Careers in Law Enforcement.

Federal Law Enforcement.

There are many and varied careers in the federal realm.  And there are more than just investigative positions.  Of course, being an investigator is the big league.  Virtually every agency of the federal government has an investigative branch.  Even the Department of Education and the Department of Commerce have their own investigators.  If you are interested in a specific agency, simply write that agency in Washington, D.C., care of their personnel department.  Most federal investigative positions will require at least a college degree.  Some will require a second language, accounting or law degree or some other specialization or Master's degree.  Another plus would be a pilot's license.  

There are also lab positions.  Mostly just the strict investigative agencies, like the FBI, Secret Service, ATF, DEA, INS, will have their own labs. Many of the other agencies will farm out to them on a case by case basis.  Again, write their personnel department for information.

Aside from investigative and lab positions, there are all kinds of support positions.  Clerks, typists, auto mechanics, evidence technicians, analysts, electronics technicians, special surveillance operations, receptionists, computer techs, photographers.  There's all kinds of jobs out there if you want to work in federal law enforcement but don't want to carry a gun and a badge.  

Now, the drawback is, they'll pretty much put you where they want to put you. Most support positions will be filled where you apply, so you're well assured of staying in your current locality.  And if you want to transfer to another locality, those options do come up on occasion.  There is also plenty of opportunity for advancement.  I know people who have started out in the steno pool and gone on to become administrative officers.  There are plenty of interesting jobs along the way.  

There is a  federal job bulletin board. This site contains a great deal of information to help you with your search.  You can download job listings by state or geographic area right off of this site and view them with just about any word processor.  These sites are updated weekly.  They are for all federal jobs, though; not just investigative jobs.  You'll have to scan through a lot to pick out the few good ones.  Also, these lists are not comprehensive.  There are plenty of other jobs out there.  You'll just have to call the agencies yourself to see what is available.  

State Agencies.

There are plenty of investigative jobs at the state level.  There are, of course, state troopers.  Many states have their own state bureaus of investigation and their own investigators.  Also, most states will have their own labs.  Again, you'll find the same types of support opportunities here as at the federal level.  You'll have to contact your own state agency or check if your state has it's own online bulletin board.  The educational requirements will vary between high school diploma and college degree.  

City Agencies.

Big cities have their own police forces, their own investigators and detectives.  Of course, you'll have to rise up through the ranks from patrol.  It is unlike the federal level in that respect.  In the federal level, you'll start right out as investigator.  But there is something to be said for learning the law enforcement process from the streets on up.  

Again, as with State and Federal agencies, you will find the same types of support positions.  Most support positions will only require a high school diploma.  More technical positions will probably require either specialized experience or a specialized degree.  Some larger cities will have their own labs.  Some will farm the work out to other labs.  Most city departments will have a ride along program.  You can ride with an officer or detective for a shift and find out what the job is really like. Just call your local department for more information.

Local Agencies.

Every small town has a police force.  They will also have a detective or two, but those guys don't retire too often and competition is pretty severe.  There will be a few support positions, but, obviously, the smaller the locality, the smaller the police budget, the smaller the police force.  They will most likely farm out their lab work to the state or FBI.

Private Sector.

There are plenty of private agencies out there.  Some are very good, very high profile and very well known.  Most of these are staffed by retired federal investigators and support personnel.  They know what they are doing. The big firms will have major corporate clients, international scope and lots of interesting work.  Then there are other private agencies out there that are not so good.  Then there are some that are downright sleazy.  Be careful. Most smaller agencies will do divorce work, collections, workman's comp, small potatoes.   These places, good and bad, will be listed in the yellow pages under detective or investigations.  Many big corporations will have an in-house investigative staff.  You'll just have to call them on an individual basis.  There are some private labs out there.  Jobs are very competitive and will require some serious education and experience. 

The Application Process.

Here's how is usually works.  You call up an agency's personnel department and ask for them to send you an application.  This first application is a page or two and typically concerns your work experience and education.  You send that in and then get called for an initial interview.  This is done one on one with the applicant coordinator.  It is an informal screening interview.  Next comes the written exam.  Mulitple choice and very much like the SATs.  Basic skills: math, reading comprehension, logical thought.  If you pass the written, next comes the big-ass background questionaire.  They are about twenty pages long and ask for all kinds of personal information on you and your family, your work and educational history, drug use, legal problems, finances, old roommates, anything goes.  Next comes the the panel interview.  The applicant coordinator and a few others will spend a couple of hours asking you just about anything they want; work, education, home life, last book read, what do you consider your strengths and weaknesses, stuff like that.  After that is the doctor's physical, a physical fitness test and then a polygraph.  Now, this process will vary and most support positions won't require a fitness test.  This process takes months.  At the moment, I believe the hang time for the FBI is more than six months.  For the Secret Service, it's a year and a half.  

You can buy prep books for the exams.  They are just like the books used for the GREs and SATs.  In fact, they are on the very same shelf in the book store and are published by Barrons and Arco.  Get one.  Don't think you can just float through one of these exams.  They are not nearly as easy as the GREs and SATs, they are just similarly formatted.  

Other Comments.

Your best bet is to contact a personnel department directly.  They will tell you what is available and what the requirements entail. Believe me, whatever your interest is there will be an agency and an investigative branch to cover it.  There is a lot out there aside from the well known FBI, DEA, ATF, etc.  Just take a look some time at a list of all of the federal agencies there are.  Most will have some type of investigative staff.

Internships, if you are in school, are a great way to get a foot in the door and make some contacts.  Support positions are also great.  I went into a federal agency right out of college as a typist and very quickly earned a promotion to analyst for, well, I can't really talk about it.  Needless to say, as with any job, hard work is appreciated and will be rewarded.

Higher education and/or work experience are also very helpful.  This is why internships are so great.  Sure, you work for free.  But if you are in school and can get a job in a lab or even a summer internship as a clerk for an investigative agency, the experience and contacts you will make will be invaluable later on when you graduate and are looking for work.

About the Author.

The author is a corporate/legal/forensic investigator and holds a B.A. in Criminal Justice   and an M.A. in Forensic Science, specializing in counter-terrorism and questioned document examination.  He has worked with local police, at the federal level, and at the international level specializing in investigative work and executive protection.  The author currenlty works in the private sector as Manager of Investigations for a corporate investigative firm.

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