Ability for Officers to serve in a Federal Capacity?

[Scotty22]

I posted this also in the recruitment area as I didn't really know which section of the board this should fall under. Sorry for duplicate postings. If a mod feels it doesn't belong please delete.

I'd like to thank those of you first for helping to alleviate some of my fears of applying to be a Police Officer. I do have another question though that is along, similar if not parallel lines.

I have talked to several of my friends whom are Law Enforcement Officers who have been giving me some advice as well over the weekend. I believe eventually I would enjoy performing some kind of technical investigations associated with computers and those types of crimes.

A friend suggested rather than perhaps being a police officer, to apply at the FBI and Secret Service levels as they do the majority of computer controlled crimes in America. He advised me that the FBI or SS rarely take officers from municipality organizations as they are looking for someone fresh out of college, and without preconceived notions of law enforcement. I would assume to some point that might be correct, but I also figured that those groups would also be looking for someone with some inkling of LEO experience as well?

Have you guys known, or currently know officers that try to make it into the federal brances of LEO and were turned down because they were officers? I wouldn't think that would happen but ya never know.

Can't hurt to ask you guys!

Thanks in advance for some of the responses.

[Switchback]

The feds will NOT turn people down from jobs because they were local officers.

The reason you see some agencies hiring straight from college (or w/o LE experience) is because they are looking for certain degrees/backgrounds. It is rare that you find people with some specialized degrees that are local police officers (such as linguistics, engineering, Chemistry, Biology, etc.) If an indivivual had this degree/background AND was a local, it would only make his package stronger.

Feel free to PM me if you would like some specific examples.

[Scotty22]

Ok, that's pretty much EXACTLY what I thought. Why would the FBI or SS turn down someone with LEO experience AND a background in say Biology etc...

I have no problem discussing it on the board as it might help to further someone else's education on the subject.

I have a background in MIS (Management of Information Systems) and eventually after a time in a munincipality say like Oklahoma City where I'm from, then could apply to the FBI or SS or even work in the Technical Investigations area of the OCPD. I'm talking about dealing with crimes relating to computers, computer fraud, network etc.... It would be a double interest of mine being that I could be in LE and working with computers at the same time.

Thanks for your reply and I'd like to hear of any other stories of other officers or people you know that have gone this route.

[Joeyd6]

The FEDS usually don't want recent college gradutaes in 1811 positions. Why? A college graduate has usually very littel work experience.....you have very little socalizing skills......and last week you were drinking brews with guys and watching porn... Would you give somebody like that Federal Powers on complex investigations dealing with a wide variety of people? NO! You want somebody with some maturity and real world experiences under thier belt and maybe somebody who has had firearms experience and had to make serious situational judgement. If you go to the USSS interview ...ask them the average age of the starting agent. The magic asnwer is always 27 yeasr old!

Some agencies would jump on teh new guy though...but they are not 1811 positions. Such as Border Patrol, Capital Police, Mint Police, etc... These are uniformed jobs in a different capacity than the 1811's.

[BryGuy]

A few years ago we had a detective from our area jump ship and join the FBI. He was a lawyer prior to becoming a police officer and the FBI seems to have this thing with JD's...they want you to have one. I'd be willing to bet that your State Police have the very same computer crimes type unit, but won't require you to have a law degree.

[HiTech]

The FBI and other Federal agencies are activley looking for people with computer expertise. You might want to contact some of them and see if your background is what they want.