How to Become an FBI Agent in Rhode Island

The federal bureau of investigations has its offices setup in areas all over the United States to oversee the interest of the agency. In Rhode Island, the bureau has its satellite office in Providence, agents who join the FBI in the state work out of its providence office and are responsible for the safety of the entire area. All FBI agents who take up FBI careers in the state are under the jurisdiction of the Boston field office.

FBI Agent Requirements in Rhode Island

Basic Requirements

Individuals who are interested in taking jobs with the FBI must first ensure they meet the standard FBI agents’ requirements. To become a federal agent, one must have dedication, determination and stamina to meet up with the tasking nature of the job. Here are a few basic FBI agents requirement.

• He or she must be a citizen of the United States.
• Must have a minimum educational qualification of a bachelor’s degree
• Applicants must have been a resident of the united state for three of the past five years.
• Applicants’ must be between the ages of 23 and 36.5 years old.
• He or she must have a valid driver’s licence, with at least six months of driving experience.
• Must have at least three years of work experience in any professional field. Exceptions include
• Posses a Masters or Doctoral degree – two years required.
• A strong background in computer science – no work experience needed.
• Be fluent in a foreign language – no work experience needed.
• Be a former FBI honors or volunteer intern with a GPA of 3.0 – no work experience needed.

Additional requirements

As part of the enrollment process into the FBI college, candidates are expected to pass a personality test administered to them by the agency, not only does this show how fit they are for the job, it also determines the functions that they are best suited for.

A background screening is also conducted on each prospective agent to ensure that agents working for the FBI have reputable history. The check shows all records of criminal history, arrest, and past misdemeanors. It may take a few months within which neighbors, family, friends, and colleagues are interviewed to obtain information about the general conduct of the interested person.

Different positions with the FBI

Crime Scene Investigators – A crime scene investigators job centers around gathering evidence and interviewing witnesses for useful information that will help investigation.

Computer Forensics – This unit consists of highly trained computer experts that examine digital devices to retrieve and process evidence.

Specialized Weapons and Tactics Team – commonly referred to as SWAT, this unit handles all field operations including high-risk cases and hostage situations.

Bomb Squad – Focuses on handling explosive devices of all kinds, agents in the bomb squad perform counterterrorism jobs and utilize the wide range of highly technical equipment at their disposal to detect and disarm bombs.

Rhode Island FBI Agent Education

Bachelors of Science in Criminology or Criminal Justice – A minimum of a four-year bachelor’s degree in either of these courses is needed as a mandatory requirement for joining the FBI. While agents who may have participated in the voluntary FBI internships are at an advantage, a criminology degree exposes candidates to the nature of activities at the bureau. Other qualifications are also required for different positions at the agency.

Masters of Science in Criminology – A standard requirement for working with the FBI is a minimum of three years’ professional work experience. However, candidates with a master’s degree or higher qualifications need only two years’ experience to become FBI agents.

Degrees for FBI support Specialists – They are a few fundamental courses and qualifications aside from criminology and criminal justice that those looking to become federal agents’ must-have. Prospective candidates should have a degree in; information technology/computer science, law, accounting, language, and other diversified positions like psychology for agents working In the behavioral analysis unit (bau FBI)

Major Cities In Rhode Island

There are a good number of cities in Rhode Island and some of the major cities include; Pawtucket, Cranston, Warwick, Newport, and providence. The Rhode Island FBI has its satellite office located in the state capital; providence.

Specific Duties Of FBI Agents

Being a part of the law enforcement agency, FBI agents are charged with several responsibilities;

• Protecting the lives of citizens
• Safeguarding the national security through counterintelligence and counter-terrorism operations
• Maintaining confidentiality about the job
• Conducting criminal profiling and investigating suspicious groups and individuals
• Investigations crimes of different nature from health care fraud, to tax evasion and all other white-collar crimes
• Fighting violent crimes and other gang related activities

Employment Numbers

The FBI hiring process is a long and selective one; candidates who meet the requirement are given a personality test and pass through a background screening process that typically lasts for months. According to officials, the written test eliminates about 30 percent of applicants, 35 is eliminated during the interview and oral test stage, and of the remaining 35, only half successfully pass the background and physical screening. The 17 or 18 percent who made it through all stages then compete for open spaces at the FBI College.

Interesting facts

In 2010, 2655 violent crimes were recorded in Rhode Island according to the criminal justice information services. Majority of these crimes occurred in large cities like, Newport, Cranston, central falls, Woonsocket, Pawtucket, and the state’s capital providence. The agency has had some interesting challenges in the state over the years. One of its high-profile cases was that of a bank robber popularly known as the bearded bandit who robbed four banks and was tracked by agents from February of 2012 to July of the same year. As at the last report at 2013, he remains at large and a reward 0f $5000 has been offered for his capture. The bureau was also instrumental in the investigation of an intentional arson case in 2012 where a woman was sentenced to 10 years in prison for committing intentional arson on her residence for profit.

Rhode Island FBI Agent Salary

An agent just graduating from the FBI college typically earns about $43,000 per year, however, based on geographical locations, the pay usually increase to somewhere between $63,000 and $69,000 due to the localized adjustment benefits. All agents are paid in line with the gs pay scale and since the Rhode Island FBI falls under the jurisdiction of the Boston area, they are entitled to a salary adjustment of 24.80%.

FBI Training Programs and Schools in Rhode Island