Joining a Federal LE Agency Questions(USSS)

[SilverTauron]

Im a college student who is about 2 years away from graduating with a degree in Economics, with 4 years of military service and a clean record in every respect,including nothing expunged or sealed in my past. There are two issues non-criminal related to my background, but ill get to those in a minute.

Ive decided that joining the US Secret Service's financial crimes unit would be a good way to combine my desire to do some lasting good with my life and use my education to the best I can. What steps do I need to take now , two years from graduation, to become a compelling candidate for a position with the USSS?


As to the non-criminal issues at this time, one is an ongoing divorce on the part of my parents and a crappy financial history. I can adress the finances before I graduate, but my former stepdad has a criminal record I never knew about until my mom informed me of the divorce. Will either stand as enough reason to round file my application, or will I stand a chance despite these issues?

Thanks in advance for your responses.

[socalblue]

Your financial issues will be the most important. Clean them up ASAP & stay that way.

On the family side, unless he was involved in organized crime or other major criminal activities that you could or should have known about, simple disclosure should clear that up with no drama.

Lastly, look at the FBI instead of USSS if you want to investigate financial crimes - MUCH better opportunity & a far better organization.

[bobfried]

Don't forget IRS, ICE(HSI) and the myriad of OIG's that deals with contract fraud. USSS is strictly treasury, which is not the financial crimes that most would be thinking about. FBI is probably the best example as they deal with that stuff most often. US AID or any of the foreign aid agency OIG's have some of the most interesting international financial fraud cases you can imagine. That being said, if you get in this line of work thinking your going to spend your entire career going through balance sheets than you need to do a gut check. You might be getting shot at the first day out of the academy. They don't give you a gun and bulletproof vest because an account might throw a stapler at you. You might join an agency and get assigned to a violent crimes group or find yourself in the middle of a meth lab trying not to inhale the fumes that can kill you.

If you speak a foreign language fluently you have a fast pass to the head of the line. If not, good luck on your search as it will be a long and arduous one.

[SilverTauron]

Don't forget IRS, ICE(HSI) and the myriad of OIG's that deals with contract fraud. USSS is strictly treasury, which is not the financial crimes that most would be thinking about. FBI is probably the best example as they deal with that stuff most often. US AID or any of the foreign aid agency OIG's have some of the most interesting international financial fraud cases you can imagine. That being said, if you get in this line of work thinking your going to spend your entire career going through balance sheets than you need to do a gut check. You might be getting shot at the first day out of the academy. They don't give you a gun and bulletproof vest because an account might throw a stapler at you. You might join an agency and get assigned to a violent crimes group or find yourself in the middle of a meth lab trying not to inhale the fumes that can kill you.

If you speak a foreign language fluently you have a fast pass to the head of the line. If not, good luck on your search as it will be a long and arduous one.

I served active duty in the US Air Force and am a current holder of a CCW permit. Getting behind a weapon and putting lead to target when the situation calls for it is not a concern. ;)

I don't know any foreign languages, so I suppose that advantage is out, but what kind of financial crimes do the FBI investigate compared to the USSS? I was under the impression the Secret Service investigated counterfeit money and other types of financial crimes.

[Heiko]

I served active duty in the US Air Force and am a current holder of a CCW permit. Getting behind a weapon and putting lead to target when the situation calls for it is not a concern. ;)

I don't know any foreign languages, so I suppose that advantage is out, but what kind of financial crimes do the FBI investigate compared to the USSS? I was under the impression the Secret Service investigated counterfeit money and other types of financial crimes.

A friend of mine is with the USSS and is assigned to investigations. The last time I talked to him he was telling me that they do a variety of financial crimes beyond counterfeiting and credit card fraud. He has also worked presidential details and other dignitary protection details like in election years having to protect the candidates. He had wanted to go to the DEA at first but they didn't hire him whereas the SS did. Go figure. He has a law degree as well.

Another couple of friends went to the FBI after careers in other areas of law enforcement. One was a LASD deputy with a masters degree and the other a Deputy DA (obviously with a law degree). One has traveled the world and been assigned to several different cities over the years doing everything from narcotics to WMD. The other one is in a smaller RA and is exposed to a variety of things but in this day and age, terrorism is the biggie. He is also on his office SWAT team so he gets to play quite a bit.

I would keep at what you're doing, not rule out any of the federal agencies as suggested and get apps to them. I think your military service and your degree will help but from the examples I gave, many people are going in with advanced degrees and/or specialized experience.

Best of luck!

[veeklog]

You still have some time to address the issues presented. Personnally, they don't sound like a big deal to me. A lot of people have had credit issues lately, and if they honestly have done all they can to address the issues, you should be okay. Just let your BI Investigator know of issues in your family and you should be okay.

Right now it is really competitive for any Criminal Investigator/1811 position, whether it is Secret Service, HSI/ICE, FBI, DEA, OIG's, etc. The market has shrunken considerablly the past few years with applicants that have either advanced degrees, prior LE, or are laterals from other Fed 1811 positions. I know that if I were to apply today for any 1811 position i would by SOL.

If you have any questions, talk to the Secret Service Recruiter in your AOR. Every SAC Offcie has one, and I believe LA has a recruiter

[BoJackUSMC]

There is Secret Service office inside Camp Pendleton also.
Good luck

[Unit74]

Us. Marshals are hiring right now as well. It could take a year or two to get on so don't mess around. Start applying now. Most processes are 1.5 years to EOD right now.

[Neptune]

You need to look at your GPA. The last time I checked, they wanted a 3.8 or higher overall, and 4.0 in your course of study. Your eyesight had to be really good too without correction. Back when I looked this stuff up a few years back, they had much tougher standards than any of the other Fed agencies. Good group of guys though.



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[mav007]

A friend of mine is with the USSS and is assigned to investigations. The last time I talked to him he was telling me that they do a variety of financial crimes beyond counterfeiting and credit card fraud. He has also worked presidential details and other dignitary protection details like in election years having to protect the candidates. He had wanted to go to the DEA at first but they didn't hire him whereas the SS did. Go figure. He has a law degree as well.

Another couple of friends went to the FBI after careers in other areas of law enforcement. One was a LASD deputy with a masters degree and the other a Deputy DA (obviously with a law degree). One has traveled the world and been assigned to several different cities over the years doing everything from narcotics to WMD. The other one is in a smaller RA and is exposed to a variety of things but in this day and age, terrorism is the biggie. He is also on his office SWAT team so he gets to play quite a bit.

I would keep at what you're doing, not rule out any of the federal agencies as suggested and get apps to them. I think your military service and your degree will help but from the examples I gave, many people are going in with advanced degrees and/or specialized experience.

Best of luck!

Heiko - Best advise of the bunch.

USSS is not part of the Treasury, it moved under DHS in March 2003.

They do investigate all types of financial crimes, not just counterfeit US currency. One cannot just join the US Secret Service's financial crimes unit. All Special Agents work in dual roles of protection and criminal investigations. Depending on the stage of your career, that determines what you concentrate on.

Socalblue - would STRONGLY disagree with your statement - "Lastly, look at the FBI instead of USSS if you want to investigate financial crimes - MUCH better opportunity & a far better organization".

There are a number of great agencies, in today's job market, I would not dismiss any of them.

SilverTauron - PM me if you need additional info

[Garand1911]

Apply for as many fed jobs are you can. once hired it will be easier to jump ship to another agency. even if you start at the lowly ICE-IEA/ CBP/ USBP/ BOP (...well maybe not BOP --- jk :) your fed time starts, and you gain experience that other applicants dont have.