Find Out More about Becoming a Special Agent

Wendy has chased down fugitives and responded to bank robbery alarms during her career with the FBL Her work today centers on recruiting new agents.

What do you like most about your job?


I like the variety of case work and assignments. At one point in my career I was responding to bank robbery alarms and chasing down fugitives, and now I have settled into something a little less dangerous: recruiting and processing highly qualified individuals for future employment with the FBI.

Is there a lot of competition for jobs in the FBI?

Yes, it is amazing how competitive the process is to become a special agent with the FBI. For example, in fiscal year 1996, we had 63,000 applicants who were threshold qualified for the special agent position. Only the top 1,080 individuals were selected and hired. The screening process is quite lengthy and includes the following steps: a four-hour written test, an oral interview, a polygraph examination, a urinalysis, a medical examination, and a complete background investigation.

What do you see yourself doing five years from now?

Eventually, I would like to become an instructor at the FBI Academy teaching new agents. The instructor positions are very competitive and difficult to get. If this dream is not fulfilled, I will not be at all upset to continue working in the Indianapolis office of the FBI. My husband and I have two young children, so I am quite busy working full-time as a special agent and being a wife and mother.

Describe one of your happiest moments on the job.

I had the privilege of presenting my husband, Scott, with his FBI badge and credentials when he graduated from the FBI Academy.

If you could start over, would you choose a different career?

Absolutely not! I truly love my job and wouldn't change a thing.

What do you like least about your job?

I don't like the long hours. Special agents with the FBI are "on call" 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We can be called out in the middle of the night or on weekends to respond to federal crimes. There are times when you can't be home with your family or friends during holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, or special functions.

In 1992, I was assigned to investigate an unsolved parental kidnapping case that was approximately three years old. As part of a divorce settlement, a father was given custody of the child. The mother, distraught over losing custody, kidnapped the boy from the father and disappeared. The FBI gets involved in this type of case when the local prosecutor asks for assistance. The FBI obtains an "unlawful flight from prosecution" warrant from the federal district court judge in order to proceed with the investigation.

When I was assigned this case, I needed to try some different techniques in order to gather more intelligence and ultimately locate the mother and child. I decided to see about having this case profiled on several television programs in an effort to help locate the missing boy. Ultimately, the television show Missing Rewards agreed, and the father posted a $25,000 reward for information. A viewer recognized the mother and son and called the show. The mother and child were located without incident, and the child was returned to his father. I still receive Christmas cards from the grateful father with a family picture every year.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, better known as the FBI, originated from a force of special agents created during the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt to answer the need for a federal investigative agency. The agency became well known after it was reorganized in 1924 by J. Edgar Hoover, who was director from 1924 until his death in 1972. Hoover is responsible for the development of the FBI and the high standards of its special agents. During Prohibition and the Great Depression, the FBI successfully combated a domestic crime wave. The organization's attention turned to subversion, sabotage, and espionage during World War II. After the war was over, the FBI investigated threats to national security, fought organized crime, and played a major role in civil rights prosecutions. Recently, the FBI has combated terrorism.

Today's Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is built on the consolidation of all federal antidrug agencies into one agency in 1973. The sole mission of this agency is to combat drug trafficking. It is responsible for the enforcement of domestic drug laws and has the sole responsibility of pursuing and coordinating U.S. drug investigations in other countries.

The DEA also plays a major role in supporting programs to reduce the use of drugs.

You and a career as a special agent

Not every person is suited to be a special agent. To see if you have the personal qualities needed for this career, check this list:

1. You are resourceful.
   
   
2. You can bridge gaps in information.
   
   
3. You have perseverance and don't give up when the going gets tough.
   
   
4. You can handle working on a task by yourself.
   
   
5. You are an honest person.
   
   
6. You have good judgment.
   
   
7. You possess a strong sense of responsibility.
   
   
8. You have integrity.
   
   
9. You can handle being in dangerous situations.
   
   
10. You like investigative work.
    
    
11. You are a good fact finder.
    

To learn more about qualifications for employment as an FBI special agent, contact the nearest state FBI office. You will find the address and phone number listed in the local telephone directory. You can also visit the FBI website for general information about the agency at www.fbi.gov.

Information about careers as a DEA agent are available from:

Drug Enforcement Administration, Special Agent Recruitment Unit Washington, DC 20537, www.usdoj.gov/dea

An overview of career opportunities with the U.S. Secret Service can be obtained from:

Secret Service, Personnel 1800 G Street, NW Washington, DC 20223 www.ustreas.gov

To find out about becoming a deputy marshal, contact:

United States Marshals Service Employment and Compensation Division Field Staffing Branch 600 Army Navy Drive Arlington, VA 22202