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Federal Law Enforcement Jobs at the Department of Justice

Updated | Hannah Heine

Federal Law Enforcement Jobs at the Justice Department

Given that leadership, integrity, teamwork, and dedication are all traits shared by military personnel; it seems a no-brainer that law enforcement is one of the most common civilian career paths taken by former military service members.

Depending on your branch of service, you likely already have many of the basic skills needed in law enforcement such as weapons handling, crowd management, risk assessment, and the use-of-force or rules of engagement. But those skills are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Federal law enforcement.

Why Federal Law Enforcement?

Nearly every agency and department within the Federal Government actively seek to hire Veterans for law enforcement roles. This is especially true of the Department of Justice law enforcement agencies like the FBI, U.S. Marshals, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BoP).

Special Hiring Rules for Veterans

Many of the educational and experience requirements may be waived for military veteran candidates. In addition, as a veteran, you are given priority for many federal jobs, especially in the case of federal law enforcement given that your training, experience and learned skills translate well into the law enforcement field.

If you are eligible, you can also apply for Veterans’ Preference Points. To learn more about Veterans’ Preference, click here.

Visit FedsHireVets.gov for more information on benefits for veterans and service members.

FBI Career Opportunities

The FBI’s priority is to investigate a wide range of crimes like terrorism, espionage, cybercrimes, corruption, organized crime, street gangs, child predators, and serial killers.

As a veteran you may apply for any of the jobs at the FBI, from Special Agent to any of the professional positions, like forensics, accounting, information technology/cybersecurity, surveillance, intelligence analysis, and more. There are two main career paths within the FBI. The best known is Operations & Intelligence, which is most often seen in movies and TV shows. See details on these FBI career opportunities.

U.S. Marshal Career Opportunities

The U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) was founded in 1789 making it the oldest federal law enforcement agency in the U.S.. The USMS work often goes unseen by the general public, except in films and TV. The Marshals main role is centered on supporting the federal justice system.

The USMS central role is as the enforcement arm of the federal courts. U.S. Marshals serve in 94 federal judicial districts. Deputy Marshals and Criminal Investigators are the foundation of the USMS; their roles include capturing federal fugitives, securing the federal court system, operating the Witness Security Program (WitSec), and transporting prisoners. See details on these career opportunities.

Federal Bureau of Prisons Career Opportunities

The Federal Bureau of Prisons’ (BoP) mission is to protect our communities by operating our federal prisons and ensuring the prisons are safe, humane, cost-efficient, and appropriately secure.

There are four main career areas within the Federal Bureau of Prisons – Inmate Custody & Programs, Health Services, Careers in Operational, Careers in Support & Administration. This means that as a veteran you can choose from several career paths, including several that do not deal directly with inmates. See details on these career opportunities.

If you are interested in finding a Federal job in law enforcement, you can start at the Dept. of Justice Veteran Recruitment website.

 

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