The position involves monitoring detainees, maintaining order, enforcing facility rules, and providing for detainees’ housing, feeding, physical well-being, custody, and control. Duties also include conducting security and sanitation checks, inspecting and accounting for equipment, maintaining post logbooks, and escorting or supervising detainees during hearings, transport, medical care, and other assigned activities. Officers must complete assigned training, including defensive tactics, and follow company safety policies and procedures. This on-site position requires meeting health and physical fitness standards throughout employment. Physical duties include walking throughout the facility in varied and sometimes extreme weather, standing, sitting, bending, responding quickly to emergencies, lifting and moving heavy objects, assisting a wheelchair-bound individual, and performing CPR when needed. The company describes its work environment as challenging and supportive and notes that employees have access to comprehensive benefits, competitive pay, growth opportunities, and retirement options.

Requirements

Meet all health requirements and pass a pre-employment physical; maintain physical fitness standards as a continued condition of employment.
Be a United States citizen and at least 18 years old.
Have a high school diploma or equivalent (GED).
Pass a criminal background and consumer credit check; the posting specifies no criminal record or poor credit history.
Obtain and maintain a DHS/ICE government clearance.
Pass all pre-employment and random drug tests.
Possess a valid state driver's license.
Be able to obtain and maintain a state security guard license.
Read, write, and speak fluent English.
Greet and deal tactfully and professionally with the general public.
Demonstrate observation skills, memory of events, and the ability to recall events for written reports.
Follow, interpret, and understand written and verbal orders, policies, regulations, detailed instructions, and training materials; compose written and oral reports.
Exercise good judgment, courage, alertness, and an even temperament, and perform responsibilities satisfactorily.
Maintain poise and self-control during emergencies and stressful situations, including disturbances, altercations, fires, and building evacuations.
Maintain a professional appearance, calm demeanor, and discretion with confidential information.
Demonstrate integrity and accountability and adhere to the American Correctional Association and DHS ICE Performance Based National Detention Standards.
Work effectively with a diverse population, including people with different cultures, values, and lifestyles, using a cross-cultural perspective.
Maintain current physical residency in the continental United States.
Walk through all facility areas during tours of duty in varied, sometimes extreme, weather conditions.
Stand, sit, walk, and bend for extended periods.
Respond quickly during emergencies, including jogging and fast walking to incidents.
Work without restrictions or limitations for the required physical tasks.
Frequently lift objects up to 50 pounds and occasionally lift up to 70 pounds.
Push a wheelchair-bound individual weighing up to 300 pounds and help the individual in and out of the chair.
Periodically bend, stoop, crawl, kneel, reach, and climb stairs, ladders, and slopes.

Responsibilities

Conduct security and sanitation checks before relieving the outgoing officer and throughout the shift.
Inventory equipment and record results in the logbook.
Receive authorized equipment and ensure it is in proper working condition.
Ensure the communication radio is functioning and has a fully charged battery.
Perform duties related to the detention, processing, safeguarding, security, and escort of detainees as required by the contract.
Exercise surveillance and control over detainees and maintain order and discipline.
Attend to detainees’ housing, feeding, and physical well-being around the clock.
Make accurate, legible, and complete entries in assigned post logbooks.
Enforce detention facility rules and regulations.
Provide care, custody, and control of detainees.
Remove detainees from holding areas using proper restraints and security measures.
Supervise detainees at deportation or exclusion hearings, during transport, while receiving medical care, and during other assigned duties.
Arrive on time for assigned shifts wearing the full issued uniform and complying with the dress code.
Follow company-wide safety policies and practices, including safety prevention, reporting, and monitoring responsibilities.
Successfully complete assigned training, including defensive tactics and courses requiring minimum physical stamina.
Perform work in accordance with organizational policies and procedures.
Maintain required physical fitness standards and be capable of performing CPR and rendering assistance when needed.