Ethics in Criminal Justice

Qualities Of An FBI Agent
Am I FBI Material

11/23/2010

NCTC
Will Epting

Abstract
I have chosen for my research paper the career of an FBI agent. In this paper I will explain some interesting facts about what it takes to become an agent, what skills are necessary, what the requirements are, benefits of the position and many, many more. I chose to discuss what it takes to become an FBI agent because it is a jo I have wanted to have for a long time. It is why I am in criminal justice. The fact is very few people know what it actually takes to become one. Hopefully after this you will.

Do you see yourself as Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) tracking Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) in Silence of the Lambs? Do you want to fight for truth, justice, and the American way on American soil? FBI agents investigate people suspected of violating federal law, including serial killers, kidnappers, bank robbers, bombers, and perpetrators of mail fraud. Strong deductive skills, flexibility, and irreproachable moral character are key traits for those who want to succeed in the FBI.
The sensitive nature of the work requires a person with sound judgment and discretion. Each day brings something different, working for the FBI is rewarding, challenging, and very unpredictable. You can be sitting at your desk one moment, then a bank robbery occurs and everyone leaps into action. As the primary legal investigative arm of the U.S. Government, the FBI is charged with the protection and enforcement of the U.S. Constitution and over 260 federal statutes. Because the Bureau works closely with state and local law enforcement agencies in investigating legal matters of joint interest, good interpersonal communication and writing skills are essential for Special Agents. Whether you're interrogating a suspect, gathering evidence, or coordinating efforts for an upcoming trial, you've got to call upon an extensive range of capabilities to complete everyday operations.
National security is the responsibility of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, or FBI. That means FBI agents have a wide field of endeavors, from tracking big-time criminals to sitting behind a desk conducting hours of research. The FBI investigates white-collar crime, organized crime and drugs, violent crimes and civil rights violations. But it's also the FBI's responsibility to gather foreign counterintelligence and investigate terrorist activities that affect the security of the U.S.
The FBI gathers security intelligence for the U.S. government. This information is used to help government decision-makers develop policy, and also allows FBI agents to catch criminals and deal with them appropriately. For example, the FBI has a special section dedicated to helping find drug dealers. Typically, national security agents analyze information from a number of sources, including the media, to get the story behind the story. Spying may not be everything you imagine. For one thing, national security agents don't wear trench coats and fedoras. Often, agents use covert and intrusive methods, such as electronic surveillance and the recruitment of spies, to get the information they want. But strict laws govern when and how undercover intelligence measures can be used. Electronic surveillance, mail opening and covert searches require a warrant from a judge.
FBI officers typically work a 40-hour week, Monday through Friday. Certain cases may require evening and weekend work. The FBI has looked for attorneys and accountants who can help muddle through the maze of paperwork surrounding white-collar crimes. These days, the FBI is also looking for computer scientists, engineers and people who can speak foreign languages. Over 10 percent of agents are now women.
There are several character traits necessary to be an effective FBI agent, Honesty, integrity, fidelity and bravery. As FBI agents are frequently placed in dangerous positions, such as in undercover work, bravery is obviously a highly desirable quality to the recruiters. The other three character traits mentioned above all go towards the moral aspects of the job -- not pursuing the alleged criminals out of spite or vengeance, but in pursuit of the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
You are on call around the clock and required to work 50 hours a week, no two days are the same. The Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH) has a category entitled police and detectives. In 1998, there were 764,000 people employed in this field. There were 70 criminal investigators working in the Mountain State in 1998. That's according to the West Virginia Occupational Employment Statistics (OES). According to the OOH, employment of police and detectives is expected to grow faster than average through 2008. However, this trend may be hindered at the federal level by budget cutbacks.

Rookie federal agents earned about $43,000 a year in 1999, says the OOH. Agents with several years of experience received about $67,300. The OES says that criminal investigators in West Virginia earned an average salary of $57,110 in 1998. Applicants who graduate from the FBI academy start at the "GS-10" pay rate -- about $38,372 per year. After one year, they move to "GS-11" -- about $42,159. After five years, agents would be up to "GS-13" -- the base salary is about $60,000.
Agents who enter service usually do so as an indirect endeavor under another academic qualification such as accounting, law, or foreign language. Retirement from the FBI is mandatory after 20 years of field duty or at the age of fifty-five. After retirement, some agents are hired by local law enforcement agencies or by other federal agencies such as the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF), or the United States Secret Service.
The FBI requires applicants to be in excellent physical health and pass hearing and vision tests. Other physical requirements for the job vary. Special agents have to be physically able to carry and fire a gun. The FBI has more than 60,000 applications on file. But on the bright side, less than seven percent of applicants meet all the testing and eligibility requirements. So, here's what you need to top the FBI's most-wanted list:
+ U.S. citizenship
+ Between 23 and 37 years old
+ Availability for assignment anywhere in the FBI's jurisdiction
+ A graduate of an accredited college or university
+ Three years of work experience
Once accepted, new agents will then undergo 16 weeks of training academy.
So what have we learned here so far? Do you think you are FBI material? In my opinion it takes a different type of person to be a FBI agent. I do not think it is a job for the week. And I do not think it is a job for your average person. A FBI agent needs to be strong. And independent, but able to work as a team. Now that you know what it takes, let us look into the history of the FBI. The agency now known as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was founded in 1908 when Attorney General Charles J. Bonaparte appointed an unnamed force of Special Agents to be the investigative force of the Department of Justice (DOJ). Prior to that time, DOJ borrowed Agents from the U.S. Secret Service to investigate violations of federal criminal laws within its jurisdiction. By order of Attorney General George W. Wickersham, the Special Agent force was named the Bureau of Investigation in 1909. Following a series of changes in name, the Federal Bureau of Investigation officially received its present title in 1935.During the early period of the FBI's history, its Agents investigated violations of some of the comparatively few existing federal criminal violations, such as bankruptcy, frauds, antitrust crime, and neutrality violations. The first major expansion of the Bureau's jurisdiction came in 1910 when the Mann Act (White Slave) was passed. It provided a tool by which the federal government could investigate criminals who evaded state laws but had no other federal violations. During World War I, the Bureau was given responsibility for espionage, sabotage, sedition, and draft violations. Passage of the National Motor Vehicle Theft Act in 1919 further broadened the Bureau's jurisdiction. The Gangster Era began after passage of Prohibition in 1920. A number of highly visible criminals engaged in kidnapping and bank robbery, which were not federal crimes at that time. This changed in 1932 with passage of a federal kidnapping statute. In 1934, many additional federal criminal statutes were passed, and Congress gave Special Agents the authority to make arrests and to carry firearms. The FBI's size and jurisdiction during World War II increased greatly and included intelligence matters in South America. With the end of that war and the advent of the Atomic Age, the FBI began conducting background security investigations for the White House and other government agencies, as well as probes into internal security matters for the Executive Branch. Wow! Bet you did not know any of that! Well here is just a few more things you might not know. The FBI is the principal investigative arm of the United States Department of Justice. Title 28, United States Code, Section 533, which authorizes the Attorney General to appoint officials to detect...crimes against the United States, and other federal statutes give the FBI the authority and responsibility to investigate specific crimes. At present, the FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crimes. The Bureau is also authorized to investigate matters where no prosecution is contemplated. For example, under the authority of several Executive Orders, the FBI conducts background security checks concerning nominees to sensitive government positions. In addition, the FBI has been directed or authorized by Presidential statements or directives to obtain information about activities jeopardizing the security of the nation. Information obtained through a FBI investigation is presented to the appropriate U.S. Attorney or DOJ official, who decides if prosecution, or other action, is warranted. Top priority has been assigned to the five areas that affect society the most: counterterrorism, drugs/organized crime, foreign counterintelligence, violent crimes, and white-collar crimes. The FBI also is authorized to provide other law enforcement agencies with cooperative services, such as fingerprint identification, laboratory examinations, and police training; to publish annual Uniform Crime Reports; and to administer the National Crime Information Center. The FBI is a field-oriented organization in which eleven divisions and four offices at FBI Headquarters (FBIHQ) in Washington, D.C., provide program direction and support services to 56 field offices, approximately 400 satellite offices known as resident agencies, four specialized field installations, and 35 foreign liaison posts. The foreign liaison offices, each of which is headed by a Legal Attaché or Legal Liaison Officer, work abroad with American and local authorities on criminal matters within FBI jurisdiction.
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