How to Become an FBI Agent in Oklahoma

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has one field office located in Oklahoma City; it has 11 other satellite offices located around the state. Agents who sign up for an FBI career in Oklahoma are responsible for the enforcement of federal laws and safekeeping of all the citizens in the 77 counties of the state.

FBI Agent Requirements in Oklahoma

Basic Requirements

To join the FBI in Oklahoma, they are some basic FBI requirements that all prospective agents must meet.

• Interested candidates must be citizens of the United States.
• He or she must have a valid U.S driver’s license with a minimum of six months driving experience.
• Only individuals who have been a resident of the United States for three of the last five years will be enrolled for FBI training.
• Must be between 23 and 37 years of age.
• Must be a bachelor’s degree holder from an accredited institution.
• He or she must have a minimum of three years of professional work experience.
• Must be willing to go anywhere.

Additional Requirements

The Oklahoma FBI employs the use of a background screening to admit agents into the bureau. A background check shows all past record of crimes, arrest, and credit card debts, and helps the agency to pick candidates with an exemplary record.

Aside the background screening, personality tests are administered to applicants to test their logical reasoning and situational judgment abilities, this helps the agency determine the cognitive and behavioral abilities of prospective agents.

Different Positions Within The FBI

The field office of the bureau focuses on the following specialization;

HAZMAT Experts – Agents in this unit are trained to handle situations involving hazardous objects ranging from chemical and radiological materials.

Specialized Weapons and Tactics Team – Commonly referred to as SWAT, this is the tactical unit of the agency, they handle the field operations of most counterterrorism jobs along with a few other specialized positions. They consist of 15 highly trained FBI agents who are called upon to handle high-risk situations.

Special Agents Bomb Technicians – This unit specializes in identifying and neutralizing explosive devices of all kinds. They are provided with high-end gadgets to help them in their operations.

Language Specialists – The United States consists of different individuals from different countries, it is, therefore, important that the law can understand each dialect to effectively maintain peace. This unit helps to translate audios, and documents to help in investigations and espionage cases. They also help in interviews where foreign speakers are involved.

Computer Analysts and Response Teams(CART) –  Responsible for most of the agencies intelligence analyst jobs, this unit consists of forensic experts who investigate digital devices for retrieving and processing evidence.

Evidence Response Teams – The state of Oklahoma has an evidence response team who carry out crime scene investigation. The unit has three teams with eight agents in each whose focus is on gathering physical evidence from crime scenes.

Oklahoma FBI Agent Education

• Bachelors of Science in Criminology – As part of the requirement for prospective agents to be enrolled into the FBI College for training, agents must possess a minimum of a bachelors’ degree in a field relevant to the agency. Applicants with a degree in criminology are well prepared for the operations of the bureau as the course provides an insight to the criminal mind and perspective.
• Masters of Science in criminology – Aside from a bachelor’s degree, agents with higher qualifications have less restrictions for joining the FBI.
• Degrees for FBI support specialists – Employees of the bureau who work in positions like paralegals, financial analysts, linguists, and translators all require educational backgrounds that make them suitable for the job. All support specialists must possess a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in; law, finance/accounting, language, information technology, or computer science.

Major Cities In Oklahoma

The state of Oklahoma has a good number of cities, the six biggest cities are; Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Norman, broken arrow and Edmund. The state has its one field office of the FBI situated in the capital (Oklahoma City). Aside from this, they are 11 satellite offices located around the state. They are, Ardmore, Durant, elk city, Lawton, McAlester, Muskogee, Norman, Stillwater, Tulsa, Vinita and Woodward.

Specific Duties of FBI Agents

Agents in Oklahoma are generally involved in investigating and prosecuting federal crimes, they also perform certain specific duties including;

• Conducting counterintelligence operations by investigating terrorists’ threats and detecting both foreign and local spies.
• Thwarting cyber crimes and fraud
• Investigating violent crimes
• Fighting fraud and corruption from health care to mortgage and tax fraud.

Employment Numbers and Interesting Facts

The enrollment process is usually a long and technical one, all FBI agents must complete 20 weeks of training in Quantico Virginia before being absorbed fully into the agency. The application usually takes anywhere from 6 months to one year. All agents are expected to pass a physical fitness test and medical tests by undergoing a thorough medical examination. The Oklahoma field office has a wide range of cases that it handles, from white-collar crimes to counterterrorism jobs and even cybercrimes detection.

Oklahoma FBI Agent Salary

As a new agent just starting at the agency, the starting salary is fixed in line with the GS pay scale. New agents receive a salary of $43,441. But with the localized adjustment rate of Oklahoma City at 2.83%, agents ultimately earn a starting salary of $44,670. The salary, however, depends on the unit and job descriptions of agents along with their qualifications and security clearance level.

FBI Training Programs and Schools in Oklahoma