Law Enforcement Careers — Quick Reference

There were approximately $137000$ sworn Federal personnel authorized to make arrests, carry firearms or both (2020).
In 2020, the four largest agencies (two in DHS, two in DOJ) employed about $80\%$ of federal officers.
In 2020, DHS employed about $49\%$ of all (non-DOD) LEOs.
Demographics (Federal LEOs with arrest/firearms authority, 2020):
- White: $61\%$
- Black: $10\%$
- Hispanic: $21\%$
- Asian: $3\%$
- American Indian/Alaska Native: $1\%$
- Women: $15\%$
Federal LEO duties by share: Criminal Investigation $68\%$ ; Police Response/Patrol $8\%$ ; Corrections/Detention $16\%$ ; Court Operations $5\%$ ; Security/Protection $2\%$

Local/state police/stats (2018): There were 12,000+ local police departments employing about $605000$ people, including $477000$ sworn officers.
Local agencies accounted for about $60\%$ of all state/local sworn personnel.
About $54\%$ of local departments had fewer than 10 sworn officers; roughly 3/4 served populations under 10,000.

There are about $4\times$ as many jobs in local/state law enforcement as in federal law enforcement.
Federal jobs often require relocation to where the need is.
Federal LEOs commonly face a mandatory retirement age (example: $57$ for some positions) while many local departments allow retirement after $20\,\text{years}$ without a mandatory age.

Age: $23\text{ to }37$ (waivers possible for certain veterans).
Education: College degree.
Experience: $2$ years work experience.
License: Valid driver’s license.
Availability: Fully available to work anywhere in the U.S.
Entry programs (one of five):
- Accounting
- Computer Science / Information Technology
- Language
- Law
- Diversified
Current needs (examples): Accounting/Finance, Computer Science/IT, Foreign Language, Intelligence, Law, Military, Physical Science, Diversified
Physical/Background: Must meet SA physical requirements and pass FBI background investigation.

Career paths: Tactical, Collection/Reporting, Strategic
Based on intelligence cycle: planning, collection, exploitation/analysis, dissemination/reporting
Roles: combat threats by using language, cultural/historical knowledge; analyze data; produce briefs/reports
Networking: Maintain extensive local/national/international contacts to inform briefings and decisions

Tactical IAs: embedded with investigative squads; assess threats; identify gaps; report timely intelligence
Collection/Reporting IAs: enhance collection capabilities; disseminate raw intelligence; identify collection opportunities
Strategic IAs: consolidate information into strategic products; conduct enterprise-wide analyses; identify threats/trends

Eligibility: U.S. citizen; $21\le \text{age} \le 36$ (appointed before 37th birthday)
Education/Experience: Bachelor’s degree; $3\text{ years}$ of qualifying work experience or equivalent; valid driver’s license
Assessments: Structured interview, background check, medical, physical
Training: 17.5 weeks at FLETC (Glynco, GA) including 12 weeks criminal investigator training and 5 weeks Basic Deputy U.S. Marshal course
Roles: Handle prisoners from arrest to sentencing; fugitives; court security; Federal Witness Protection Program; sex offender tracking/prosecution

Most federal agencies use online screening; USAJOBS is the primary portal: $http://www.usajobs.gov/$

Four times as many local/state LEO jobs as federal; expect relocation for federal roles.
Federal agencies are numerous across DHS/DOJ and other departments; DHS employs nearly half of non-DOD LEOs.
FBI SA entry requires broad eligibility: age window, degree, 2 years experience, flexibility for the five entry programs, and strong physical/background requirements.
FBI Intelligence Analysts offer three paths (Tactical, Collection/Reporting, Strategic) built on the intelligence cycle.
USMS offers a robust track with 17.5 weeks of academy training and a focus on prisoners, fugitives, court security, and witness protection.
Use USAJOBS for postings; local/state tracks (e.g., CT Troopers) have relatively shorter academies and age flexibility.