Getting Competitive for DEA

[Future_Dea]

You really need some law enforcement experience to be competitive. DEA, while occasionally hiring people without military or law enforcement experience, really prefers it.

Even better, is an investigative law enforcement job somewhere, non drug related.

The gold standard would be a guy with good grades, who pulled a hitch in the military, who then went to work for a state narcotics agency, or who was assigned to the narcotics unit of a police or sheriff's department.

Here is the actual back grounds of several DEA agents I know. All have college degrees (your major is usually not a significant factor).

State Game and Fish
State Bureau of Narcotics
DEA

Navy (basic swabbie stuff)
Local police department, later tranferred to narcotics
DEA TFO (Task Force Officer assigned to DEA by their department).
DEA

Army (intelligence)
DEA
(two guys with this exact background).

NCIS (civilian working for the Navy)
DEA

Navy (SEAL)
(somewhere else)
DEA

Army (Special Forces)
Local Police Department (Patrol)
DEA

Army (Ranger Battalion)
DEA

State Bureau of Narcotics
DEA TFO
DEA
(I actually know about five or six guys well with this background)

Air Force (enlisted with a Master's Degree)
DEA

Air Force (para-rescue jumper guy)
DEA

Large, well known, police department (patrol).
DEA

State Bureau of Narcotics
DEA
(Again, I know lots of guys with this background.)

Local Police Department (patrol)
DEA

State Highway Patrol
DEA
(3 guys with this exact background from the same agency that has a really good reputation)

U.S. Secret Service (uniformed)
NCIS
DEA

U.S.Secret Service (1811)
DEA

Local Sheriff's Department
USMS (1811)
DEA

Border Patrol
DEA
(Thanks, Redman).

Like I said, these examples have no significance except that they are people I actually know well who work for DEA as agents (and I kept editing it as I though of more people and their backgrounds)..

I also know about ten people who were hired straight out of college for DEA. Seven are absolutely worthless. Three are really switched on and good investigators. And, that's the problem with hiring people with no work history. You are really buying a pig in a poke, and most large federal agencies know this, and have enough applicants that they don't have to do that very often.

Hey man you got some pretty cool friends lol, but seriously that gives a great deal of insight I was thinking right after the bachelors degree straight into the NYPD and maybe do the Narcotics or Gang Unit. Then apply for DEA Position.

[DEAHOPEFUL55]

I know it varies per applicant, but typically how long do you have from the time you take your medical and then schedule your PFT test?

[Group9]

I really have no idea on that one.

[BP348]

I was thinking right after the bachelors degree straight into the NYPD and maybe do the Narcotics or Gang Unit. Then apply for DEA Position.

Good Luck. I would think everyone wants that type of post with NYPD.

[Group9]

I know it varies per applicant, but typically how long do you have from the time you take your medical and then schedule your PFT test?

Our division recruiter is coming by tomorrow or Friday. I will try to remember to ask him this question.

[mleehogg]

I attended an orientation today, and the recruiter said the whole process is taking between 18-24 months right now. So take that for what it's worth...

[DEAHOPEFUL55]

Since we are on the topic of application process:

Sept '08-Orientation/initial form
Oct-Nov '08 - SF86/application
January/February '09 - Written, Oral, Psych Test
February/March '09 - Psych Meeting, Medical, Drug Screening

I'm assuming the PFT is next, upon passing the Poly would follow?

[localtin]

Every time that you get frustrated thinking the process is taking a long time think of me.

Oct. 2005 Initial app.
Nov. 2005 written/Interview
Apr. 2006 medical

HIRING FREEZE

Apr. 2008 Medical (again)
May 2008 P.T.
June 2008 Psych
July 2008 Poly
August 2008 Background

Currently--Waiting.

Keep the faith everyone!!

[mleehogg]

As Joe Dirt would say, Daaaannngg... Thats along time brother! You should get it just by the wait time you have put in alone. I gotta say though, I hope that don't happen to me..

[Group9]

I attended an orientation today, and the recruiter said the whole process is taking between 18-24 months right now. So take that for what it's worth...

Actually, as hard as it probably is to believe it, it sounds like the times are getting shorter. I was a counselor for a basic agent class about 13 or 14 years ago, and the wait times for those guys had gone from a year and a half to five years, with lost applications, and every nightmare you could envision (the Clinton years).

I had to call several people to offer them class dates when I was there and it was embarrassing to call people up who had been in the process for three, four, or five years, and ask them if they wanted to be in a class that was starting in less than a week. Some guys were giving their employers one or two day notices (talk about working without a net and hoping you made it through the academy). At least they don't do that anymore (I don't think).

So, as screwed up as DEA hiring probably seems now, it can be worse. :D

[tre8]

Orientation, Philly office, 8-08
Sent in initial app 1-09


Still nothing.........anyone else in a similar position?

[BarXone]

Hey guys, I realize prior Law Enforcement is more than encouraged to join the Agency.

I graduated with a Bachelor's in Political Science (3.2+ gpa)

I am now in Graduate School going for a Master's in Criminal Justice..

Yet still I realize this isn't enough. I've decided to go the local route and join the NYPD (huge freeze, but I have an older exam so when it happens, it happens). How many years are they generally looking for? 2, 5, 10? I will definitely be looking into an investigative department, possibly narcotics as many on here suggested.

I also just registered to take the CBPO test.. I'm just waiting for the booklet and we'll go from there. A buddy of mine just got called, it took about 10 months for him to get through the process so I guess it's just one step at a time.

Is there any other advice I can get out there about being better qualified? (Besides, of course, staying clean and performing my duties at my other job)

Your time is much appreciated :cool:

[mleehogg]

I just attended a recruiting session, and they were pushing having a second language hard. That would probably be a good thing. I'm currently doing the rosetta stone program learning Spanish. Other than that the recruiter said any experience or degree with accounting or banking is very desirable right now. Thats what I took from the orientation. Just my two cents......

[BarXone]

I just attended a recruiting session, and they were pushing having a second language hard. That would probably be a good thing. I'm currently doing the rosetta stone program learning Spanish. Other than that the recruiter said any experience or degree with accounting or banking is very desirable right now. Thats what I took from the orientation. Just my two cents......

thanks for that information, I can somewhat speak Italian (definitely not fluent) but I don't see how that can be of use other than the language being similar to Spanish, a major language used here..

I also never understood why the Banking and Accounting would be so useful.. are they looking to stick people in an office doing that work for them? Or are they looking for 1811's to have that knowledge? I can't seem to gather how that works.

Thanks for the reply

[Group9]

I also never understood why the Banking and Accounting would be so useful.. are they looking to stick people in an office doing that work for them? Or are they looking for 1811's to have that knowledge? I can't seem to gather how that works.

Thanks for the reply

The reason for Banking and Accounting majors and backgrounds being emphasized is due to a directive from Karen Tandy, the former administrator of DEA, to focus on financial investigations.

Unfortunately, in real life, no one ever got with the Department of Justice (main justice) or the U.S. Attorneys, to see if that was a priority with them, too (it wasn't, and isn't, we have discovered). As a result, we wasted untold money and resources, to make tons of money laundering cases that we can't get prosecuted, so I'm not sure how much longer those majors are going to continue to be a hiring priority.

I saw our recruiter Friday, and he surprised me by saying that he thought DEA was actually about to start making offers to many of the people who applied without degrees, something that surprised me a lot.