DEA-speaker-notes - Notes taken from lecture from a DEA recruiter PDF

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Notes taken from lecture from a DEA recruiter...

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Slide 1: Applying Six main occupations Special agent, Diversion investigator, forensic Sciences, Intelligence Research Specialist, Professional & Administrative, and Student/Entry Level. Special Agents are the agents which most people will associate with the DEA, these agents conduct arrest and seizures. Diversion investigators are special agents that are in charge of diverting drugs from reaching their destination. Originally known as the compliance investigator and created by the Controlled Substance Act (“Dea – diversion,” 2009) Forensic Chemists analyzes drugs brought by agents to determine what type and if they are really drugs, destroy illicit drugs, and provide expert testimony in courts when needed. (“Careers at dea,”). Slide 2: Special Agent Requirements The special agent must be of 21 year old and no older 36 when he or she applies; needs to be a U.S. Citizen; be in possession of a valid U.S. driver’s license; be able to relocate anywhere in the U.S.; be able to obtain and keep a Top Secret security clearance; be in great physical condition; have good hearing; have a vision of at least 20/20 in one eye and at least 20/40 in the weaker eye, glasses can be used; and be capable of heavy lifting. The agent must also have a bachelor’s degree, experience, or a combination of the two. (“Qualifications”) Slide 3: Special Agent Requirements The agent must have a bachelor’s degree with a minimum gpa of 2.95; or Have experience in narcotics related investigations; or have 3 years of experience of more in special skills such as Pilot/Maritime, accounting/auditing, military, technical/mechanical, or foreign language fluency in Spanish, French, Russian, Arabic, Hebrew, dialects of Nigerian languages, Chinese, mandarin, Japanese, farsi, urdu, or Balkan languages and have a bachelor’s degree no minimum gpa. The agent must have good written and oral communication, judgment, interpersonal skills, integrity, flexibility, problem-solving, selfmanagement, teamwork, planning and evaluation, technology application, and law enforcement skills. (“Qualifications”) Slide 4: Process The first step is to contact the local DEA Recruitment officer, OKC’s is Dallas recruitment office, and attend a special agent applicant orientation session at the field division office locations. A couple of items are needed for the orientation, casual business attire, valid driver’s license or military ID for entry. A person living far away from the orientation may opt to conduct a phone screening and orientation. The applicant must fully complete all of the phases of the hiring process which usually takes 12 months or longer to complete. The applicant will receive a job offer if he or she completes and was part of the most outstanding candidates.

Slide 5: Physical Exam For the pull-ups to be counted the chin has to have passed the bar and cannot rest. The sit-ups chest has to come up to the knees and subject cannot rest. For push-ups the subject must remain straight, have a straight back during the entire time and when then come down the elbows just come to a 90 degree angle. The shuttle run is 30 yards long with zigzag cones that the subject must follow and complete the circle twice. The mile test run is recorded in minutes and seconds and the track will be a flat black asphalt track. Training tips 10 regular push-ups, 10 regular crunches, 10 wide push-ups, 10 reverse crunches, 10 tricep push-ups (triangle), and 10 oblique crunches. Timed workouts, 2 1 minutes push-ups, 2 1 minutes sit-ups, 3 30 second push-ups, 3 30 second sit-ups, 4 15 second push-ups and 4 15 second sit-ups. (“physical task training,”). Slide 6: Physical Exam Scoring The scoring the physical exam is separated into points and gender. The points range from -5 to 10, with the exception of pull-ups and push-ups. Their rangers are -1 to 10 for pull-ups and -4 to 10 for push-ups. To for a man to receive a perfect score the must accomplish 20 pull-ups, 100 sit-ups, 71 push-ups, the shuttle run in at least 21.5 minutes, and the two mile run in 12 minutes or less. For a woman to receive a perfect score she must accomplish 28 pull-ups, 100 sit-ups, 50 push-ups, the shuttle run in at least 24 minutes, and the two mile run in 13:45 minutes or less. (“physical task training,”). Slide 7: Other Examinations The urinalysis drug test will be the 3rd set in the hiring process and is a simple drug test completed using the subject’s urine. The medical exam will determine the subject’s health and if they are able to complete the tasks without having medical problems. The polygraph examination determines if the subject is deceptive. The polygraph although known as the lie detector it does not detect lies it determines how deceptive a person is being. It determines if a person is being deceptive by monitoring the body’s sweat, skin thickness, heart rate, etc. The psychological assessment determines if the subject is in good mental standing. The background investigation is used along with the polygraph exam to cross-check each other. (“before you apply,”) Slide 8: Benefits After joining the Drug Enforcement Administration the start pay is a GS-7. The GS or general schedule 7 pay grade starts at $42,209, and has 10 steps ending at $54,875 ("2012 general schedule," 2012). The agent will also receive 13 days of sick leave per year. Two and a half weeks to five weeks of paid vacation including ten paid vacation days each year. He or she will also receive federal health and life insurance, and a “comprehensive” retirement program. Some agents with more experience or

education could start with a GS-9 paid grade; which is $51,630 at step 1 to $67,114 at step 10 ("2012 general schedule," 2012). Within 4 years the agent could be at around 80k (Schmalleger, 2009). Slide 9: Training Training is done at the DEA Training Academy in Quantico, Virginia (“Training”). Basic training is an 18 week resident program. The basic training class has a typical size of 40 to 50 trainees. 60 percent have prior law enforcement experience, 30 have prior military experience, most have a bachelor’s degree and 20 percent have some post-graduate educational experience. They also receive 122 hours of firearms training including marksmanship, weapon safety, tactical shooting, and deadly force decision training. The trainees must maintain an average of 80 percent on all of the exams and pass the qualifications. After the graduation from the basic training the trainees become sworn DEA Special Agents and will receive their assignments. (“Domestic training - basic,”). Slide: 10: Advanced training Firearms – students will receive individual instruction in shoulder-fired weapons, firing from behind a ballistics shield, and firing in low-light conditions. They will also receive simulated deadly force scenarios from the Firearms Automated Training System (FATS) (“Domestic training - firarms,”). Tactical training – trains the trainee in self-defense, proper arrest and control procedures, fighting, mental conditioning, and stamina development. They also receive instructions on conducting warrants, both search and arrest. The trainees will also review the latest up to date risk management skills and risk avoidance skills (“Domestic training - tactical,”). Depending on the agent they might receive other training such as diversion investigator, forensics, computer, or executive development. The executive development course is intended for group supervisors which are GS-14 scale, and is a two week program(“Domestic training - executive,”). GS-14 starts at $105,211 ("2012 general schedule," 2012).

References 2012 general schedule (gs) salary calculator. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.opm.gov/policy-dataoversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/2012/general-schedule-gs-salary-calculator/ Before you apply. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.justice.gov/dea/careers/agent/before.html Careers at dea - forensic sciences. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.justice.gov/dea/careers/forensicsciences.shtml Dea- diversion investigator. (2009, October 10). Retrieved from http://forums.officer.com/t135926 Drug Enforcement Administration, (n.d.). Physical task training (ptt). Retrieved from website: http://www.justice.gov/dea/careers/agent/pdf/PTTBooklet.pdf Domestic training - basic agent training. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.justice.gov/dea/ops/Training/basic.shtml Domestic training – executive development program.(n.d.). Retreived from http://www.justice.gov/dea/ops/Training/Executive.shtml Domestic training – firearms training. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.justice.gov/dea/ops/Training/Firearms.shtml Domestic training – tactical training. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.justice.gov/dea/ops/Training/Tactical.shtml Schmalleger, F. (2009). Criminal justice today. (10 ed., p. 585). Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc. Training. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.justice.gov/dea/ops/Training/Training.shtml Qualifications. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.justice.gov/dea/careers/agent/bef_qualifications.html...