My Source (I will call her Sally for this purpose.) became a Federal agent in 1981. She graduated from Texas A&M. with honors. Upon gradation she was pleased to receive ten generous job offers. Unfortunately the starting pay for these jobs was listed at $ 22,000 to $29,000 a year. This was not an appealing amount of money. Frustrated by the employment possibilities available to her she attended a job fair in hopes of better prospects. While attending the fair, Sally saw a poster for recruitment, for the police department. The poster stated that she could make $33,000 a year, starting pay. This was so much more appealing to the young college graduate that she immediately signed up. The recruitment process was difficult, but nothing compared to the challenges she would face latter in her career.
Sally was a police officer for five years with the Dallas department. At the end of that time, at age twenty-seven she became disillusioned with the inability to follow a case from its beginning to its inevitable conclusion. She disliked dealing with the dregs of society on a daily basis and longed for a more rewarding career. Searching for this new level of contentment in her work she discovered opportunities in the field of federal law enforcement, Sally applied for and began working for the A.T.F. (Alcohol Tobacco& Firearms)
She discovered that the process of getting hired was arduous and full of paperwork and patience. The requirements for her chosen path were filled with many obstacles. The first of these was a four-year degree. This degree can be in anything from criminal justice to basket weaving. It’s the degree that maters not the major. This was not a problem for Sally because she had achieved her degree years prior to her application process. There is also a test called the T.E.A. (there are books on how to pass) from the department of justice. You must achieve 70% to pass. You must achieve at least this to get an interview. Agents say that a sixteen year old could pass the exam. The reputation is that it’s fairly easy. Mim took the test and passed without difficulty, as expected.
After this you must schedule your polygraph. Again taking the polygraph was not a problem for the applicant. After passing her polygraph and filling out all of the appropriate paperwork (this is all available at atf.gov) she submitted it and waited to be notified. Typically the Federal Government will contact your past employees, talk to your school, do a complete background check and let you know the results as they receive them.
The average time to get hired at the A.T.F. is two years. They call that “the magic number.” While you are waiting you are considered “in the que” this is when a folder with your name, all of your finished tests and background info, is placed in a stack waiting to be read and evaluated by the S.A.C of the division in which you have applied. When a position comes up your folder is opened and you are called. When you get the call, you will acquire your interview. If hired you will receive a letter saying you will be hired. When Sally received her letter ,detailed information was provided as to when her training would begin.
As with all new hires, Sally was sent to the Academy. The Academy for the A.T.F. is located in Glencoe, Georgia. This is situated on the Florida, Georgia border. You are required to finish the full four-month training program. While at the Academy, you will learn to make and defuse bombs, shoot, take apart and reassemble several forms of weapons, including handguns. You will learn to fight, shoot skeet in order to show that you can hit a moving target, tactical driving, paintball, shoot don’t shoot scenarios, undercover work, forensic science, print work and reconstruction. There is also a program called NIBIN that is studied to learn about distinguishing the differences between shell casings
Potential agents will focus on the legalities of cigarettes and alcohol. There is a law stating that these products must contain Surgeon General Warnings. Without the warnings all alcohol and tobacco products are illegal. As an agent you will need to know what to look for as merchants bring these products from other countries and try to sell them here. Sally went through all of these protocols and graduated with honors.
Upon graduation you will have a ceremony. The valedictorian will give a speech. Sally was the valedictorian of her graduating class. She received a small gold badge on a thin chain that she still wears around her neck. All graduating classes receive a small meaningful gift, celebrating their achievements. Each class’s gift is diverse and meaningful. After graduation you will be dispersed to your assigned city. When you fill out your paperwork, initially, you are asked to request three choices to be transferred to. Under no circumstances will you be allowed to stay in your hometown. Usually you will be assigned to one of the three choices on your list.
After geographical locations, division assignments are given. You will either be assigned to one of two branches law enforcement or investigation. Most of the agents go directly into law enforcement. These agents carry guns; therefore they get a hirer salary. Any armed agent receives automatic 25% uncontrolled overtime pay Investigators are a much smaller group, there are only 25 agents in the Denver division. There are 500 investigating A.T.F. agents in the entire country. If you are assigned as an investigator you will not carry a gun, there will be some travel, but mostly you can work from home. The job description includes, making sure that firearm dealers and manufacturers are compliant with federal and state regulations.
Any person that purchases a gun must fill out form 4473. These investigators check that the forms are filled out correctly and that all applicants were checked out properly. Investigators also go to explosives plants and bunkers, to assure that all safety regulations are being met. These agents are called I.O.I.’s Industry Operations investigators.
When Senior Special Agent Sally Minow graduated from the academy, she was assigned to the law enforcement brace and put on Arson and Explosives. This is a rare detail. There are four groups in the law enforcement branch that focus on guns and one group that focuses on arson and explosives. In each of the gun groups there are 15 agents in the Denver division. In the arson and explosives group there are five agents. When you graduate you are assigned into a group. You have no input into those assignments.
After five years of exemplary service, with outstanding evaluations and no internal investigations, you can apply for several different opportunities. In Sallys case she applied for Senior Special Agent.
To apply for this position you must go to D.C. and take a test. The assessment center in D.C. scores the test and if you score high enough you will be promoted. The promotion process is as follows.
• You graduate as an agent
• Special agent,
• Senior special agent,
• Supervisor
• There are two positions that are equal but different depending on size of group.
1. If the group is large- the next step up is Group Supervisor or G.S.
2. If it is a smaller group- the next step would be Resident Agent in Charge or R.A.C.
• There is also a Divisional Operational Officer.
• Next step up the ladder is the Assistant Senior Agent in Charge A.S.A.C.
• After that, you can apply to be Supervisory Agent In Charge S.A.C. There is only one of these per division.
Pay grades for these positions are based on a scale. When you graduate from the academy you are
• GS7, As a GS7 your salary starts at $30,000 a year.
• GS9,
• GS11,
• GS12,
• GS13. At $86,000
Every other year your pay grade increases. The top pay grade for investigators is GS13. The bonus in this line is that most investigators see this as a desirable situation. This position may pay less, but it enables the employee to spend more time with family by working from home. This is widely referred to as “the cushy job”
Agents in the law enforcement branch can continue to increase their pay grade, depending what position they apply for. At this time Sally holds a GS13 and has exceeded the investigators by achieving a pay bump. Her salary is $124,000 annually, Plus a twenty five percent salary enhancement for carrying a gun.
One interesting venue would be to try and get on the Joint Terrorist Task force. The J.T.T.F has one representative from each agency, so you can imagine the competition for this position would be fierce. This team does all of the work-investigating terrorist nationally and internationally. This team does not have Air or water support. Should the need for this form of support arise, the DEA or the Air Force is called in. They also use Customs for a lot of support to the J.T.T.F, although they are now referred to as I.C.E.
During Special Agent Minow's illustrious career she has been involved in several high profile cases. She arrived at the Oklahoma City bombing incident the day after the event, to investigate on site. As the criminally insane cult leader David Koresh held his members hostage, Sally worked with other agents to solve the problem. For several years she was stationed in Guam and just this year she was a coordination agent for the A.T.F. at the D.N.C.
Senior Special Agent Sally Minow became an agent at twenty-seven years old. She doesn’t regret a day of that time. Her advice to anyone trying to get a federal assignment at this time would be to, try and get in with Border Patrol. Because of these difficult times, the Border patrol is hiring at an exponential rate and their waiting period is much less than all other federal agencies. Once you get in the door of a federal agency it is very easy to move laterally to other desirable agencies.
The Federal Borough or Investigations offices are in the Same Building with the Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms. Although they are different agencies they work together and support each other should the need arise. The floor plans of these offices are very much like any other office building. Cubicles with agents sharing space, small conference rooms and corkboards with maps and computer printouts pined to them. The only difference I noticed was the security checkpoints for entering the building.
Thanks Sally! Wink wink:)
Until tomorrow. Fortune favors the brave! Samantha Shu
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