The United States Drug Enforcement Agency depends on its workers to keep drugs off the streets, and working as a diversion investigator with the DEA lets you do your part in the war on drugs. Investigators conduct research online and in real life to look for signs of people buying, selling, using and transporting illegal drugs. In addition to knowing what these men and women do every day, you also want to think about how you can land a job in this field.
What is a Diversion Investigator with the DEA?
A diversion investigator with the DEA is an expert investigator. These are the men and women who conduct research and bring down major drug smuggling rings. The research they do and the evidence they capture can also help stop distributors from spreading drugs throughout a specific city or region or across the country. While many people think investigators look specifically at illegal narcotics, they also help break up manufacturers creating and selling illegal prescription drugs. The DEA uses these investigators to do the research that their agents need to stop some of the major distributors working in the country.
Qualifications for Investigator Jobs
According to the DEA, it looks for investigators skilled in one specific area, including law enforcement, military or technical fields. Strong research skills are another important skill needed for the job. You can develop those skills as a computer science major in college or with a major in another area that relies heavily on computers and research. The DEA also requires that investigator applicants have strong problem solving skills and the ability to analyze the research you conduct and the data you gather.
DEA Employment Requirements
Working as an investigator with the DEA requires that you meet some specific guidelines established by the agency for all its employees. Anyone applying for the job with the DEA must be a United States citizen and have the ability to pass an in-depth and detailed background check. Any felony or misdemeanor charge will disqualify you for the position, and the DEA may even gain access to your juvenile records. All applicants must also pass a vision test, hearing test and a physical examination that shows you are strong enough for the job. The application process usually involves multiple steps that you must complete with an interview and lie detector test used on some steps.
Going Through Training
If you want to work as a diversion investigator, you must also prepare yourself for going through a long series of training exercises. This training program, known as the Basic Diversion Investigator Training, takes place over the course of 12 weeks. You’ll spend several weeks on the registration process and learning what the job entails before spending several additional weeks on the different forms of investigations that these workers do every day. Participants have the chance to show how they can use the skills they learn in the program in the field before finishing the training program.
Related Resource: Fraud Investigator
The DEA protects the residents of America from illegal drugs. Investigators working for the DEA create detailed files that show the distribution centers in the country and the amount of drugs produced by those centers. As a diversion investigator with the DEA, you can do your part to stop those distributors from spreading drugs across the country.
