So You Want to be a Federal Agent?

[Kimble]

As I come to nearing the first year mark in what I hope to be a 20+ year career as a fed, I thought I'd take a moment to share with those who want to follow in a similar path the insight and knowledge I've gained as a recent job applicant, and as a recently-hired agent. This is not meant to be an all-inclusive list, so anyone else who's been through the ringer, feel free to add your advice and insight as well. Also, the following website has some good information for your review: http://www.special-agent-jobs.com

Now, let's dispell a few common misconceptions:

1. Not all federal agents work for the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI). There are dozens upon dozens of federal law enforcement jobs, both serving as uniformed patrol and/or security officers, as well as plainclothes investigators.

2. "Federal Agent" is often used as a term for any and all federal law enforcement officials. For the purposes of clarification, the advice I am giving in this thread will be mainly specific to criminal investigative (or federal job series 1811) positions. These jobs include Special Agents with FBI, Secret Service, ATF, DEA, ICE, NCIS, OSI, numerous Inspector General agencies, Diplomatic Security (though technically they are foreign service 2501 series, which is a mirror classification to 1811), Postal Inspectors, Deputy U.S. Marshals, and many more criminal investigator positions of which I don't have the time or imagination to sit and list entirely. Other federal agents include Border Patrol Agents, Federal Air Marshals, Immigration Enforcement Agents, etc., though some of this information will not apply to these jobs since they are not criminal investigation positions.

3. Being a federal criminal investigator is similar, in many respects, to the job of a local/state police detective (or a corporate fraud investigations job for fraud-related positions). Federal agents have a specific investigative jurisdiction, and despite what you see in movies and on TV, we do not come onto a scene the local or state police are investigating and "take over." Work side-by-side, sure, but we have no special authority over local and state police. If anything, local/state police have MORE authority and power than federal LEOs, as they can make arrests without consulting first with their supervisor/AUSA/etc, and for crimes as minor as a traffic violation or as serious as felonies like rape and murder. For the most part, feds only work felonly-level federal crimes, and even if granted peace officer status by the state they work in, are often discouraged by their employing agency from acting on that authority unless in a serious emergency situation.

4. No matter how great you think you are, or how qualified you think you are, federal jobs are often a "crap shoot." I sat in my basic class at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) with people who had not only more impressive resumes than me, but immensely more impressive. I don't know how I got selected (still to this day I wonder sometimes), and I've met many people who've applied who had better qualifications than me and didn't get selected. However, I did apply to dozens and dozens of agencies and was turned down by most. If you want to be a fed, be prepared to apply to any and all agencies that interest you. If you get a "thanks, but no thanks" letter, apply elsewhere, or again. JUST KEEP APPLYING!!!

5. By and large, federal agent jobs are a SECOND CAREER. I was once a college student who said "I'll get a masters degree, then I'll be a shoe-in for a federal job." I was wrong, and so too are many who think they'll land one of these jobs right out of college. It happens, and I've met one (1) agent who did so (though it probably helped that her dad was a retired agent with the agency, and she did a co-op with the agency who hired her while in college). Have a back-up plan. Go into the military. Work for a local or state police agency. Seek a management job in the private sector. Become an accountant, lawyer, or IT professional. Research the investigative duties of the agency(ies) that interest you, then see how you can better acquire skills that will make you more marketable. You don't have to be a former Navy SEAL with a PhD in Physicals from MIT, who also speaks Farsi and Jerusalem-dialect Hebrew, but you will need to bring to the table more than a Criminal Justice degree and a resume saying you were the president of your fraternity or sorority.

The hiring process:

A lot of the information already given in the So You Want to Become a Cop thread applies also to becoming a federal agent. This is especially true for the background investigation information. A polygraph examination is pretty much the same thing, whether you take one for LAPD or DEA. The background investigation itself is extensive, and you can plan on having friends, college professors, neighbors, employers, coworkers, and other people from your past contacted, in person, by a federal investigator. Basically, they will determine the validity of your responses to your National Security Questionnaire (Form SF-86), so there should be any surprises if you answered fully and truthfully. The most difficult part of the process is time. It often takes a year or more (in my case 3.5 years) to get hired for a federal agent job. Sometimes it's all about luck and timing. However, like I said before, the more you apply, the better chances you have of getting picked up eventually.

The good benefits about being a federal criminal investigator:

1. Good pay (most all 1811 positions top out with a salary at the GS-12 or 13 level). For more information about pay specifics, click here.

2. While the FERS retirement system isn't the best, it is supplemented with the Thrift Savings Program (TSP), which is matched by your agency up to 5% (for a total of 10 % if you contribute 5% yourself).

3. Law Enforcement Availability Pay (LEAP) gives an additional 25% of your base pay, which is pretty sweet.

4. Good health benefits, and access for some 1811 jobs for insurance, mortgage and banking through USAA (see USAA.com for more details).

5. Retirement eligibility is at 20 years. For many, they can still be young enough to begin another career while waiting to reach the age to receive retirement payments.

The Top Ten truths that seem to be typical of federal criminal investigative positions:

1. No one ever calls with good news.

2. Paperwork demands (deadlines, agency-specific requirements, documentation, etc.) are sometimes the main measure by your boss of how well you do.

3. You will work long hours (on average, at least 50 hours per week of full-time and an additional 10 hours of LEAP), and typically any time over your ten (10) LEAP hours is not reimbursed.

4. Many whom you will work for are in management for their own self interests (but to be real, I've worked in the private sector and local LE, and saw this in both of those fields, too).

5. The Gov't is often slow to move. What could have taken little or no time to do in a local/state LE agency (ex: polygraphs, telephone recordings, search/arrest warrants, etc.) may take days, weeks or even months to complete in the federal system.

6. The opportunities to do the "fun stuff" are sometimes dependent on how proactive you are, and sometimes dependent on how often cases come up within your investigative jurisdiction to perform them. I know of an SSA for an agency in a cyber investigations billet who has been an 1811 for 16+ years and put cuffs on one (1) person in his career.

7. Most of investigations is research, report writing, and follow-up work on the fun stuff. It's not all kicking in doors, making arrests, and doing "high speed" stuff (unless you talk to Switchback, who we all know is a real life G.I. Joe :D).

8. Sometimes, no matter how well you do on a case, and how well you investigated a matter, whether it is tried through the courts is up to the mercy of the prosecution (AUSA, local/state attorney, etc.).

9. Being a duty agent, you will respond to things on your "off-time." This may be in the middle of the night, during your kid's first birthday party, while you're on a family picnic, etc.

10. Needs of the service come first. You AND your family need to be okay with this. The agency can say "we'll never move you from your current office" and then ten years later request such, and you'll be expected to do so. Federal agencies need people who follow in the famous quote of JFK, "Ask not what you're country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." If you're not okay with this, seek employment elsewhere, as you will not be happy working this job, and neither will your coworkers/bosses be happy with you.

Last bit of advice:

While not necessarily specific to federal agent jobs, the following is still relevant, and may be worth your time to read: http://career-advice.monster.com/job...-See/home.aspx

[Switchback]

I am just hurt that you didn't include us (the U.S. Marshals Service) in your list of agencies in paragraph #2. :D


Otherwise, a well written post (though, it would appear that you have too much time on your hands to type it all up). LOL

[chewy]

Federal Agents are arrogant, over paid, under worked and just plain useless. Now Federal OFFICERs on the other hand... THAT's where the action is. You don't know excitement and job satisfaction until you've sat in a three foot by five foot metal booth in the middle of summer with no A/C for hour upon hour repeating the same three or four questions only to get to about 30 min. from the end of your shift and have the supervisor come up and tell you that you're ordered to stay another 8 hours. Catch a criminal with 9... yes 9 illegal aliens in the trailer of his semi then three hours later they release the driver to deliver his freight INTO the U.S. and give the 9 illegals a ride back to Canada so they can try again later. CBPO's... man that's where it's at!!

[hey_scooter]

I think this should be stickied, personally.

[Injunkop]

Switchback, Are US Marshals Feds? I always got a fax and a phone call from them asking me to pick up their subjects for them. Most dont like coming to indian reservations, save a few, and thoes guys are nuts we always had fun on our roundups...
Im kidding of course.

My first federal academy, a basic police academy, we had people with GED's in our class. Crazy. One guy spoke Zuni Pueblo, english was his second language, kinda of.

Then we had the second federal academy, which was a great refresher course for me. Criminal Investigator Training Program. I was the only one in attendance with a high school diploma. I wanted to say that I had a GED, what with everybody standing up durng the first day of class and spouting off about their educational accomplishments. I have a masters, I have a PHD, Oh yea I got a GED, maybe next time.
Gezzz I had fun.

1811, 0083, 1712 certified doing an 0085 job.

[Kimble]

I am just hurt that you didn't include us (the U.S. Marshals Service) in your list of agencies in paragraph #2. :D

You do realize observation skills are an integral part to being an investigator, right? :p

2. "Federal Agent" is often used as a term for any and all federal law enforcement officials. For the purposes of clarification, the advice I am giving in this thread will be mainly specific to criminal investigative (or federal job series 1811) positions. These jobs include Special Agents with FBI, Secret Service, ATF, DEA, ICE, NCIS, OSI, numerous Inspector General agencies, Diplomatic Security (though technically they are foreign service 2501 series, which is a mirror classification to 1811), Postal Inspectors, Deputy U.S. Marshals, and many more criminal investigator positions of which I don't have the time or imagination to sit and list entirely. Other federal agents include Border Patrol Agents, Federal Air Marshals, Immigration Enforcement Agents, etc., though some of this information will not apply to these jobs since they are not criminal investigation positions.

[Switchback]

Doh!
I guess my attention was elsewhere. Or maybe it was just my reading comprehension... you know federal service has dumbed me down a bit. Then again, maybe you added that upon editing... we'll never know. :D


...and yes, Injunkop, U.S. Marshals are federal... hence the "U.S." part. LOL

[Kimble]

Then again, maybe you added that upon editing... we'll never know. :D

You've spent too much time with the breaching tool, Switch. The dates of my last edit and my reply post to you don't match. That's what the Bureau guys would call a "clue". :p

But then, if I had made the edit, I'd never tell. :D

[Big Sexy]

Looks as if we may have to remove the U.S. Marshals Service, from the criminal investigators list. Based solely and prejudically off of Switchs response of course. :D:D

[Kimble]

Just a few other things that I've learned in going through the application ringer:

1) Many qualified applicants apply. Thousands upon thousands, and not all get hired. If you apply and exceed the minimum qualifications, apply again, apply elsewhere where you also meet their hiring requirements... just keep applying! I personally applied to maybe a dozen or so federal law enforcement agencies, and had to apply to the one I'm working for twice before being hired. Don't take a "thanks, but no thanks" letter as an all-out defeat. Build on your experience and skills and apply again.

2) Whether you have a security clearance or not, you will undergo the same background investigation as everyone else. The backgroun investigation (which will entail many from your past and present lives, to include neighbors, family, coworkers/bosses, teachers/professors, friends, and other individuals and peers you know) is used to determine your suitability for being a sworn law enforcement officer, as well as to grant you the appropriate security clearance your position holds (if applicable).

3) Seek investigative experience any way you can. I worked as a local patrol cop before becoming a fed, but I did work regulatory investigations by doing accreditation inspections while working as a college department head. There are many skill sets brought to the table for 1811 jobs, but investigative experience is always one that is sought in any 1811 agency. It doesn't have to be as a police detective, but that is certainly the path that many 1811's took prior to joining the U.S. Gov't. Other investigative avenues can include private or corporate fraud investigations (ex: banking, insurance, corporate security, etc.), regulatory investigations, government background investigations, etc. Again, no specific job is a guarantee, but investigative experience can certainly help build credentials to make you competative for a future 1811 job.

4) If you took all federal law enforcement agencies and their agents and pooled them together, you'd probably find that many, if not most, seek some sort of financial knowledge set in their investigators. This is particularly true for Offices of Inspector General (OIG), which every department of the U.S. Government has, as well as specific agencies in some circumstances (ex: Social Security Administration OIG, Nuclear Regulatory Commision OIG, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, etc.). Having a background in fraud investigations, accounting, internal audit, and related fields can only help. Even most of your more well-known agencies like FBI, DEA, ICE, Secret Service, NCIS, and Diplomatic Security, have a fraud-related investigative jurisdiction (really the only federal LE investigative agencies I can think of with no fraud nexus are the Marshals Service and ATF, though I could be wrong).

5) Local/State LE experience before federal: I sometimes get asked by those interested in pursuing federal LE but with no prior LE experience whether it would be helpful to "go local" or "go state" first. Having gone that path myself, I must answer that with an absolute YES! Being a uniformed cop is by no means the only way to become a federal agent, and certainly I've met plenty of agents with no prior LE experience who did their jobs well (though most came from the military, which serves as a good base for skill sets as well). However, I many arrests, talked with hundreds of people from all socio-economic backgrounds, took criminal complaints and initiated the investigative work, and got into several foot and vehicle pursuits before becoming a fed. Having confidence in your abilities is important for any cop (whether local, state or fed), but some who come into federal LE seem to think their job will be behind the desk, and are surprised when they confront situations like they trained for at FLETC (or whatever federal academy you attend) in the real world. As a uniformed patrol cop, you'll not only go through an academy, but you'll likely undergo field training, you'll work alone and with a partner, you'll encounter a multitude of situations and criminal activity, and this can really help to give you confidence and a base of knowledge for conducting a criminal investigation. While it's not a prerequisite to be a patrol cop before becoming a fed, it is an excellent path to take, and I HIGHLY encourage it for anyone interested in going federal in the future (plus, if you later seek and investigations position in the department, you'll only build your skill set further).

[Group9]

Pretty good post. I salute you for taking the time to do that. :D

[charlydevo]

"Selling cases" to the U.S. Attorney's Office is a constant source of aggravation. State and local cops make arrests and then tell the ADA what happened. Federal agents tell the AUSA what happened (or is happening) and ask for them to accept the case. If the case is accepted, mountains of bank records, phone records, affidavits, surveillance, reports, and headaches will be required before a warrant will be issued. Ninety percent of the time, a warrant will be issued before an arrest will be made. Then, you get to enjoy making three copies of all of the bank records, phone records, affidavits and reports that you completed earlier, just in case the defendants go to trial.

Being a federal agent is 33% intelligence specialist, 33% administrative clerk, and 33% cop.

[Group9]

"Selling cases" to the U.S. Attorney's Office is a constant source of aggravation. State and local cops make arrests and then tell the ADA what happened. Federal agents tell the AUSA what happened (or is happening) and ask for them to accept the case. If the case is accepted, mountains of bank records, phone records, affidavits, surveillance, reports, and headaches will be required before a warrant will be issued. Ninety percent of the time, a warrant will be issued before an arrest will be made. Then, you get to enjoy making three copies of all of the bank records, phone records, affidavits and reports that you completed earlier, just in case the defendants go to trial.

Being a federal agent is 33% intelligence specialist, 33% administrative clerk, and 33% cop.

Nothing like listening to an AUSA whine about the six, eight or ten cases, he is carrying, and having to go to trial once a year, when you know ADA's who are carrying 500 cases and going to trial 30 times a year.

The US Attorney's office is the main federal criminal justice bottle neck to getting anything done in every place I have ever been.

[ffjweber]

How do Federal Agencies respond to tattoos? (Obviously, those with gang-related tattoos would be shunned...)

I've heard that 'a tattoo here' or 'a tattoo there' isn't a big deal (i.e. military-related, one crazy drunk night in college (kidding)) but what about 'tattoo sleeves'? (I don't currently have any sleeves, but I do have the 'tattoo bug.')

(This question, to me, is a hiring issue because I'm sure that if tattoos were a problem, one would be weeded out in the hiring process. That is why I posted on this thread.)

As an aside, I have to say that your post(s) really helped. I am at a point where I am just researching for a possible career change and I am not necessarily set on USMS.

Any help is greatly appreciated..




Jeff
Full-time firefighter looking into possible career change...

[Switchback]

It's a good thing you are not set on the USMS. There is no real avenue for you to be hired with current hiring initiatives.



Generally speaking, sleeves may make things a bit of a challenge for you to get hired. Many of us have tattoos, some pushing the half-sleeve. I work with a few guys with tattoos on their forearms (but there are not many). Most of us have them where they can be )reasonably) covered up with short sleeved shirts.