Special agent

Bureau of Indian Affairs special agent badge

In the United States, a special agent is a detective or investigator who investigates suspected violations of federal, state or local laws.[1] Special agents may also carry firearms and make arrests.[1] Special agents work for many different law enforcement agencies. In some agencies, only special agents may carry firearms. An example is special agents in the Internal Revenue Service.[2] To become special agents most applicants must pass written and physical examinations. In the FBI, like many agencies, applicants must go through a background check.

History

Congress was the first to use the title in 1801 when they changed the name of U.S.Post office "surveyors" to "special agents".[3] In 1880, the U.S. Congress created the position of "Chief Postal Inspector" and renamed these special agents to postal inspectors.[4]

Agencies

The following US federal agencies use special agents:[5]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 "SPECIAL AGENT Job Description and Jobs". CAREERPLANNER.COM. Archived from the original on 24 April 2015. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
  2. William Lee Goff, Adventures of an Ordinary Man (Maitland, FL: Xulon Press, 2012), p. 215
  3. "About U.S. Government Special Agents". iBond2u.com. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
  4. Encyclopedia of Law Enforcement, eds. Larry E Sullivan; et al. (Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2005), p. 881
  5. "U.S. Government Agencies With Special Agents". iBond2u.com. Retrieved 1 April 2015.

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