Careers With Government Security and Intelligence Agencies

CAREERS WITH

GOVERNMENT SECURITY AND

INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES

Research Number 218 ISBN 1-58511-218-6

CAREERS WITH GOVERNMENT

SECURITY AND INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES F. B. I. Federal Bureau of Investigation C. I. A. Central Intelligence Agency Secret Service, Defense Intelligence Agency, National Security Agency, Bureau of Diplomatic Security

GREAT VARIETY OF CAREER CHOICES PROTECTING OUR NATION AND THE WORLD EVER SINCE THE FIRST PEOPLE ORGANIZED THE FIRST GOVERNMENT TO REGULATE

life and protect others, there has been a need for government security. In the United States, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), as well as the Secret Service, are probably the most familiar names of governmental security organizations. What you may not know is that there are many other organizations in this country that help protect the individuals that run the government, as well as all citizens of the United States. Here is a partial list: Air Force Technical Applications Center American Academy of Forensic Sciences American Board of Criminalists American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors Army Intelligence Agency Army Intelligence and Security Command Bureau of Intelligence & Research [State Department] California Association of Criminalists 2

Central Intelligence Agency Defense Airborne Reconnaissance Office Defense HUMINT Defense Intelligence Agency Foreign Science & Technology Center [Army] Intelligence and Threat Analysis Center [Army] International Association of Forensic Sciences Marine Corps Intelligence Mid-Atlantic Association of Forensic Scientists Midwest Association of Forensic Scientists, Inc. National Air Intelligence Center National Imagery & Mapping Office National Reconnaissance Office National Security Agency National Security Division of the FBI Office of Intelligence & Drug Enforcement Administration Naval Maritime Intelligence Center Naval Security Group Command Northeastern Association of Forensic Sciences Northwest Association of Forensic Sciences Office of Asst. Chief of Staff, Intelligence [Air Force] Office of Deputy Chief of Staff, Intelligence [Army] Office of Energy Intelligence (Special Projects) Division [Department of Energy] Office of Intelligence & Security Office of Intelligence Center [Treasury Department] Office of Intelligence Liaison Office of Export Enforcement Office of Naval Intelligence Southern Association of Forensic Scientists Some of these organizations are affiliated with branches of the military, while others are connected to other branches of government; the Secret Service, for example, is actually part of the US Department of Treasury. Each security organization has a different focus. CIA employees, for instance, protect the US government by controlling what other nations

3

know about us, and by learning as much as they can about these other nations. The FBI, on the other hand, is not as concerned with the government itself as it is about the crimes that victimize ordinary people every day. Special Agents of the FBI investigate these crimes and then provide the proper authorities with the evidence they’ve gathered. Secret Service Agents, whose main task is to protect presidential candidates, current and past Presidents, and the Vice President, also conduct investigations. They keep an eye on individuals and organizations who seem to pose a threat to the President, and also – as agents of the US Treasury – investigate counterfeiting. There is more to government security than spying or gathering fingerprints, though. There are a number of varied opportunities for individuals interested in this field. These include: Code-breaking Linguists Geographers Psychologists Chemists Engineers Nurses Accountants College students (interns) Most positions require college degrees in specific fields (law, for instance). It is usually helpful to bring extensive education and job experience to the field, but most of the organizations provide job training once you are hired – or require you to complete a training program before you can be hired (would-be Special Agents must successfully complete the FBI’s training program, for example). In this report you will learn about different areas of government security, general requirements to work in the field, and what you can do to best prepare yourself for a job in a security organization like the FBI or CIA. You will read about individuals’ experiences in different areas of the field, and find out what characteristics you might have that suit you for a career in government security or as a criminalist. Do you have a future in this field? Read on, and decide for yourself!

4

WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW IF YOU WANT TO BE AN INVESTIGATOR OR CRIMINALIST, THERE ARE SEVERAL THINGS YOU CAN DO RIGHT NOW:

Practice your observational skills by looking at a room, a scene, or a person for two minutes (time yourself), then go into another room and write down everything you observed. Return to the scene or person and take another good look. What did you notice? What didn’t you spot?

Read about a variety of topics, including

autobiographies and memoirs by former investigators.

Call your local police station and ask if they need volunteers or interns in their crime lab, or if any lab technicians or criminalists would be willing to talk to you about their careers. Many characteristics help to qualify an individual to become an FBI agent, a CIA investigator, or a criminalist who works for another law enforcement agency, but one of the most important is a fully-developed sense of observation. The first step in any investigation is observation of the crime scene. When you enter a room or a building, what do you notice? After you leave, what do you remember having seen? Be a person who is interested in a lot of different things. An important qualification for investigators is a broad base of knowledge. No one person can know everything about everything, but good investigators know something about a lot of topics. They use this knowledge to determine that one of those topics – building a bomb, breaking into a building, vandalism – is one that needs to be explored more deeply for a certain case, and they can turn to experts in the field for the precise, detailed information they need. A good way to determine if you are qualified for this field is to talk to someone who is already in it. What does that individual enjoy about the work? What advice can that person offer you? Is there an opening in a local crime lab for an intern or volunteer? If there is, you can get some first-hand experience and really decide if this career is the one for you.

5

GOVERNMENT SECURITY: A HISTORY GOVERNMENTS ARE ESTABLISHED TO PROTECT PEOPLE, AND IN ORDER TO DO THAT

thoroughly, the governments themselves must be protected from harmful individuals, groups, and other governments. Whether that security takes the form of cryptography (encoding important messages so the enemy can’t read them), personal body-guards for heads of state, or larger organizations like the FBI or CIA, the goal is always the same: to run the government safely, and to keep important information and people out of the enemies’ hands. Though many US security and intelligence organizations are less than 100 years old, the tools of their trade date back millennia. Ancient Greeks and Romans were among the first people to make use of codes. Polybius, an ancient Greek writer, drew a 5 by 5 square matrix which explained how different two-digit numbers could substitute for each letter of the alphabet. Roman emperor Julius Caesar used “shift ciphers” when he had to send secret government messages. In a shift cipher, the sender and the receiver choose a number – for example, 7 – and then they shift the alphabet that many letters to encode a message. The letter A, for example, in a shift code using the number 7, would be represented by the 7th letter away from it: has an additional meaning for us today. H.

“Terrorism”

The early 20th century efforts of Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin to eliminate entire groups of people can be seen as political terrorism, as can bombings that the Irish Republican In the Civil War, for example, spies played a central role in helping the Union Army has committed to to defeat the Confederacy. One of the draw attention to its better known spies of the period was desire for Ireland’s “Frank Thompson” (interestingly, “he” freedom from British was actually a woman). Thompson disguised himself as a slave, entered rule. Both the CIA and “enemy territory,” and was able to make the FBI may investigate sketches of Southern encampments and terrorist threats. even to identify a Confederate spy. Later Espionage has been around since the first government wanted to gain control over land ruled by another government. Spies like Mata Hari and the fictional James Bond have become famous subjects of adventure stories, but spies are more than seductive jet-setters. They discover vital information.

6

he managed to steal General Stonewall Jackson’s battle plans, which – if they had been successfully followed – could have brought about the capture of Washington, DC.

F B I But when most Americans think about government security, they

think of two organizations: the FBI and the CIA. The FBI was established first. It got its start July 26, 1908, when an executive order created a Bureau of Investigation that would be under the jurisdiction of the US Attorney General. Later this organization was named the Division of Investigation, and in 1935, the name was changed to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

C I A The CIA was created in 1947, when President Truman signed the National Security Act. This act gave the Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) the responsibility of coordinating the nation’s intelligence activities (protecting information about the US government, and gathering information about forei..gn governments) and analyzing and channeling to proper parties intelligence that affects national security. Though many people believe that the FBI and the CIA are organizations that do similar work, each has a very different mission. The FBI is authorized to investigate all federal crimes that have not been assigned, by Congress, to another federal agency. These crimes cover a very broad spectrum, from civil rights violations to financial crime, from organized crime to counterterrorism. The FBI investigates these crimes and then turns the information over to a US Attorney or Department of Justice official, who decides whether to pursue the case in a court of law, or let the matter drop. The CIA works specifically with those who make and execute national security policy. The organization’s task is two-fold. First, it conducts “counterintelligence” activities to learn about foreign intelligence and to protect national security, as directed by the President. Second, it provides comprehensive and accurate foreign intelligence that pertains to national security, protects government secrets, and fights terrorism. We sometimes think of terrorism as a contemporary problem, but actually the term – which refers to acts or threats of violence designed to intimidate opponents or to publicize grievances – dates back to the Reign of Terror in 1793, during the French Revolution. During the Reign of Terror, the ruling faction (which had overthrown the monarchy and declared France a republic) ruthlessly executed all those it deemed political enemies. In the last six weeks of the Terror, 1400 people were guillotined in Paris alone. 7

Secret Service The Secret Service is another well-known security

agency, about which there are many misconceptions. Today many people believe the sole task of Secret Service Agents is to protect the President from harm, but when it began in 1865, its sole task was to suppress the counterfeiting of currency – a job that remains high on the Secret Service’s list of priorities today. Just two years after its inception, the duties of the United States Secret Service were expanded to include “detecting persons perpetrating frauds against the government.” It wasn’t until 1902 that the Secret Service assumed responsibility for protection of the President. The Secret Service Uniformed Division, established in 1922 (then called the White House Police Force), is under the authority of the Secret Service, and its duties include protecting diplomatic missions in the Washington, DC, area.

Defense Intelligence Agency There are many other national security organizations in the United States that are probably unfamiliar to you. Established in 1961, the Defense Intelligence Agency provides military intelligence to all those who fight in wars conducted by the United States, no matter which branch of the military they are in, as well as to the decision-makers and policy-makers of the US Department of Defense and the US Government. National Security Agency The decades-old National Security

Agency protects US informational systems and produces foreign intelligence information; its focus is on cryptology, foreign languages, data processing, and other methods of communication.

The Bureau of Diplomatic Security Established within the

Department of State in 1986, its responsibilities now include all security concerns of life overseas for US government and military personnel, at home, at work, and at school. Nowadays American government officials and American facilities overseas, often victims of mob violence, terrorism, criminal acts, and espionage, require more security.

Many other US security organizations were established early in the 20 century, responding to a growing concern for safety of the government’s staff and the nation’s leaders. You can find more information about many of these organizations by clicking on the links you’ll find at www.gksoft.com/govt/en/us.html. th

8

WHERE YOU WILL WORK INVESTIGATORS AND MEMBERS OF THE INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY HAVE A WIDE

variety of jobs to choose from, and once they have selected the job they want, there is a variety of places where they could work. New FBI Special Agents are assigned to a field office in the United States based on the staffing needs of the agency, as well as on the preferences of the agent. CIA agents can be given assignments virtually anywhere across the globe. Travel may be an important part of a national security agent’s career; they have to go where the assignment is, where the crime has been committed, or where information needs to be gathered. A criminalist – someone who applies science to the law — who does not work for the FBI or CIA is virtually unlimited in the choice of job locations. A criminalist could work for a law enforcement agency like a police department or sheriff’s office. An investigator could even be a private detective who is hired on a case-by-case basis by individuals who want to know the location of a runaway, or what really caused the death of a family member. In that case, you can work wherever you live, either in a home office or in a rented office nearby. (For more information about the field of criminalistics: www.criminalistics.com.) For criminalists who are employed by another agency, however, it is not the location of their office that is relevant, but the location of the crime, the victims, and the witnesses. An FBI Special Agent does not stay in Washington, DC just because the bureau headquarters are there. If the agent gets a clue that the criminal left for Europe or a South Pacific Island, then that agent hops on a plane to follow and apprehend the criminal. Likewise, CIA agents don’t remain constantly at the agency’s headquarters in Langley, Virginia. Many individuals work in the field of national security, but are not employed by the FBI or CIA. These individuals may work for the Office of Counter-Terrorism, the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, or one of several other agencies, and may be based in Washington, DC, or they may be stationed at a US embassy in a foreign country. (The United States has more than 150 embassies throughout the world.) Most national security and intelligence agencies are headquartered in Washington, DC or the surrounding area, but just like FBI and CIA agents, investigators from these agencies must travel to the scene of the crime – whether it’s already occurred, or must be prevented. 9

WHAT YOU WILL DO IN YOUR WORK WHEN MOST PEOPLE THINK OF JOBS IN THE FIELD OF GOVERNMENT SECURITY, they think of spies trying to learn other governments’ secrets, or of FBI agents investigating major crimes; but the really exciting thing about the field is that, specialized as it is, it offers opportunities for almost everyone.

In recent years, those opportunities seem to have increased as national security organizations struggle to find competent staff in specialized areas. In one recent year, for instance, the CIA only managed to hire fewer than 15 percent of the computer specialists, 65 percent of the engineers, and 85 percent of the linguists it sought to fill the need for new specialists in these fields. Some individuals turn to government security as a second career because they desire a greater challenge and they want to feel like they are making a difference that can benefit their fellow Americans. Others started out in a police-related field before moving into national security because they needed job experience in another field before they could achieve their actual career goal, working for the FBI, the CIA, or one of the other US security organizations. These people bring to their careers degrees in related fields such as criminal or police science, law, accounting, medicine, psychology, or computer science. They use the skills and knowledge they have acquired in college and refined on the job. Some of the individuals recruited by these organizations may surprise you. Did you know, for instance, that geographers are in demand at many security organizations? Government security organizations need people who can read various types of maps (including those generated by satellites), and who can use their knowledge of the earth, its countries, and its waters, to help them successfully carry out missions. The National Imagery and Mapping Office, a US security organization, is one that employs a large number of geographers. Other security organizations are affiliated with various branches of the government or the military (the Secret Service with the US Department of Treasury, for example). The Army, the Navy, the Marine Corps, and the Air Force each have their own security organizations. Various governmental departments also have individual security organizations, and some departments have several. The US Department of Defense is home to a number of security organizations, including the

10

National Mapping and Imagery Agency, the Defense Intelligence Agency, and the National Security Agency. The US Department of State also has a number of security and intelligence organizations in its jurisdiction. Among these are the Bureau of Diplomatic Security and the Office for Counterterrorism. Computer skills are becoming more and more important in just about every field, and national security is no exception; the CIA even has a new office of Advanced Analytic Tools for its computer scientists. In older novels and movies, spies often tried to intercept notes, then de-code them to learn vital secret information about other governments – or what those governments had learned about the plans of the US government. Code deciphering and message interception still play a vital role in what various organizations do to maintain a high level of national security, but now those messages are transmitted via computer or satellite. Intercepting them and then deciphering them requires more than just being at the right place at the right time. It requires a knowledge of the workings of computers and satellites, and the ability to use those tools. It may also require knowledge of a foreign language. Some national security staff have fairly typical “office jobs,” working at computers for much of the day. (It is only what they do at these computers – intercepting messages and signals from other governments and international spies — that is not very typical!) Other individuals study and design maps. On-staff psychologists may work with national security specialists as a sounding board they can confide in about the pressures of their jobs, or they may interview suspects and victims to try to glean more information about a crime. It is important for agents to have a certain level of technological ability – being able to manipulate various computer programs, for instance; but for some national security agents, a much higher level of technological know-how is required. The CIA, for instance, hires chemical engineers and chemists to work for the agency in a number of capacities, particularly in researching current chemical warfare developments and methods used by foreign terrorist groups, and in researching methods to combat those developments. Obviously, those who fill these positions must have an extensive scientific and technical knowledge to work from. The FBI doesn’t only investigate violent crimes. The Bureau is focusing more than ever on white-collar crimes, like insurance fraud, which can 11

require investigators to have a strong knowledge of accounting or bookkeeping. DNA testing provides another good example of the depth of high-tech know-how that can be required by national security staff. DNA is short for deoxyribonucleic acid, and it is the genetic information found in the cells of all living things; this information “tells” cells whether they should form a hard fingernail or soft skin, whether together the cells should become male or female, animal or human. Each human being has a completely unique DNA. Contained in blood, semen, and other bodily secretions, DNA can be isolated and tested to determine the identity of the person who lost the blood or the other secretions. The FBI and some state governments have been compiling DNA samples from individuals who have been arrested for committing crimes, but typically a law enforcement agency compares DNA from an unknown suspect against a large database of individuals whose DNA is known. They hope to find a match, and then to make an arrest. There are also tests that can be done to find out if certain secretions are present at the scene of a crime. Those secretions can then undergo DNA testing and perhaps identify the criminal. Semen can be detected by ultraviolet light sometimes, but a more thorough method of testing uses MUP (methyl umbelliferyl phosphate), which reacts with the enzymes in the semen, causing it to glow when placed under an ultraviolet light. Saliva can be similarly uncovered by using pieces of absorbent paper that have been pretreated with starch and then dampened. The paper is laid over the area to be “mapped,” and the enzymes from the saliva – if it is, indeed, present – dissolve into the paper, which is then sprayed with iodine. The iodine turns the entire sheet of paper blue, except where saliva is present. These are tests that are conducted in a laboratory situation, using evidence that has been collected at a crime scene, and they require a certain level of scientific background before they can be conducted. Interpreting information from, for instance, a DNA sample, can require an even more extensive background in the sciences. And who collects the evidence to be tested in the lab? The agents in “the field.” If you’ve ever seen a movie about an FBI agent or a CIA investigation, you already know that the agents travel often, and fast, to get to the scene of the crime, or to trail fugitives of justice. You know how your local police respond to emergency calls by driving out to the scene, where they can apprehend suspects and make on-the-spot investigations, search for and find clues. In the same way, investigators who work for 12

national security organizations have to travel to get to the scene of the crime. The difference is that local police rarely, if ever, leave the state – much less the country – on an investigation. For national security agents, such travel goes with the territory. Investigations can take many forms. FBI Special Agents may investigate the bloody scene of a violent crime, interview neighbors and witnesses, and gather evidence to try to catch a murderer. While FBI agents conduct interviews and simply ask the questions that will give them the information they need, a CIA agent trying to discover top-secret information about another government may need to pry information out of an interview subject almost without that subject realizing that’s what’s happening. Secrecy is all-important for those who work undercover, and in order to remain undercover, even an interview to gather information must be carefully conducted.

You could say that the ideal spy should have a sort

of “split personality.” The ideal spy would be one who would have a great store of knowledge on which to draw, but perhaps even more importantly, could socialize with the very people that were being spied on – and speak their language.

13

NATIONAL SECURITY SPECIALISTS TELL YOU ABOUT THEIR WORK My Company Does Computer Analysis of Intelligence Data for the CIA “I never expected to be working in national

security, but as so often happens, one thing just led to another. One of my first jobs was working for a camera company, just doing “gopher” work in the office. But later, when I went to college, I found that my experience with that company really focused my interest in optics. I got a degree in physics and landed a job in an optics lab. I stuck with this job for a number of years, gradually moving up the ladder until I was running the company, but all the while I continued to take additional courses at night school. I enjoyed my work, but knew that eventually I would need a greater challenge. I prepared myself for that challenge by taking classes in computer science and business administration. And I put those classes to use when I left the camera company to start my own company, which eventually was a contractor to many large agencies, including the Central Intelligence Agency and some intelligence agencies in the Department of Defense. My company’s specialty was software development, computer scenario generation, and systems engineering, and at first I was surprised how much in demand those services were by national security organizations. I always thought of the CIA as secret agents who just kind of hung around foreign embassies and eavesdropped on other people’s conversations – but it’s far more high-tech than I ever imagined. In fact, SIGINT (signal intelligence), MASINT (magnetic imagery) and IMINT (imagery intelligence) are more important than ever. These areas of expertise require people who have the expertise not only to gather data, but also to interpret it. I found that I really had the right skills for this kind of work. I had always been a long-range planner, and always implemented my plans. I also have excellent analytic skills that allow me to analyze imagery and gather information. 14

I ran this company for about 20 years, and then began to think about retirement. It’s a great career, although sometimes the pressure and internal competition are almost too much to handle. It’s a lot of fun to always be dealing with such smart colleagues, though. I never had to complain that the people I worked for didn’t know what they were doing. The earnings were also very good. At my highest point, running this corporation, I was earning well over $100,000 a year. But I was tired of not being able to tell my family about the huge projects I got to work on, which were always top secret. I retired about two years ago, but I still act as a consultant for the company I established. I’m glad to keep my foot in the door, so to speak, because I really do love the work. After being involved with the intelligence community, I can say I was definitely in the right field – but being retired now, I can also say that a lot of weight has been lifted from my shoulders.”

I Am a Forensic Scientist for the FBI “In high school I always got my best grades

in math and science, but I didn’t really know what I wanted to do for a career. I knew I didn’t want to just sit behind a desk, though. I knew I would need something to hold my interest, something that wouldn’t be just the same old thing day after day. My senior year I went to a job fair at a local university. Lots of different professionals spoke about their careers. One of the speakers was a forensic scientist who worked for my city’s police department. She told us about her job, how she went out to crime scenes and looked at murder victims’ bodies, how she examined the way blood splatters looked and what she learned from that, how she tried to determine the body size, gender, and age of the murderer. She showed us slides, and I guess a lot of them were pretty gory, because people kept leaving the room, and they didn’t come back. But I thought it was fascinating, and it certainly didn’t sound boring!

15

When I enrolled in college the next year, I started loading up on science courses, and I made sure my counselor knew what field I was interested in. I was lucky enough to be able to intern with a local law enforcement agency, so I really got a good idea of what being a criminalist is all about. And despite all the violence and all the gore I saw, I was still interested in the career. I really believe it takes a certain kind of person to do this job. You have to have empathy for the victim, as well as for the criminal, to help you figure out why someone committed the crime – but you also have to be able to maintain a distance from the crime, or else it can just be overwhelmingly emotional. After I earned my undergraduate degree in biology, I enrolled in graduate school to earn a master’s degree in forensic science. I specialized in forensic biology, and learned a lot about DNA, the genetic material that makes each person unique, how to perform DNA tests, and how to determine the identity of an unknown suspect by the results of those tests. I also worked part time at another local law enforcement agency, assisting the staff forensic scientists, until I earned my degree. I began searching on-line for job openings, and that’s when I stumbled across the FBI web site. I surfed through it, and noticed that they work with specialty personnel in forensic laboratories. I thought, `Why not? I’ll give it a try.’ I turned in my resume, got an interview, and several months later I was working at the FBI on a probationary term. That was eight years ago, and I’m still with the FBI, still investigating crimes, and still trying to find the bad guys so we can put them away where they won’t be able to hurt anyone ever again.”

I Work for the Secret Service “I guess when most people think of national security, they think of those guys in suits who are always hovering around the President of the United States, earphones in their ears, looking suspiciously at the crowd. It’s true, those people are Secret Service Agents. But there’s a lot more to the job than just baby-sitting the President – although that is the primary task of the Secret Service. Besides protecting our nation’s leaders, the Secret Service also conducts its own 16

investigations. In a way, it is an intelligence agency just like the Federal Bureau of Investigation. I started out in the National Guard as a “weekend warrior,” and I was surprised to discover I enjoyed those weekends. Everyone was really equal. We all had to follow orders, no exceptions. Later on I realized that the Guard was an excellent training ground for the Secret Service, which – until that point — I had no idea I was going to join. I started thinking about it, though, and I liked the idea of protecting people. I began telling my family and friends about the career I hoped for. Lucky thing I did, because it was through a friend of a friend that I got my start working in the Treasury Department (the Secret Service is an agency of the Treasury Department). That really built on the experiences I had in the Guard, and taught me a lot. I learned about bomb disposal, and how to make an arrest, and I practiced my marksmanship. In my spare time, I also worked on improving my physical fitness, which is one of the primary considerations when a new Secret Service agent is hired. Although there is a variety of jobs within the Secret Service, including administrative and technical positions, I wanted to be a Special Agent. That meant I had to have at least 20-40 vision (which could be, with corrective lenses, 20-20), and be in top physical condition. Another point, which I didn’t think of before, was that a special agent couldn’t be so brawny that he didn’t fit in with the crowd around the President (or the presidential candidate) he was protecting. I applied, and I finally got in to the Service. I did a lot of different things while I was a Special Agent. I protected the President, as well as former Presidents (they are given protection for life, even after they’re out of office) and presidential candidates. It’s interesting work, and it keeps you on your toes. You never know who just wants to shake the President’s hand, and who has something more sinister planned. I also worked on some investigations, trying to keep an eye on groups and individuals that the Service deemed dangerous to the 17

President, and tracking down counterfeiters (remember, the Service is an agency of the Treasury Department!). My job was exciting and interesting, but I only stayed in the Service for about 15 years. I always considered myself a strong person, but the pressure really got to me. I was responsible for an individual’s life – a life that millions of people, the entire country, had an interest in. Like other jobs in the field of security, secrecy is paramount in the Secret Service; agents also had long hours and very long weeks (especially during an election). Things have changed now, and for the better, I think. But one thing hasn’t changed: members of the Secret Service are still like a big family, and still hold the safety of the nation in their hands.”

I Am a Special Agent With the FBI “I was working

as a lawyer, something I’d been striving for since high school, but I was surprised to discover that I wasn’t satisfied with the career I’d wanted for so long. The hours were long, which I’d expected, but the cases I was working on didn’t hold my interest the way I’d expected them to. I needed a greater challenge, and living in Virginia, not too far from the FBI Academy at Quantico, the Bureau naturally came to mind. I decided to apply to be a Special Agent, just to see what would happen. If worst came to worst, I could always go back to my job at the law firm. I applied and was accepted to a class of potential Special Agents. I spent four months at the Academy, running races, practicing my marksmanship, learning about the best way to conduct an interview with a suspect or witness, practicing how to place handcuffs on a suspect’s wrist without unnecessary violence, and getting very little sleep. The program is strenuous, and it covers points I never expected it would. We each had to dive off a high diving board into a swimming pool, for instance, and also demonstrate our swimming ability. Fortunately, since I grew up near California 18

beaches, swimming was something at which I was very proficient. Other candidates were not so lucky, and some of them had to learn how to swim. I did have trouble with shooting, at first. A gun really starts to feel heavy after a while, and it’s hard to keep it aimed and steady as you press on the trigger. I was thrilled when I learned I’d made the grade. I became a Special Agent (starting out, as they all do, on a two year probationary period). Being an FBI agent isn’t really the way it looks on TV or in the movies. We don’t all track serial killers, for instance, which is what most fictional agents seem to do. We are often confronted with scenes of violence, and with reluctant interviewees, and we do travel a lot. I went to Bosnia during the fighting there, and have also traveled across the United States to conduct criminal investigations. Being an FBI agent has given me the challenge I couldn’t find in the career I initially sought, and it’s given me something more: a feeling of satisfaction, because I know I’m making a difference. I’m helping to make the world a safer place, not only for my own family, but for all residents of the United States as well as people across the globe.”

19

PERSONAL QUALIFICATIONS INDIVIDUALS WHO WORK IN ANY KIND OF INVESTIGATIVE CAPACITY, PERHAPS

especially the FBI’s Special Agents, CIA staff, and other criminalists must, above all, have a strong sense of curiosity and a desire to uncover the truth. This desire, more than anything else, drives the investigations and the crime-solving required by these jobs. Good observational and good listening skills are also important traits for investigators. Keen eyesight and an ability to pay attention to their surroundings can lead investigators and security agents to notice clues that might otherwise have been ignored. Likewise, listening carefully to the victims’ stories and to the answers given by suspects can help investigators to discern what is true and what is not, and to hear what is not being said. Investigators and criminalists must be able to follow direction given by their superiors, but they must also be resourceful and able to devise new methods of doing their jobs. If a criminalist cannot figure out how an intruder managed to scrape the windowsill on the inside window ledge when he allegedly broke into the building from the outside, the criminalist must be able to devise a new theory that takes into account all the clues, and which makes sense. (Perhaps the alleged victim broke the window from the inside during a struggle with the intruder.) A criminalist should also have a good understanding of various manufacturing techniques as well as a curiosity about how the world works. This can help the investigator to determine, for instance, why a bomb exploded the way it did, or why the temperature of a burning building seemed excessively high. In fact, criminalists should be collectors of trivia and know a little bit about a lot of topics, from knot varieties (a distinctive knot in the cord a criminal used to tie up a victim can help investigators determine whether the criminal has spent time in the military, for example) to how to “read” a set of tire tracks or footprints. Various jobs in the security field also have physical requirements that job candidates must meet. FBI Special Agent candidates must demonstrate stamina and speed by running, swimming, and acting out fictional arrests with actors who portray criminals, witnesses, and victims. Individuals who aspire to be Secret Service agents must also fulfill a strict set of physical requirements, since they are acting as bodyguards as well as investigators. Their vision must be no worse than 20-40, which, with corrective lenses, would be 20-20 in the field. They must demonstrate strength and agility, too. 20

ATTRACTIVE FEATURES MANY PEOPLE ARE ATTRACTED TO CAREERS IN GOVERNMENT SECURITY SERVICES, AND

perhaps especially to the FBI. Television shows and movies often depict the careers of governmental security agents as exciting and interesting – and people who work in the field agree that much of their work is fascinating and holds their interest as years go by. Agents may investigate shocking crimes, meet remorseless criminals, and face danger – all of which, as you might imagine, keeps them from feeling bored!

People who work in this field feel like they are doing something important and worthwhile. Secret Service agents, for instance, protect the chief executive officer of the country, and to a certain extent keep the country safe for all the citizens who live and work here. CIA agents can say the same; they are constantly searching for the truth about other nations, and trying to prevent foreign agents from discovering too much information about the workings of the United States government. They help keep the country and its citizens safe from terrorist attacks. FBI agents seek the truth so that criminals can be prosecuted and future crimes can be avoided. It can be exhilarating for an agent to know that, because of work done on a case, a criminal has been caught, or innocent people have been protected from harm. Security specialists and investigators enjoy a tremendous feeling of self-satisfaction because they know they are making a positive difference through their work. Earnings in this field can be very good. Government security agents earn competitive salaries. The higher one rises in the ranks of an organization – FBI, CIA, etc. – the larger one’s salary grows. Additionally, employees of the federal government enjoy great security in their jobs, gain more time off the longer they stay with the organization, and also enjoy various health benefits that jobs in other fields may not be able to offer.

21

UNATTRACTIVE FEATURES WHILE GOVERNMENT SECURITY AGENTS CAN FEEL PROUD THAT THEY HELP MAINTAIN

the security of the United States government, protect its citizens, and stop crime, the work can be physically exhausting and emotionally draining. Agents who work in the FBI Behavioral Science Unit, for instance, deal extensively with serial killers, and “profilers” pride themselves on completing their assignments successfully: getting inside the mind of a serial killer before the next crime is committed. This work does not allow an agent to look away when a crime is gruesome or to step back when the crime hits close to home (a killer who targets children, for example, might be particularly hard to deal with for an agent who is also a parent). It may be difficult for an agent to prevent professional and personal arenas from colliding. An agent who investigates violent crimes cannot simply leave them behind at the office; those crimes are inside the agent’s head, wherever that head happens to be – including home. If an agent takes the family to a park to enjoy a leisurely afternoon, but that park was also once the site of a violent crime, it may be difficult to suppress memories of the crime and the ensuing investigation, and just concentrate on the current moment. Some jobs in this field also require a great degree of secrecy. Secret Service Agents, for instance, present a solid front; there is a code of silence that few break. FBI and CIA agents may be commanded not to tell anyone what their next assignment is – or where it is; and it can be a strain on a marriage when one spouse cannot confide in the other. It is important for government security agents to have a support system they can rely on. This may include people in the field who understand the strain firsthand, and mental health professionals who can help the agents deal with the violence they see every day. In earlier decades it would have been unheard of for an agent to seek such help. It might have been seen as a sign of weakness. But now the need for a “sounding board” is recognized and more accepted.

22

EDUCATION AND TRAINING PREREQUISITES FOR JOBS IN DIPLOMATIC SECURITY, OR AS CRIMINAL INVESTIGATORS,

vary from organization to organization. Some organizations, like the FBI, require applicants to hold a degree from a four-year college or university, with a major in one of several specific fields. For some jobs, like Secret Service Agent, working in the department (the Treasury Department, in this case) in another capacity can make it easier to get a job in the security sector. Here we will discuss some requirements in detail, but for more information about the specific position you’re interested in, try a search on the Internet for the department you’d like to work in, or the position you’d like to hold. The FBI has very specific requirements for its agents. A Special Agent candidate must have a degree from a four-year college or university accredited by one of the six regional accredited bodies of the Commission on Institutions for Higher Education. (For a list of these schools: www.ncacihe.org/links.html) The FBI offers entry programs in four areas: law, accounting, language, and diversified. Both law and accounting require that Special Agent candidates have a degree in those fields, though for accounting, a degree can be for a major in accounting or a related subject. Accounting candidates must be able to pass the Certified Public Accountant exam, or the FBI’s Accounting Test. For Language and Diversified, candidates must hold a degree in an approved discipline. Language candidates must pass a language proficiency test, and diversified candidates must have three years full-time work experience, or an advanced degree and two years full-time work experience. (For more information, check out the FBI web site at www.fbi.gov/.) At the CIA, job requirements vary according to different positions. For a computer scientist who will work in analysis programming, for instance, a job candidate must have detailed knowledge of computers, a bachelor’s or master’s degree in computer science or one of several other fields (earth science, mathematics, etc.), and the ability to use various computer programs. All CIA job candidates must also pass a background check and polygraph test. A Security Protective Officer, on the other hand, needs only to have a high school diploma (or its equivalent), in addition to military or police or security experience, or a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice or a related field. You can check out a list of jobs and each one’s requirements at www.odci.gov/cia/employment/posframe.htm. 23

Training for both FBI and CIA employees is provided on the job. Future Special Agents enter the FBI Academy for 16 weeks of intensive training. In the classroom, they study various academic and investigative subjects. Outside the classroom, they learn defense tactics, how to use firearms, and they train to maintain a high level of physical fitness. Tests are administered to gauge training agents’ progress. New employees at the CIA all attend an orientation before they begin their jobs. Most new employees also receive on-the-job training and more formal training through courses available to them within the CIA. Some employees also attend university and college classes part time or full time, paid for by the CIA. The agency also has a special espionage-training school, often called simply “the farm,” at Camp Peary, near Williamsburg, Virginia. Like the CIA, the US Secret Service has different requirements for different positions. A Secret Service Uniformed Officer (not a Special Agent) is required only to have a high school diploma or its equivalent. Other positions, like photographer, fingerprint specialist, or telecommunications specialist require that applicants have extensive work experience or specific training at the college level. A Special Agent of the Secret Service must have a bachelor’s degree, three years’ experience working in criminal investigations, or a combination of education and work experience. The United States’ many other intelligence and investigative organizations likewise offer many job opportunities with widely varying requirements. In general, individuals who want to work in the field of national or diplomatic security should try to learn as much as possible – independently as well as through earning a college degree. Especially helpful are the ability to speak, write, and read one or more foreign languages, and knowledge of computer programs and how to use them. This knowledge can be put to use in almost any field of government security.

24

EARNINGS THE VARIOUS FIELDS THAT CAN FALL UNDER THE HEADING OF “SECURITY,”

particularly national security, offer many benefits to those who work in that field. Both the FBI and the CIA describe their salaries as “competitive.” FBI Special Agents enter service at the GS 10 level on the government pay scale, equivalent to a starting salary base of about $35,000 (varying percentages are added to this base figure, depending on the city in which the employee works. For more information: fedjobs.com/payscale.htm). The highest base pay rate for an FBI agent in a supervisory, management, or executive position would be close to $100,000 annually. Starting salaries for CIA staff range from about $35,000 to $50,000 per year. Other jobs with investigative or security organizations offer similar opportunities for advancement and pay increases. At the National Security Agency, for instance, a staff person who qualifies to work in the languages division could earn from $25,000 to $65,000 annually. A newly-hired foreign service officer in the Bureau of Diplomatic Security of the State Department starts out with a salary between $27,500 and $45,000 (the starting salary depends on education, work experience, and foreign language skills). It is the benefits, however, that really give jobs in this field an edge over jobs in other areas. For example, at the FBI, the number of days of “annual leave” each employee is allowed is based on the number of years that employee has been working for the FBI. Employees who have been there less than 3 years, for instance, get 13 days of annual leave, while employees who have been working there 15 years or more get 26 days of annual leave. There are 10 paid holidays every year, and a total of 12 weeks’ unpaid leave is allowed for various reasons, including the birth of a child and caring for a family member with a serious health condition. Like the CIA, the FBI offers a “thrift savings plan,” a tax-deferred savings plan. Perhaps the most impressive benefit, however, is the opportunity for FBI employees to participate in federal health and life insurance plans. Though each individual contributes to his own plan, the employer also pays a substantial percentage. The CIA calculates days of annual leave the same way as at the FBI. Full-time employees can also collect up to 15 days paid home leave for each year of overseas assignment. As at the FBI, CIA employees can choose from various health insurance plans. The CIA pays about three-fourths of the premium. 25

While the pay is competitive and the benefits are excellent, perhaps the most important quality to note about jobs in the field of national security is the security they offer to employees. Jobs with the federal government are among the most secure in the nation (there is, for example, comparatively little “downsizing”). If you do your job effectively and enjoy the work, you could easily retain your position until retirement. Jobs in security in the private sector pay competitive wages as well, and benefits vary from employer to employer.

OPPORTUNITIES PEOPLE HAVE A TENDENCY TO THINK THAT, WITH THE GREAT INCREASE IN COMPUTER

usage and everyone’s reliance (even the government’s) on computers, that the need for intelligence work has decreased. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, it seems that the needs for security and intelligence may have increased. Not only do security and intelligence agents continue to focus their concern on human beings, but they also need to be aware of what could be happening via computers or satellite – computer viruses being sent, codes being transmitted from one computer to another, instructions for destruction being transmitted to individuals or to mechanisms. This means that the opportunity for working in this field is being offered to a greater variety of people than ever before. The image of a spy as a smooth-talking, James Bond-type individual is no longer typical. Spies and others who work in national security come in all ages and nationalities, and have abilities in a variety of fields – especially in computer science. But the need for human-focused security is especially important because of the increase in the number of terrorist threats. In a single recent year, there were over 100 terrorist attacks against US facilities, or in which US citizens suffered casualties. Most of these incidents were bombings. The growing number of individuals and organizations who feel they can force their demands to be met by threatening a diplomat, destroying an embassy building, or committing other acts of violence requires that a close watch be kept on our own and on foreign diplomats. They must remain safe so they can continue the work they are hired to do: to make the world a safer place, and to prevent misunderstandings from exploding into conflicts. The growth in terrorism as well as in interpersonal violence also demonstrates a continuing need for an organization like the Behavioral 26

Sciences Unit of the FBI, which continues to study crimes already committed, as well as the criminals who committed them, to find clues to criminals’ personalities. By traveling around the country and presenting their findings to local law enforcement agencies, the FBI helps ensure that local law enforcement will have the same skills to deduce what a particular murderer, for instance, looks and acts like, and to prevent further crimes from being committed by taking that murderer into custody as soon as possible. George Tenet, director of the Central Intelligence Agency, explained why he thought that the potential for “dangerous surprise” (like World War II, which was the event that inspired President Truman to establish the CIA) is as great as ever: “That is true whether I look at terrorist groups whose sole purpose is to harm American interests, the biological weapons that renegade dictators are trying to build and to hide in their rogue nations, or the programs some of these states have for building intermediate range missiles and nuclear weapons. It is true when I look at the ethnic tensions that make life dangerous for US forces in peace-keeping missions around the world, or the vast and unfinished transformations underway in countries with large nuclear arsenals, such as Russia and China. “In a world where the US has a significantly smaller military and much less global presence diplomatically than 10 years ago, global intelligence reach becomes an even more critical deterrent to terrorists.”

GETTING STARTED THERE ARE MANY SOURCES OF INFORMATION THAT CAN HELP YOU FIND OUT

even more about careers in government security – and to help you decide if that field is for you. It is easy to start your research on the Internet, by checking out the Web sites for the FBI (www.fbi.gov/) and the CIA (www.odci.gov/cia/). The FBI and the CIA Web sites both offer maps of the United States and contact names and phone numbers for many regions of the country. Call the agency representative near you and ask if information about a career in government security could be sent to you. But don’t forget that more than 25 other government agencies also have security units that do investigations similar to those conducted by FBI or CIA agents. Also check out the websites: National Counterintelligence Center (www.nacic.gov/) and the US State Department (www.state.gov) for more information about the field of government security.

27

Make a visit to your local library and do a subject search for nonfiction books on terrorism, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Central Intelligence Agency, or one of the other intelligence agencies. You will find a list of books that will include memoirs of former agents, the histories of the agencies, and major investigations the agencies have undertaken. Nonfiction books, unlike novels that feature characters who are agents, or TV shows or movies about these agencies’ investigations, will give you a good idea of what it is really like to be an agent for one of these agencies. This will help you to decide if the career may be right for you. Also look at Standard Periodicals, Ulrich’s International Periodical Directory, or another directory of publications to find professional journals for this field. While it is not likely you will find a monthly magazine for FBI agents, there are many journals about international relations, political science, security, and publications for law enforcement officers, criminalists, and forensic scientists. All these will give you a better idea of some of the options open to government security agents. Forensic scientists also have the flexibility of working for numerous other agencies, including local police or sheriff departments. You can learn more about this field by reading trade journals, including those published by the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. Call your local law enforcement agency (look up the administrative offices’ phone number; do not dial 911 or another emergency number) and ask for information about working in that agency’s forensics lab. Working as a criminal investigator or in the field of national security can be one of the most rewarding choices you can make for your life. Pick up the phone or head to the library and start your own investigation to decide if this is the career for you!

28

PERIODICALS n

Criminology

n

Diplomat

n

Diplomatic World Bulletin

n

Fingerprint World

n

Intelligence and National Security

n

International Diplomatic Review

n

International Society of Criminology

n

Journal of Crime and Justice

n

Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology

n

Security Studies

Copyright 2005 Institute For Career Research CHICAGO Careers Internet Database www.careers-internet.org 29