The FBI is a national security agency tasked with gathering intelligence and enforcing laws. It guards the U.S. against internal and external threats. While executing its duty it will protect civil rights, fight against white-collar and significant violent crimes, identify and protect against intelligence and terrorist threats; and combat public corruption at the local, state and federal levels. The FBI also supports other law enforcement agencies by providing services such as fingerprint identification, laboratory examinations, intelligence gathering, and training. Without FBI agents, the agency would not be able to perform these tasks. So much of what an agent will do is tied to the functions of the FBI.
FBI Employment
The FBI currently has 35,000 staff members both special agents and support personnel working together to achieve a common goal. The work of an FBI agent is never done. That’s why even though the scheduled work week is 50 hrs, agents are considered to be on duty 24 hrs a day and seven days a week. It’s not a 9-5 job. Crime and security threats won’t take a break because agents are tired. The long working hours can create a stressful working environment but agents still fulfill their duties.
What Do FBI Agents Do?
Duties FBI agents perform will change from day to day. One day an agent will be out of the office doing field work, the next, filing paperwork. Though their day to day tasks may change, agents will typically perform some general tasks during the course of their careers. Tasks like testifying in court, executing a search warrant, meeting with a source to gather intelligence on illegal activities, writing reports, making arrests, conducting surveillance, participating in raids, accessing public records, and gathering electronic material such as emails. They may also be involved in investigating cyber crime, terrorism or threats of terrorism, white collar crime, and drug trafficking.
How Much Do FBI Agents Make?
The salary an agent receives depends on the role they have been assigned. New agents joining the fold are paid a base salary of $ 43,441 plus availability and locality pay. Availability pay is given as compensation for agents having to work a 50 hr week. It is 25% of the combined total of their base salary and locality pay. Locality pay is the compensation given to agents based on the conditions of the labor market they work in, which is not the same in all areas. Locality pay ranges from 12.5% to 28.7% of base salary and will be determined by the office assignment.
Also Read:
- How To Become An FBI Agent
- What Does An FBI Informant Do?
- How To Become An FBI Informant
- What Does An FBI Profiler Do?
- How To Become An FBI Profiler