Stephanie's Future Federal Agent Career: AP Government Creative Assignment

Life as a Federal Agent: Behavioral Analyst

            If I were to have a job in the federal government, I would be interested in many careers.  If I were to choose just one career path, however, I would choose to be a behavioral analyst in the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). I have always found psychology fascinating, and I think that this career highlights how psychology can be used to understand the motives of individuals based on their behavior and choices. To give specifics, I would want to be a Behavioral Analyst working in the Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU). Behavioral Analysts working for the FBI in the BAU are given the tasks of reassembling a crime scene based on the evidence, establishing a profile about the perpetrator by analyzing key patterns in behavior, and working with various law enforcement agencies to identify the best way to move forward with the case. They may also participate in interviewing any suspects to obtain insight into the perpetrator’s actions and motives. The FBI’s mission is to protect the citizens of the United States while still upholding the Constitution. Through their assessment, they do everything they can to find the person who committed the crime while still following the mission of the FBI to protect and save lives of American people. The FBI’s motto is “fidelity, bravery, and integrity,” a slogan created by former FBI inspector W.H Drane Lester. This motto emphasizes the high standards that the FBI follows when proceeding as an organization in the federal bureaucracy.

The FBI was established in 1908 during Teddy Roosevelt’s presidency with the purpose of investigating violations of the law regarding crimes.  At the time, it was highly controversial. Teddy Roosevelt appointed a man named General Charles Bonaparte to Attorney General once he was elected president. Since both Roosevelt and Bonaparte shared the same views regarding “progressivism,” they had a similar mindset in best assisting the government. Bonaparte applied progressivist methods to the Department of Justice when he became Attorney General. He established a small group of special agents, who would become the first members of the FBI. The BAU is part of an organization within the FBI called the “National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime (NCAVC) and the Operations Support Branch (OSB).” The BAU consists of five different units within these two groups and have special concentrations which include counterterrorism, threats, crimes against adults, crimes against children, and research accompanied with strategy.

The criteria for this career consists of a long road ahead. One must become an FBI agent before they become a Behavioral Analyst working for the FBI. To meet the requirements of an FBI agent, one must obtain a four-year college degree. Speaking a foreign language fluently looks to be a strength when one applies for an FBI agent position. Then, one applies to the FBI Academy to go through a 4-month training session that is very demanding. However, they must be between the ages of 23 and 37 to apply to the FBI Academy. An individual is also required to undergo and pass a background check, polygraph exam, credit check, and drug test before they can work in the FBI. While in the FBI Academy, one will undergo classroom experience that concentrates in the following subject areas: interviewing, psychology, and legal issues. The FBI Academy will also train the students in using firearms and strengthen their bodies physically as all students must go through a rigorous fitness program. After an individual graduates from the FBI Academy, they should be willing to relocate if necessary once they receive orders to go to a specific FBI Field Office. An individual could be stationed in DC or Quantico, Virginia. However, they could also be placed elsewhere in the United States if they are given the orders. Most people who work in the BAU, especially as Behavioral Analysts, had been working in some variety of an FBI Field Office for at least seven years before they transfer into the BAU. Then, once they join the BAU, they undergo another training process that means working with a mentor. The mentor is an experienced “Agent-Profiler.” The training with a mentor goes on for about two years. Like mentioned before, it is a long and strenuous process to become someone who works in the Behavioral Analysis Unit. This is also the point when an individual chooses what unit (or units) they would like to specialize in. One can choose to either specialize or generalize in their careers from crimes regarding adults, children, any abductions, or missing person’s case, etc.  The medial annual salary for this career falls between $60,000 and $80,000. The career also provides healthcare benefits, insurance benefits, retirement benefits, safety benefits, and paid vacation holidays.

In 2016, the FBI’s annual budget was $8.7 billion according to the Department of Justice’s website.  In Trump’s budget, however, the FBI will be facing some tighter standards. Almost 2,100 positions are being cut in Trump’s budget proposal. That being said, 450 jobs will be added. Yet, this still does not cover the individuals whose jobs are being eliminated.

After completing this assignment, I observed how demanding it is to work in the FBI. However, I think I would enjoy working as a Behavioral Analyst in the BAU if I were to get that far because this career incorporates all my strengths as a person. It involves analysis and writing, and I find that I am an analytical and thorough thinker. As someone who participates in debate and forensics, I find that the public speaking or interviewing portion would not bother me. As a tennis player who also runs on a regular basis, I think that fitness program or even the heightened risk of working in the FBI would not be the most difficult parts of the career. I think that looking at such violent crimes on a regular basis with the intention of helping people and preventing the bad guys from hurting anymore people would be the toughest part. Seeing what humans are capable of in a negative way would probably be what I would find so horrifying. Yet, I think that defending the country, upholding the Constitution, and saving lives would be a wonderful thing to do on a daily, monthly, and yearly basis, making any disadvantage of the job outweighed.  

https://www.fbiagentedu.org/careers/intelligence/fbi-behavioral-analyst/

https://www.fbijobs.gov/working-at-FBI/benefits

-Stephanie Sandra