OPM Investigator 1810

[Lawson]

A friend of mine has expressed interest in this position and said that it is an Armed/ LE related position, after reading the description on USAJOBs and doing a little google searching, I cant find anything that supports that. It looks to be more of just a BI type position.

Anyone know anything about it?

[NOLACOP]

A friend of mine has expressed interest in this position and said that it is an Armed/ LE related position, after reading the description on USAJOBs and doing a little google searching, I cant find anything that supports that. It looks to be more of just a BI type position.

Anyone know anything about it?

Your title is Special Agent, but it is unarmed. You work out of your house and are provided a "G" ride. It's a great gig with a journeymen 12. VERY competitive. Good luck.

[Kimble]

A friend of mine has expressed interest in this position and said that it is an Armed/ LE related position, after reading the description on USAJOBs and doing a little google searching, I cant find anything that supports that. It looks to be more of just a BI type position.

Anyone know anything about it?

Your friend could not be more misinformed. OPM background investigators are NOT law enforcement, do NOT carry a firearm (they have creds, but so do many other non-LE gov't employees), and have zero law enforcement authority. All this makes sense due to the fact that they conduct suitability background investigations.

Now, OPM (like many other large departments/bureaus of the USG) does have an Office of Inspector General (OIG) which investigates fraud against OPM (namely fraud related to benefits -healthcare, life insurance, etc. - retirement, employee misconduct, etc.). I've never worked with this agency, but OIG investigators are almost always 1811 (criminal investigator) special agents, not 1810 (general, non-criminal investigator) special investigators (CIA's OIG is the only exception I'm aware of who does not have 1811 agents working fraud cases).

Clear as mud?

[Kimble]

Your title is Special Agent, but it is unarmed. You work out of your house and are provided a "G" ride. It's a great gig with a journeymen 12. VERY competitive. Good luck.

That's not correct for the investigators doing BI's (unless there's been a very recent change I'm not aware of). Their title is special investigator. I believe the investigators assigned to their OIG (who work fraud crimes, not BI's) are special agents, though.

[Joeyd6]

I am here with an OPM OIG Agent now at work! She is a Special Agent......OPM BI's are INVESTIGATORS, not agents but seem to call themselfs such. She is an 1811.....they are 1810's. She has police powers/gun/take home g-ride.....they have no police powers/guns and few have take-homes but there are pool cars to use.

OPM BI's are not doing invetsigations in the traditional sense where they decide what to do and how to do it. 1811's are trying to decide if there is a criminal or civil wrong, and attempt to prove or disprove such, and there is no set path on how to do such. 1811's decide if a crime occured and then pursue the arrest and appropiate charges.

OPM BI's are not doing any of that. There is a checklist for each background they do based upon the security clearance level. It is the same checklist no matter who you are. They basically go down the list and do what is told. Verify employement...query various databases......interview references....interview co-workers, etc.... They then write-up what they did and the info they found. That report is forwarded to the employing agency who decides if the employee fits their needs. They then re-do the checklist again on the next applicant. Job sounds a lot more exciting than it is.

[1depd]

I did that job for a while for one of the contract companies. It wasn't that hard and the freedom to make our hours was great. For GS-12 pay I would almost go back, but I have a better retirement now than the 1810's and my O/T is better. The job is not exciting, but it is very easy and the pay is great.

[Neferkare]

That's not correct for the investigators doing BI's (unless there's been a very recent change I'm not aware of). Their title is special investigator. I believe the investigators assigned to their OIG (who work fraud crimes, not BI's) are special agents, though.

Since people seem to take titles very seriously in this community (and I could understand why) I figured I would toss my two cents into the bucket. In fact there are a couple flavors of titles out there; the contract side of the house to my knowledge is using the title of 'Special Investigators' and federal employees are using 'Special Agents" I am reading the latter directly from the credential and badge. I don’t remember there being any provision, rule or policy that requires that special agent only apply to those with police powers. It’s a working title; formally as far as HR sees it, 1811s and 1810s are criminal investigators and investigators respectively. As we all know there are plenty of people out there who have various degrees of police powers from the fine folks at BOP to the Coast Guard for those at E-5 or above I think..to even the average citizen provided the conditions are right. Point being title is secondary to job duties.

[NOLACOP]

That's not correct for the investigators doing BI's (unless there's been a very recent change I'm not aware of). Their title is special investigator. I believe the investigators assigned to their OIG (who work fraud crimes, not BI's) are special agents, though.

I dont wanna get into a pissing match here, but OPM BI are Special Agents. I had lunch today with my buddy who is an 1810 OPM BI and looked at his creds...Special Agent. He's a non-gun toter as well. He said OPM does have 1811 Special Agents who are the gun toters, but they both carry the title Special Agent. The contractors carry the title Special Investigator.

[Kimble]

I dont wanna get into a pissing match here, but OPM BI are Special Agents. I had lunch today with my buddy who is an 1810 OPM BI and looked at his creds...Special Agent. He's a non-gun toter as well. He said OPM does have 1811 Special Agents who are the gun toters, but they both carry the title Special Agent. The contractors carry the title Special Investigator.

Which is why I used the caveat, "unless there's been a very recent change I'm not aware of."

I am aware that OPM recently absorbed some (or all) of the BI duties that Defense Security Service (which historically did BI's for DoD) did, and their investigators were job titled Special Agent (but had no gun/LE authority). I don't work for OPM, but more broad changes in their BI structure could have resulted.

Still, the original question asked was whether this is a LE position with gun/arrest authority, which it is not.

[NOLACOP]

Which is why I used the caveat, "unless there's been a very recent change I'm not aware of."

I am aware that OPM recently absorbed some (or all) of the BI duties that Defense Security Service (which historically did BI's for DoD) did, and their investigators were job titled Special Agent (but had no gun/LE authority). I don't work for OPM, but more broad changes in their BI structure could have resulted.

Still, the original question asked was whether this is a LE position with gun/arrest authority, which it is not.

+1 you're absolutely right, these positions arent law enforcement. Having said that, these are SUPER sweet gigs. Working out of your house, G-ride, make your own hours, no boss, GS-12, ample OT...ya'll get the picture. These spots are SUPER competitive. Like everything else, it helps to have some stroke with someone on the inside. The two people I know that are OPM 1810 BI both had some pull.

[Kimble]

+1 you're absolutely right, these positions arent law enforcement. Having said that, these are SUPER sweet gigs. Working out of your house, G-ride, make your own hours, no boss, GS-12, ample OT...ya'll get the picture. These spots are SUPER competitive. Like everything else, it helps to have some stroke with someone on the inside. The two people I know that are OPM 1810 BI both had some pull.

If someone is legitimately interested in this sort of work, I'd suggest in addition to looking for annoucements put out by OPM that they also look at companies that OPM contracts to do BI's to supplement its own BI's, like US Investigative Service (a private company, not a federal agency) and others. One of our agents worked for USIS before becoming a 1811, and said the benefits of the job were what Nolacop listed above.

[Neferkare]

I am here with an OPM OIG Agent now at work! She is a Special Agent......OPM BI's are INVESTIGATORS, not agents but seem to call themselfs such. She is an 1811.....they are 1810's. She has police powers/gun/take home g-ride.....they have no police powers/guns and few have take-homes but there are pool cars to use.

OPM BI's are not doing invetsigations in the traditional sense where they decide what to do and how to do it. 1811's are trying to decide if there is a criminal or civil wrong, and attempt to prove or disprove such, and there is no set path on how to do such. 1811's decide if a crime occured and then pursue the arrest and appropiate charges.

OPM BI's are not doing any of that. There is a checklist for each background they do based upon the security clearance level. It is the same checklist no matter who you are. They basically go down the list and do what is told. Verify employement...query various databases......interview references....interview co-workers, etc.... They then write-up what they did and the info they found. That report is forwarded to the employing agency who decides if the employee fits their needs. They then re-do the checklist again on the next applicant. Job sounds a lot more exciting than it is.

Joeyd6,

Alright, I have been scouring the web for other information and somehow I keep seeing this post; I guess it is just the perfect storm of keywords. That said every time I see this post it irritates me to no end. I take it you have never done the job that you poorly describe while lacing every sentence with condescension. Even if we could pretend for a second that the same questions are asked all the time..never the case..I am sure anyone who has had any experience investigating anything; even talking to people will tell you that you never get the same answers..things develop more questions are fielded..etc. Try to show some professional courtesy to the folks that investigated that coworker who has your back, or so you believe/hope. There is no magic ray of light from above that made the people you work with safe and trustworthy to either yourself or your agency. Do some research and you will find there is much more to the job than what you described. Only fools believe we don't have people working their way into places they shouldn't be...I know we often find them. Those interested in this position I encourage you to check it out, smart, intelligent and open minded folks are welcome here. Condescending, power-hungry, gun-happy people need not apply.

Background investigations are unimportant until that person everyone liked...destroys critical facilities or injures someone; or managed to siphon information to people who shouldn't have it and nobody is the wiser.

Dont be discouraged by this poster; its an interesting and worthwhile profession.

[Norm357]

Butt hurt much?

[Neferkare]

Butt hurt much?

Not at all. I am sure you feel similarly about what you do. Its much like saying all local cops do nothing but direct traffic and mill around at the state fair; we both know that's not the case.

[Norm357]

Not at all. I am sure you feel similarly about what you do. Its much like saying all local cops do nothing but direct traffic and mill around at the state fair; we both know that's not the case.

But that is not what Joey said. As a matter of fact, he gave a pretty good job description.