Border Patrol

[cignaguy]

Just curious, but how many folks are applying for the Border Patrol positions? I was wondering if I could find out some reasons that you are applying to this position. Is experience as a Border Patrol agent good for leading to 1811 positions after a few years of experience? How do you feel about living in border towns. Does anyone know what the border towns are like? Feedback from current BP agents would be great. Also, I noticed on the registration for the position they ask you to select which of the four border patrol areas you are most interested in. I picked the San Diego one. What were other picks and why? Has anyone had experience in taking the BP exam? Is it extremely difficult? I am scheduled to take it on May 9th here in Denver.

Sorry for so many questions, just trying to get a feel for what this position is all about and if it would be a good fit for me. Thank you ahead of time for any responses!

[Kimble]

While I don't have any direct experience with U.S. Border Patrol (or CBP in general), I can confirm two things:

(1) an large number of current 1811's got their start with USBP (plus it is a 6c position, so it stops the age clock if you apply for an 1811 position when you're nearing the age of 37).

(2) it's excellent experience for those who want to become an 1811 (top-notch training, learning Spanish as a second language, LE experience that is varied, the opportunity to join specialized units within the agency, etc.).

The 1811's I've spoken with who were with USBP now work for ICE and DEA, though I would suspect the experience you'll gain with USBP would be beneficial to almost any 1811 position. Hope this helps.

[K-9MALY]

The BP is an excellent place to work. You will work out doors and have to be a self reliant and motivated individual to excell. The training is difficult for a lazy or unmotivated person. The BP are the most para-military trained of the FED/LE in my opinion.
I took and FAILED the BP exam in 1996, but it was largely my choice to fail due to poor preparation. They have what is called an ALT, or Artificial Language Test. It is a goobly-gop computer generated language that tests your ability to learn a foreign language. You have the option of taking a Spanish exam also. Since at the time I did not speak it, I opted for the ALT. The academy is hard, but passable if you want to. They do not cower away from running your butt when the heat index is over 100 degrees outside. Other agencies will call it a Black Flag Day and suspend physical training outdoors. The BP has a mantra that you don' t get Black Flag Days in the boonies, so you don't get them in the academy either. I lived and worked for the SDSO in San Diego, and I have many BP friends there still. You can get a ton of different stations there ranging from Browns Field, Campo, Otay Mesa, El Cajon, and the other X markers. San Diego is huge for the BP, and you can shine there. I lived in another less colorful border town.... El Paso, TX.
Watch your *** here, totally different Drug Cartel which doesn't mind the pop shot at BP agents. Living on the border is a culture shock for non-hispanic people plain and simple. San Diego cannot be considered a border town despite it having Tijuana right to the south. I am talking about AZ, NM, and TX. That is the expansive and rolling deserts that will have you out in the bush cutting trails and rounding up groups of UDA's by yourself or with a partner. One great thing about living on the border, is that as a federal officer, your eventual pay will generally out distance the mean incomes of the areas you live in. Hence, you can afford more and live higher on the hog. Downside of it is that if you bring a wife and children into the mix, you have to balance out the crappy schools, hospitables, and standard of living with your income. Money or Family? Some people never experience a problem, but for my wife it was "alright, I can hack it for a normal tour, but you better transfer."
The test is not hard to pass if you understand the object that they want to see. It is whether or not you will be able to learn a language eventually. If you get the job, you will have a more strenuous FTO program than CBP. There is a 6 month and 10 month Spanish oral board that you will take from Senior Officers. I know guys who failed the 10 month and were out of a job. The BP is very steeped in tradition and they have lots to offer a person willing to commit the effort it will take to wear the green.

[cignaguy]

Thanks so much for the responses ROS and K-9. That was some great insight you provided. I went through 13 weeks of Navy OCS with Marine DIs, so are you saying it the academy would be similar to that? I am still single and am 27, so I am trying to make these types of decisions before I get back into a long-term relationship or married. I can imagine it would be very tough for a wife to find a job in the border towns, unless they are also agents. Forgive my ignorance, but what is "FTO"?

[Menace]

http://www.honorfirst.com is a great resource.

[Kimble]

Forgive my ignorance, but what is "FTO"?

FTO is LE field training (and a FTO is the Field Training Officer, or the officer/agent who trains you in the field).

[cignaguy]

Wow, thanks Menace. I checked that board out and it is awesome!

[Colonials322]

I submitted the online app. when it came out on the 11th, and I too chose San Diego for my geographic preference. (My test is on May 2nd.) Yet I am well aware given the current state of things that they could put me in AZ - where BPA's seem to be needed most right now. I'm also hearing that soon the emphasis might shift east to NM/WTX, who knows. I am in DC right now so I can't say the remote SW border areas are my kind of thing, but I figure for 3-5 yrs. it would be a good experience, and the job itself seems like it would be great for getting hired later as an 1811, which is my plan.
Good luck with the process Cigna.

[cignaguy]

Thanks Colonials. How are you studying for the test? Are you just using the study guide that they provided to you? Do you know Spanish? I took 3 years in college, but haven't used it much since. I do remember it being fairly easy to at least learn the basics and the conjugation of the verbs. Will this be a career change for you? Good luck!

Matt

[Nole795]

I work with two agents in my office who were both 5 years with BP in San Diego and South Texas and both absolutely loved the job. The only reason they left is that both wanted better hours and to be a criminal investigator.

The one that was assigned to San Diego told me the negatives was the cost of living was high.

The one assigned to the South Texas told me it was the ruralness of the location and the filthy chemical polluted water stream that he hated.

Both used it as a stepping stone for an 1811 position. But they both had said they would be just as happy still being a BP.

[Colonials322]

Hey Matt,
I plan on probably just using that 60+ page guide that I downloaded when I applied (I think it is also available on the website). I took 5 years of Spanish until college, and then some Italian (very similar) so I don't think it will be hard to pick it back up.
I am actually graduating college in May so if I did BP it would be my first "career".

-Chris

[K-9MALY]

Gentlemen,
Heed me here, Dump your anglo-spanish right now. Sounding crazy right? Believe me, you were taught Castillian Spanish by college professors, and it is fine and dandy... if your in Spain. Go out and get "Spanish for Law Enforcement Personnel" by Barrons
ISBN# 0-8120-9367-4
You have to understand the language of Spanish is as diversified as the English language. Example: A London traveler and a back water hill billy from W. Virginia both speak English, but you can bet there will still be vernacular glitches that make the conversation halted and complicated due to the geographic culture. It is the same with Spanish speaking people the world over. Border "Spanglish" is a bastardized version of English and Spanish that has evolved over the last two centuries. Mexicans speak slower and tend to enunciate and draw out words to give them emphasis, while Spaniards and Cubans speak faster than the speed of light and curl many words with a lisp. The BP instructors will teach you to be successful by incorporating a variety of dialects that you will be able to distinguish as being local border Spanish, Central Americans, or other. Believe me, if my monkey *** can do it, then so can ya'll!

[ICEGrrl]

Study your butt off for the test and if you know Spanish already, you're in luck. If you're taking the Artificial Language instead, I hope you're good w/ learning a language (I am not!). Its hard, but not impossible. I took and failed the BP test about 4 years ago. BP is an EXCELLENT job though and I have a very high regard for those guys and gals that serve the green. And the prior posts to this thread are absolutely correct and very accurate. The 6 & 10 month oral boards are tough and many fail out on the 10 month. Like I said, its a lot of work, but its also worth it. Someday you can even apply to become one of their elite BORTAC guys (their national SWAT team, if you will). You'll gain a great life experience doing BP work (and its a covered position so you can't beat it!). There are many here in my office that were prior BP before becoming Special Agents (1811's). In my academy class there were about 8 guys that had come from BP. Great people. San Diego is awesome too, I grew up there, but it is expensive to live there. If you can hook up w/ another classmate from the academy that's going there also, it'd be beneficial. You cannot beat the weather or scenery in SD. PM me if you have any other questions, I can probably get more insider info. for you, I know a lot of current & prior BP folks. Good luck on the test too!!!!