Any Law Enforcement Officers Out There? (Government Employees Too)

Shot in the dark here.

Just to quickly summarize my experience, I'm 23 years old and I've spent the past 9 years of my life working in some sort of public safety capacity. I've worked as an EMT, firefighter, emergency manager, and am currently working as a project specialist for the City of New York. Up until starting my side business a few months ago, providing basic IT services for small businesses, my only experience in IT was teaching myself Python and Java in High School, along with fixing my friends' computers, and setting up a home network.

My ultimate career goal is to work in federal law enforcement, investigating cyber crimes for any one of the alphabet agencies. Some agencies require nothing more than an A+ certification, while others are looking for CCIEs. I'm currently studying for my A+, Net+, CCNA, and MCITP, and I'm just looking to see if there's anyone out there who currently works in law enforcement or the government space who can share their experiences and maybe give some advice to prospective applicants.

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Comments

the_Grinch

I was with ICE for a few years, but in a none computer related capacity (I was law enforcement dealing with removal of illegal aliens). I have developed a number of contacts and maintain friendships with a lot of people at various agencies, so I think I can speak to the topic at hand. No degree? You won't get on with a federal agency as a Special Agent without a minimum of a bachelor's degree. Anything they put in their postings will be the minimum required to be looked at. What you have to remember is you will be competing with people who have a bachelor's, a Master's (or JD), and perhaps a number of years in law enforcement (detective or investigator). On top of the fact they might have also served on a task force and developed contacts.

1811 spots are the most sought after in law enforcement and that being the case they have a very large pool to pull from. My advice, get the degree and take any law enforcement job you can get. From there, get the experience and continue to work on certifications. Once you're in, you can apply for a host of different postings as a status candidate instead of as just a public one. The other thing is you need to be prepared to move, the FBI will require that you sign an agreement saying you will move as dictated for the first five years you are in. Two final notes. First, cyber crime is notoriously difficult to investigate and get convictions on. Finding the "perp" is rare and once you do you then need to deal with whatever law enforcement agencies have jurisdiction where the perp lives. A lot of countries aren't willing to help or just don't have the resources required.

Two, figure out which agency you want. veThere are a ton of agencies that deal with cyber crime and each has different requirements and/or duties involved. The big ones I know of and have friends with would be as follows:

FBI
ICE
US Postal Service (Postal Inspectors, they also have IG Special Agents, but that is for internal abuses by employees)
Secret Service
IRS (they love hiring people with computer backgrounds, but you better have an accounting background as well)
US State Department - Diplomatic Security Service
Air Force OSI (they hire civilians on a rare occasion)
Army CID (if you weren't CID in the military, they won't hire you or at least it is extremely rare)
Navy Criminal Investigative Service (only military investigative service made up completely of civilians, don't hire often)

I figure since you are/were an EMT and Firefighter you are in some semblance of shape, but I'd suggest starting to PT a lot now. Also, make sure your background stays squeeky clean. Last bit, be prepared to wait because between the budget issues in Washington and the fact that the process is long anyway, you could be looking at two years from date of app to being hired. If you have any other questions feel free to post or pm me.

Corrsta

Yeah, just to clarify, I have a BS in Business Administration and Political Science. I'm joining the Coast Guard next year to gain federal law enforcement experience, and once I'm in, I will be pursuing a MS in Cyber Security and Digital Forensics. I'm also pretty far into the hiring process for an 1811 position, so I have some experience in making myself competitive in a large pool of applicants.

traceyke

I have the same goals as you Corrsta. Despite working in IT, becoming an FBI Special Agent has been my "life goal" since I was 19. I want to work in the cyber crimes division. I already know that my Bachelor's will not be enough. For me to have the best chance, I'm probably going to have to: get a Master's degree in IT Security, obtain more IT certs (CCNA, CCNP, CEH, Security+), and probably learn a second language....all while being employed full time.

"Nothing worth having comes easy"

dmoore44

I used to work in a LEO in a tech support capacity (as a 391). From my experience, 1811's don't have the greatest handle on tech issues - their knowledge is on par with that of a tech enthusiast (or less). They rely generally on 2201s or 391s to provide in depth tech details (i.e. do all of the actual digital forensic analysis, install/configure/retrieve surveillance equipment, etc...) while the 1811 is the overall case manager (i.e. there are certain actions - like a subpoena - that ONLY an 1811 can perform). Additionally, 1811's usually have a break-in period where they focus only on learning/mastering all of the things that a new criminal investigator needs to be able to perform their core duties - tech was a special duty that came after a few "tours of duty".

Now, my experience only rests with one LEO, and I know for certain that they're all different. But don't enter in to it thinking that you'll be a BAMF digital forensics examiner on day one, because that's generally not the case.

lsud00d

I have an acquaintance who was an FBI Special Agent specializing in Cyber Crime and I know he worked his way up, including doing SWAT duties. It seems like a long road to get there...

the_Grinch

Background will usually dictate your assignment along with need. I saw a presentation by two FBI Agents in regards to the capture of a hacker in Australia. One was older and have a long history of investigative experience. The other had a degree in computer science and while wasn't fresh out of school, was in his late 20's. There is no hard and fast rule in what assignment you'll get or can work up too.

dmoore44

the_Grinch wrote: »

Background will usually dictate your assignment along with need. I saw a presentation by two FBI Agents in regards to the capture of a hacker in Australia. One was older and have a long history of investigative experience. The other had a degree in computer science and while wasn't fresh out of school, was in his late 20's. There is no hard and fast rule in what assignment you'll get or can work up too.

I know the FBI has a broader mission than other LEOs (DEA does drugs, ATF does guns/explosives, ICE does immigration, CBP patrols the border, etc...) and because of the broader mission, I know they have 1811s dedicated to cyber/tech related issues - and I also know that those people are rather sharp. But that's only one LEO out of 16...

Corrsta

Thanks for the input guys. Most of my family has worked in law enforcement, and my line of work allows me to interact with police officers nearly every day, so I know what challenges the job can bring, as well as the rewards. Ever since 9/11, I've wanted to combine my interests in IT and public safety, and I feel that this route is one of the best ways to do that.

My biggest fear is my awareness that most federal agencies hire based on what the "flavor of the week is." If they want WMD guys, they'll almost exclusively look at candidates with HazMat backgrounds. If they want White Collar guys, they'll be on the hunt for CPAs. While I understand there is a constant shortage of cyber specialists in the government space, I fear I may simply be a product of bad timing and be in the applicant pool when they aren't looking for cyber guys. However, I'm still fairly young as far as applicants go, and I have a long road ahead of me with plenty of chances to prove myself.

Thanks again.