Standard 3 career research

Raven Brooks

Federal Agent
Job Description

There are many government organizations devoted to the safety and security of this
country, including the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the National Security Agency
(NSA), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), US Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE), US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, or FBI, is the main investigative arm of the US
Department of Justice.
They also assist local police forces by providing access to their huge stores of data,
including fingerprint files on millions of individuals.
There are many different expertise in the FBI

Working Conditions

Federal agents are employed by the government law enforcement agencies, like the FBI
or the US secret government.
Most agencies operate under the jurisdiction of the Department of Justice, the
Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security
The CIA operates independently of a federal cabinet department.
Agents must be willing to accept positions anywhere in the US upon appointment. Many
agencies have field offices around the country, and some have overseas offices.
Most agents work indoors in an office.
US Customs and Border Protection officers work at airports and seaports across the
country and along the Canadian and Mexican borders.

Earnings

Federal agents are paid by the US government.Base salaries for entry-level agents
range from about $39,000 to $61,000 a year. However, agents salaries generally also
include locality pay (compensation for the cost-of-living differences among regions).
Locality pay rates range from 14% to about 35% of their base salary.For example, the
base salary for new FBI agents is a little more than $47,000 a year. Agents who relocate
to New York are entitled to locality pay equal to just under 29% of their base salary, or
around $13,600, which results in a salary of about $61,000 a year.
An Agents salary will increase depending on how many years of experience and
preformance.

Education

Requirements vary by agency. In most cases applicants need a college degree, prior
related experience, or both.
To be considered for appointment as an FBI special agent, an applicant must hold a
bachelors degree from an accredited college.
Areas of study include, law, accounting, and computer science, also necessary to have
at least 3 years of work experience.
Applicants for special agent jobs with the US Secret Service (USSS) and the Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) must have a bachelors degree or
prior experience working in law enforcement. Applicants for special agent jobs with the
US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) must have a bachelors degree with a 2.95
grade point average. Those who dont attain this average may qualify if they have a law
degree or experience conducting criminal investigations.

Sample Career Path

Level 1
Sample Title - Probationary Special Agent
Earnings - $39,000 to $61,000 a year
Requirements - At least 21 years old
Bachelors degree
Possibly some work experience in law enforcement
Completion of training
Responsibilities - Investigating cases; gathering evidence; enforcing the law; making arrests;
testifying in court.
Level 2
Sample Title -

Special Agent

Earnings -

$60,000 to $100,000 a year

Requirements -

2 to 4 years of experience as a probationary agent

Responsibilities
-

Investigating corruption, organized crime, financial fraud, kidnapping,

extortion, or immigration cases; interviewing and observing witnesses and
suspects; gathering and analyzing evidence; making arrests; testifying in
court.

Level 3
Sample Title - Supervisory Special Agent
Earnings - $95,000 to $156,000 a year
Requirements - Many years of diverse investigative experience
Additional training
Pass an extensive selection process
Responsibilities - Supervising other special agents; reporting to the section chief on a regular
basis; some investigating.

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Police Officer
Job Description

Police officers are responsible for enforcing the law. Less dangerous than how it is
portrayed on TV. Most spend the majority of their time either patrolling neighborhoods or
on traffic duty.
Officers patrol areas on foot, motorcycle, bicycle, or in a police car. This allows them to
accomplish a variety of objectives: discourage crime through their high visibility, maintain
community relations by speaking with the public, and become familiar with the area
where they work and with any problems that exist.
While on patrol, officers are always prepared to respond to calls for service. They may
be called to any type of situation where people have been injured, the public peace is
being disturbed, or a crime has been committed.Common occurrences they are called to
include assaults, domestic disputes, robberies, car accidents, fires, and noisy
parties.Their primary concern is to help crime victims and injured people by
administering first aid and calling for any necessary assistance. The next concern is to
re-establish order by calming people, isolating a crime or accident scene, and restraining
any violent individuals.

Working Conditions

Most Officers work for local government. The rest work for state or federal police
agencies.
Their working environments are as varied as the landscape: from densely populated
urban areas to remote rural regions, and everywhere in between. Each area provides its
own particular challenges and requires officers to have specific skills.Police officers carry
firearms and may have to wear protective clothing such as bulletproof vests.The job can
be mentally, physically, and emotionally stressful. They may have to deal with wounded
victims, distraught witnesses, or pursue and arrest aggressive criminals either on foot or
in a police vehicle.

Most police officers work 40 hours a week. Although, officers specific work schedules
depend on their employer. Police work must be done 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Earnings

Salaries vary widely, depending on seniority, rank, experience, level of education, and
geographic location. Large urban police forces generally pay the most.Entry-level patrol
officers typically earn between $32,000 and $45,000 a year. Because many police forces
give pay increases on a yearly basis, officers pay can increase rapidly. The median
annual income for patrol officers is about $54,000, and experienced patrol officers can
earn as much as $84,000 a year.
Police officers who are promoted to the specialist role of detective earn more than patrol
officers.
The highest salaries are the senior officers, such as lieutenants, captains, and police
chiefs. Officers in these ranks usually earn between $50,000 and $100,000 a year

Education

Candidates must be US citizens, meet minimum age requirements, have a valid drivers
license, and successfully complete physical and written exams. Candidates character
and background are investigated, and they are interviewed by senior officers. Applicants
must also pass drug screening, vision, and hearing tests.
A high school education is the minimum education required by many police departments,
particularly those in large urban centers. Because of the high level of competition for
positions, many applicants have formal post-secondary education, and a significant
number are college graduates. A number of police departments now require new officers
to have at least some college education.
Applicants are most often encouraged to take college courses in law enforcement or
criminal justice. Other areas are useful as well, for example, courses in accounting,
finance, computer science, and foreign languages can be helpful.

Sample Career Path

Level 1
Sample Title Police Officer
Earnings $30,000 to $45,000 a year
Requirements Meet basic recruitment requirements, including passing physical and written
exams
High school diploma
Preferably college education (required by some police departments)
Responsibilities Enforcing laws of city and state; doing administrative paperwork; patrolling by
car and walking a beat.
Level 2
Sample Title- Experienced Police Officer
Earnings- $45,000 to $65,000 a year

Requirements- At least 2 years of experience as a police officer

Responsibilities- Enforcing laws of city and state; doing administrative paperwork;
patrolling by car and walking a beat; assisting with on-the-job training for new officers.
Level 3
Sample Title- Sergeant
Earnings- $60,000 to $75,000 a year
Requirements- At least 3 years of experience as a senior police officer
Pass promotion test
Responsibilities- Overseeing police officers administrative work and fieldwork; possibly
overseeing a specialized unit.
Level 4
Sample Title- Lieutenant
Earnings- $65,000 to $80,000 a year
Requirements- Experience as a sergeant
Pass promotion test
Responsibilities- Overseeing sergeants as they supervise police officers in the field or at
their desks.
Level 5
Sample Title- Captain
Earnings- $75,000 to $95,000 a year
Requirements- Experience as a lieutenant
Pass promotion test
Responsibilities- Watching and overseeing the entire district; assigning police officers to
cars; supervising all employees.

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Detective
Job Description

Police officers rely on Detectives to piece together a crime that has taken place. They
are specially trained to be able to solve cases of all crimes. They gather evidence and
facts allowing them to crack even the most complicated of cases.
Detectives often specialize in a particular area. For instance, they may focus on
homicide, robbery, financial crimes, gang suppression, sex crimes, computer crime, or

vehicular homicide.Large police forces usually include departments, or units, that

concentrate on solving a particular type of crime. For example, a detective may be part
of the child abuse unit or the drug squad. In smaller police forces, however, detectives
are often called on to investigate all types of crime.

Working Conditions

Most detectives are employed by local police departments. Others work for state
police agencies, while a smaller number are employed by federal agencies. The
majority work full-time.They spend a great deal of time working indoors, in police
stations. However, they also work at crime scenes, which can be indoors or outdoors.
Local travel is required to carry out some of their duties, such as monitoring suspects
or testifying in court.
Detectives schedules vary depending on their workload. Sometimes they may work a
regular 9-to-5 schedule.overtime is often necessary, and as a result detectives often
end up working more than 40 hours a week. For instance, they must be prepared to
work evenings, weekends, and even holidays when major investigations are
underway. Many detectives are also on-call, which means they must be prepared to go
into work whenever they are needed.

Earnings

Earnings for detectives vary depending on a number of factors, including experience,

rank, level of education, employer, and geographic location. Large urban police forces
generally pay higher salaries than smaller forces located in rural areas.
Most detectives earn somewhere between $38,000 and $100,000 a year. Median
annual earnings for detectives across the country are about $62,000. Detectives who
work in supervisory positions make more, usually between $47,000 and $116,000 a
year. Median earnings for detective supervisors are about $77,000 a year.

Education

Before you can become a detective, you will first need to qualify and work as a regular
police officer. Although the exact requirements for new recruits vary by police force,
most require applicants to be US citizens and at least 20 years old.In general,
applicants also need a high school diploma. However, some large police departments
require a minimum of 1 or 2 years of college, and most officers who go on to become
detectives have at least an associate degree. New police officers complete a period of
training before getting their first assignment. The length of this training can be
anywhere from 3 months to a year.

Sample Career Path

Level 1
Sample Title Police Officer
Earnings $31,000 to $50,000 a year

Requirements High school diploma

Preferably a college degree
Meet physical fitness requirements
Responsibilities Enforcing laws of city and state; patrolling neighborhoods; apprehending
criminals; assisting victims of crimes; doing administrative paperwork.
Level 2
Sample Title Detective
Earnings $50,000 to $80,000 a year
Requirements At least 3 years of experience as a regular police officer
Strong on-the-job performance
Completion of exam, if required by police force
Responsibilities Gathering evidence in criminal investigations; keeping accurate records;
arresting suspects; testifying in court.
Level 3
Sample Title Senior Detective
Earnings $80,000 to $115,000 a year
Requirements Many years of experience as a detective
Responsibilities Gathering evidence in criminal investigations; keeping accurate records;
arresting suspects; testifying in court; leading task forces; supervising other detectives.

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