The Federal Bureau of
Investigation (FBI)

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is the lead federal law enforcement organization within the United States. It is part of the Department of Justice, but also an independent member of the intelligence community. The FBI investigates serious crimes that cross state lines, espionage, and especially counter terrorism, which accounts for more than half of the its budget. The Bureau employs some of the best-trained and best equipped officers in the country. Its agents frequently coordinate with other law enforcement bodies, domestically and abroad, and operate in diverse teams.

BUDGET: Over $8 billion in 2015.

The FBI Operative at a Glance

POWERS OF ARREST? Yes.

EXPECTED TO CARRY A WEAPON? Yes.

ACCESS TO OFFICIAL FUNDS? Can be supplied with a credit line if traveling or on an investigation, up to a Standard expense without eliciting an official review.

OPERATIONAL BUDGET/RESTRICTED ITEMS? Agents from the FBI may use Bureaucracy to access criminal files from any federal agency, including those tied to national security. This is equivalent to a Standard expense. This rarely elicits official review, unless done repeatedly for individuals the Agent clearly has no reason to investigate.

The Organization

The FBI is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and its Director reports to both the Attorney General and the Director of National Intelligence.

The FBI operates field offices in most major cities throughout the United States. The FBI provides law enforcement on many Native American reservations, alongside the Bureau of Indian Affairs and tribal authorities.

Each field office and major operation is headed by a Special Agent in Charge (SAC), who generally answers directly to the Director. Each SAC is in charge of FBI agents and analysts from many divisions and branches. Assistant Special Agents in Charge (ASACs) lead subdivisions and answer to the SAC.

The FBI maintains a presence abroad through liaisons with friendly law enforcement organizations and through the legal attaché (Legat) program. The FBI bases legal attachés and advisors in American embassies, and occasionally embeds them within friendly foreign law enforcement offices to support specific investigations.

Key FBI Branches

»» Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services
»» Intelligence
»» National Security
   ››Hostage Rescue Team
»» Science and Technology

Operatives

FBI agents must have college degrees—most have graduate degrees—and must pass rigorous psychological and physical screenings. Many new FBI agents are longtime veterans of law enforcement at the local or federal level. Qualification for the FBI is extremely difficult, and the months-long training regimen has a high washout rate. Most FBI employees and all special agents must qualify for and hold a Top Secret clearance because of the sensitive nature of their work. Special agents and many support staff must pass a polygraph and a background investigation.

Training at the FBI Training Academy (Quantico, Virgina) involves firearms, tactical vehicle operation, law, case exercises, surveillance techniques, defensive tactics, and other operational skills. (Counterintelligence training is reserved for experienced special agents, who are then usually detailed to partner agencies in the intelligence community.)

Agents who join the Hostage Rescue Team (HRT) or field-office SWAT teams are often former military, frequently from the 75th Ranger Regiment. HRT agents receive intensive training on par with military special operations.

Besides special agents, the FBI employs specialized support personnel including intelligence analysts, language specialists, forensic scientists, and behavioral/psychoanalytic experts.

Authority and Mandate

The FBI investigates corruption, civil rights violations, organized crime, crimes committed across state lines, threats to national security, espionage, and terrorism. FBI agents are expected to support local authorities and officials from other agencies, who may have been first to investigate. But if the FBI has jurisdiction, the FBI usually takes the lead.

FBI agents are typically deployed when local law police ask for assistance or report a federal crime. In many cases, the FBI builds its own federal case and gathers its own evidence even when local law enforcement investigates the same suspect for local crimes. If the FBI feels local law enforcement may get in the way, the agency can petition the Attorney General’s office to contact local law enforcement and assert the FBI’s lead on the case. These orders often requires the local law enforcement body to turn over its evidence and
support the FBI.

Overseas, the FBI works with local law enforcement officers who have authority to enforce local laws. The FBI is interested in foreign crime only insofar as it is connected to criminal activity in the U.S. But this allows a far reach. Drug, terrorism, and financial prosecutions often require the FBI to conduct investigations abroad.

Field Operations

FBI agents are typically sent into the field alone or in two-agent teams. Single agents on assignment are quite common, especially if local authorities are cooperative. The FBI sends more than two agents into the field only for a particularly high-profile, complex, dangerous, or geographically remote case.

FBI agents in the field receive support from local FBI field offices, including desk space, access to computers that are already integrated with the FBI computer system, vehicles (including armored SUVs if necessary), and small arms and body armor.

In tactical situations, the FBI typically arms special agents with shotguns. Assault rifles may be requested from the field office’s armory. Such heavily armed FBI agents may be supported by the field office’s SWAT team.

An FBI SWAT team includes a leader, Containment Teams (usually four members each), Emergency Response Teams (usually three but up to seven members), and up to three Deliberate Action Teams (at least four members each), as well as at least one Rifle/Sniper Team (two members). FBI SWAT teams and the Hostage Rescue Team occasionally work with special operations units overseas as battlefield interrogators, or to provide arrest authority and correct procedures when the military captures targets for prosecution.

In rare cases, the FBI approves undercover criminal operations, usually in the case of corruption or crimes that pose serious danger to a community. These operations are staffed by seasoned agents and are generally well funded. The undercover agent is provided a new identity and rents or purchases a home, vehicle, and the accouterments of life to maintain the cover. Such operations are approved for a finite amount of time, often six months, and then are subject to review of the effectiveness and safety of the operation. Accounting for undercover operations is never as strict as it should be. An FBI agent on an undercover assignment often has autonomy, funds, and a distinct lack of oversight.

FBI operations are compartmentalized. Agents don’t ask each other what they’re working on. If you need to know, you’ll be told.

Areas of Friction

When assisting a local case, the FBI doesn’t usually try to take control. Many FBI agents see themselves as helpful “force multipliers” for local authorities, bringing assets to the investigation that would not normally be available. Most FBI agents are willing to play a support role if the locals are making progress. Only if the investigation stalls is an FBI team likely to take over.

When the FBI inserts an agent into an ongoing investigation, or takes over a local case because strong federal interests are at stake, it often rubs other law enforcement agencies the wrong way. If a crime is high-profile, local officials may not want the FBI to take over and take credit. In that situation an agent can usually expect animosity from local law enforcement, and in some cases outright hostility or obstructionism. Part of an FBI agent’s job is to manage relations with the local police. High Law and Bureaucracy skills can help an FBI agent justify the Bureau’s involvement to the locals’ satisfaction, and a good attitude (or high CHA) can help smooth things over.

Playing the Bureau

As an FBI agent, you are probably a detail-oriented perfectionist. Process is important to everyone in the FBI. Results matter, too, but process leads to results, so get the process right. FBI agents and specialists are taught to take each case in distinct steps, with close attention to detail at each phase. Good process means a case is less likely to be thrown out of court on a technicality. Even kinetic operations like thwarting a hostage taking focuses on getting the little details right.

The FBI specializes in high-profile and time-sensitive cases, and anticipates that each of their investigations is going to come under scrutiny. An FBI agent’s supervisors will be the first to assess the operation, looking for missteps.

There is also the media and Congress to think about. Trouble on an FBI case means increased attention from local contacts, the media, and politicians. Politicians are always looking for local votes; be respectful and tread lightly when a Congressperson or Senator’s name is invoked. There are few ways to get yanked off a case faster than angering a member of Congress.

Working for the FBI is intense and stressful. The organization’s responsibilities are expansive. Even with numerous personnel and a large budget, the Bureau can’t cover everything. FBI agents and employees are expected to be personable. The need to work with local authorities and other federal agencies on complex topics and investigations means you know how to work with a wide variety of people. Even under pressure you know how to keep your cool, whether in a gunfight or in dealing with a local who just compromised your evidence. Antisocial and belligerent FBI agents don’t normally do well.

DG Note

Home sweet home. Deep training, specialized skills and forensics, JTTF's. Jurisdiction just about everywhere, just call it drug enforcement or counterterrorism.

Suggested Professions

Criminal Investigative Division (CID)
The CID is responsible for most of the FBI’s investigations and field work.
   PROFESSION: Federal Agent.
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Criminology, Forensics,
Firearms, Law.
   EQUIPMENT: See TOOLS OF THE TRADE: FEDERAL AGENT
(page 85).

National Security Branch (NSB)
The NSB specializes in counterterrorism and counterintelligence.
   PROFESSION: Federal Agent, Intelligence Analyst, or
Intelligence Case Officer.
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Foreign Language,
HUMINT, SIGINT, Computer Science.
   EQUIPMENT: Per TOOLS OF THE TRADE: FEDERAL AGENT
(page 85) as well as a portable hardened laptop,
advanced data analysis software, chemical sniffer/
analyzer.

Intelligence and Operations Support
Section (IOSS)
IOSS supports the most high-profile, dangerous, and sensitive investigations by providing highly specialized experts. IOSS includes the vaunted Behavioral Analysis Units, the Violent Criminal Apprehension Program (ViCAP), and the Crisis Management Unit which provides support and training for disasters and high-risk public events.
   PROFESSION: Computer Scientist, Intelligence Case
Officer, Physician, or Scientist.
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Computer Science,
HUMINT, Psychotherapy, Science (choose one).
   EQUIPMENT: An extensive professional library, membership in ViCAP (Violent Criminal Apprehension Program, which identifies and tracks “signature” criminal tendencies), and/or access to cutting edge criminological software.

Directorate of Intelligence
The FBI branch focused on surveillance, counterespionage, electronics, and linguistics.
   PROFESSION: Intelligence Analyst or Intelligence
Case Officer.
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Criminology, Forensics,
Firearms, Law.
   EQUIPMENT: Language training materials or electronic
surveillance equipment.

Hostage Rescue Team (HRT) or SWAT Unit
HRT and SWAT specialize in kinetic tactical know-how and rapid takedowns in all types of environments. HRT is a unique SWAT force that specializes in anti-terror operations.
   PROFESSIONAL SKILLS:
»»Alertness 60%
»»Athletics 60%
»»Demolitions 40%
»»Dodge 50%
»» Firearms 60%
»» Forensics 30%
»»Heavy Weapons 50%
»»Melee Weapons 50%
»»Military Science (Land) 60%
»»Navigate 50%
»» Stealth 50%
»» Survival 50%
»» Swim 50%
»» Unarmed Combat 60%
   BONDS: 1
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Criminology, Firearms,
Melee Weapons, Stealth.
   EQUIPMENT: Per TOOLS OF THE TRADE: SWAT (page 85). HRT also uses a specially-designed computer that can be carried in a backpack and that has access to the FBI’s Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS) and the Department of Defense Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) to quickly identify suspected terrorists or criminals.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:54, Sun 21 Apr 2019.

The Drug Enforcement
Administration (DEA)


The Drug Enforcement Administration interdicts illegal drugs domestically and abroad. The War on Terror has highlighted the nexus between the illegal drug trade and terrorism, and the DEA increasingly counters the business side of terrorism. The DEA coordinates other agencies that participate in U.S- sponsored drug investigations. It often works closely with the FBI and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), but the DEA retains the lead on all investigations and direct actions that focus on illegal drugs. The DEA is staffed by experienced, tough-minded law enforcement personnel. DEA special agents are active in every corner of the United States and in more than 60 other countries.

BUDGET: Approximately $2 billion in 2015.

The DEA Agent at a Glance

POWERS OF ARREST? Yes.

EXPECTED TO CARRY A WEAPON? Yes.

ACCESS TO OFFICIAL FUNDS? Can be supplied with a significant credit line, up to a Major Expense without eliciting an official review.

OPERATIONAL BUDGET/RESTRICTED ITEMS? With the Bureaucracy skill, an Agent from the DEA may check out confiscated evidence from previous drug busts, ostensibly for examination or comparison with evidence from another case.

Checking out a weapon connected to an existing case is equivalent to an Unusual expense. A more expensive or particularly rare item, such as an impounded vehicle once owned by a drug cartel, is equivalent to a Major expense.

Checking out evidence associated with a case the Agent is not involved with automatically triggers official review unless the Agent takes steps to hide his or her identity when removing the items. Hiding the Agent’s identity requires a Criminology roll; if it fumbles, the Agent is caught and faces possible firing and prosecution.

The Organization

The DEA is part of the Department of Justice and is headed by the Administrator of Drug Enforcement. The Administrator reports to the Deputy Attorney General. The DEA is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. The DEA Training Academy is located at Quantico, Virginia, along with a Marine Corps basic training facility and the FBI Training Academy. Across the United States, the DEA maintains 21 domestic field divisions with more than 200 field offices. It maintains offices in over 60 countries. The DEA employs over 10,000 people, including over 5,000 special agents and 800 intelligence analysts.

The Operations Division houses the special agents. The Operational Support Division supports the other divisions with specialized skill sets and equipment—including forensic experts in computers, fingerprints, and chemistry. The Intelligence Division employs primarily electronic and signals analysts. Field Divisions are de facto field offices and are the base of operations for most investigations outside of Washington D.C.

The DEA fields two specialized sections, the paramilitary Foreign-deployed Advisory and Support Teams (FASTs) and the Special Operations Division (SOD). FASTs focus on direct action and cooperating with military units in combat environments. The SOD is based in the U.S. and focuses on electronic surveillance like wiretaps and data mining.

The DEA operates a small Aviation Division which is based in Fort Worth, Texas, but available throughout the United States (and, with permission from the local government, overseas). The Aviation Division uses helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft for surveillance, photographic reconnaissance, and transportation of prisoners, cargo, and personnel.

One of the core responsibilities of the DEA is to authorize medical professionals, researchers, and manufacturers to access controlled substances like drugs and narcotics.

Key DEA Divisions

»» Operations
   ››Foreign-deployed Advisory and Support Teams
   ››Field offices
»» Operational Support
»» Intelligence
»» Special Operations
»» Aviation

Operatives

DEA special agents go through five months of training at the DEA Training Academy in Quantico, Virginia. Much of the training focuses on field operations, physical competency, and tactical/weapons management. Special agents and many support staff must pass a polygraph and a background investigation. The DEA does not accept agents who have a history of illegal drug use.

DEA special agents are expected to deal with the public routinely, and must be personable to do their job effectively.

More so than other law enforcement agencies, the DEA expects to put its special agents in harm’s way. Their quarry is well-funded and well-equipped by the billions of dollars available through narcotrafficking. The DEA demands some of the highest firearms qualifications standards of any federal agency. Agents may carry their personal firearms rather than the standard- issue sidearm.

To support investigations, the DEA employs diverse specialists including forensic accountants, lawyers, pharmacists, chemists, lab technicians, software analysts, data cryptographers, engineers, machinists, translators, mechanics, and office support staff.

Authority and Mandate

The DEA enforces the Controlled Substances Act throughout the U.S. The nature of drug trafficking means that the DEA is often as focused abroad as it is domestically, particularly on Mexico and Latin America.

The nexus between the illegal drug trade and terrorism has brought increased funding to the DEA, but has also driven an expansion of their responsibilities around the world. Southeast and Central Asia and the poppy/heroin trade is also of particular concern. The DEA has agents permanently based in Afghanistan to coordinate with the military in interdicting and destroying Afghan-manufactured heroin.

Field Operations

The DEA prefers to send agents in teams. During arrests, the DEA seeks to send at least three armed personnel, preferably DEA agents. If the numbers are unavailable, the DEA requests support from local police officers or other federal special agents (especially
the U.S. Marshals Service).

The DEA is well funded for its size. The combination of a robust budget, transportation assets (automobiles and aircraft), and the need to be on the ground to conduct investigations means the DEA allows agents to operate independently. Its budget also means that agents have access to reasonable credit lines.

The DEA’s many field offices in the U.S. and overseas mean agents do not have to travel far to requisition equipment. Many field offices have robust armories and armored SUVs. Communications and surveillance equipment is readily available, though getting the correct search warrant to use most surveillance devices can take weeks. Electronics such as laptops, smartphones, and tablet PCs are available upon request. Should an agent need more than that, the office serves as the destination point for more sophisticated or expensive equipment sent from HQ. The DEA’s aerial assets are largely focused on intelligence and surveillance. In a major operation they may be placed at the disposal of the agent in charge.

The DEA operates about 260 drug task forces that integrate with city, county, and state law enforcement organizations in every large American city, deputizing local law-enforcement officers. These deputations are not case-specific and often last months or years. They grant broader authority to local law enforcement personnel than other deputation processes.

DEA undercover operations, while prestigious and dangerous, rarely last longer than four months. Years long deep undercover operations are a myth. The DEA only sends its best and most mentally capable agents into undercover situations. Because agents must operate without the support of a team, undercover operations are seen as particularly dangerous, and are only approved in major investigations. An undercover agent leaving a mission is usually sent away on a temporary duty assignment or transferred to another field office for the agent’s safety.

Areas of Friction

The DEA operates in the grey area between local and state-level law enforcement and the more D.C.-focused Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and FBI, serving as an imperfect bridge between the groups. DEA agents need to be friendly with all levels of law enforcement but often remain “outsiders” to everyone. FBI agents, ICE agents and Deputy U.S. Marshals often see the DEA as too eager to use force. The most frequent exception is the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), which shares a similar spot in the law enforcement hierarchy and a similar mandate. DEA and the ATF agents often work well together. Local law enforcement often appreciates the DEA’s assistance on major drug cases, but inevitably wants to ensure they get credit for the bust.

Playing the DEA

Your life is paperwork and street investigations. You didn’t join the DEA because it is glamorous; you joined because you wanted to work as a special agent and get your hands dirty. The DEA sends you into the darkest parts of American society to corner the bad guy and arrest him. That’s the great part. You work with other good agents and have a very clear mission to stop the flow of drugs. The downside is the paperwork. It’s unavoidable, and the government demands to know all the whens, wheres, and whys of your investigations. You hate the paperwork.

The DEA’s focused mission translates into pride in your work. Your agency is no-nonsense. There is a mission. Go do it. Be professional. You likely come from a law enforcement background, possibly working for a local police department or sheriff’s office. What the DEA offers you that you couldn’t get elsewhere is a better paycheck, better equipment, better training, and better cases.

With pride in your work comes a bit of disdain for partner agencies. The worst, in your opinion, is Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). DEA agents consider themselves better trained and better disciplined in the field than ICE agents. The joke goes that
DEA agents deal with paperwork because they want to get back out in the field, while ICE uses fieldwork to make better excuses for paperwork. But you have to grit your teeth and work with ICE to make sure the operation is successful. Your other sister organization, the FBI, is more professional and more highly trained, but still doesn’t quite “get” it.

Your office is often in the worst part of a city, and you always need to be aware of your surroundings and people’s motivations. Your adversaries range from local methamphetamine manufacturers to Central American drug kingpins to terrorist cells using narcotics to fund their goals. Thing is, they aren’t always your enemies. Many of them are useful contacts, even allies. The common denominator is not just the involvement of illegal drugs, but the huge amount of money at stake. Your suspects and contacts are well-funded and well-armed. You have to be a cut above the bad guys, otherwise you will find yourself outgunned or isolated. You also have to be willing to make a deal with the small guy in order to target more important criminals in the supply chain. The line between ally and adversary is razor thin.

You have to be a team player. Suspects are best neutralized with swift and decisive action by an overwhelming number of officers. This is why staying friendly with ICE and the FBI is so important. When the time comes to take someone down, you want people on your team.

Information is power. Takedowns and arrests are only the final stage of an investigation. Until then, it’s a deliberate process of working informants, conducting interviews, and gathering technical or electronic data. The people whose information you need—weed farmers, truckers, prostitutes, wary family members—often distrust authority. Gaining their trust requires patience, time, and sometimes money. Even local law enforcement is often skeptical of your motivations, but you usually get along with the locals after a beer or two.

You have to keep thorough notes and good files, and have a good memory so that sensitive information stays accurate even when you don’t have the time or privacy to record your findings.

DG Note

Drugs are everywhere. Easy to manufacture DEA jurisdiction to provide cover for an op. Tough investigators, lots of guns.

Suggested Professions

Operations Division
Operations agents are the backbone of DEA operations, conducting investigations and arrests.
   PROFESSION: Federal Agent or Police Officer.
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Criminology, Pharmacy,
Science (Chemistry), Search.
   EQUIPMENT: See TOOLS OF THE TRADE: FEDERAL AGENT
(page 85).

Operational Support Division
The Support Division is staffed by subject matter experts and provides knowledge support to agents in the field.
   PROFESSION: Anthropologist/Historian, Lawyer,
Program Manager, or Scientist.
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Accounting, Forensics,
Law, Pharmacy.
   EQUIPMENT: Professional library and technical
equipment.

Special Operations Division (SOD)
A classified and clandestine branch that specializes in electronic surveillance.
   PROFESSION: Computer Scientist or Intelligence
Analyst.
SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Computer Science, Criminology,
Law, SIGINT.
   EQUIPMENT: Listening devices and electronic eavesdropping
equipment.

Foreign-Deployed Advisory Support Teams (FAST)
The DEA’s FAST Teams operate as paramilitary units in far-flung areas of the world where narcotics are grown and processed. Four are headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. The fifth is permanently stationed in Afghanistan.
   PROFESSIONAL SKILLS:
»» Alertness 50%
»» Bureaucracy 40%
»» Criminology 50%
»» Drive 40%
»» Firearms 50%
»» Foreign Language (choose one) 30%
»» Forensics 30%
»» Heavy Weapons 30%
»» HUMINT 40%
»» Law 30%
»» Military Science (Land) 30%
»» Persuade 40%
»» Pharmacy 30%
»» Search 50%
»» Survival 30%
»» Unarmed Combat 60%
   BONDS: 2
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Athletics, Firearms, Forensics,
Search.
   EQUIPMENT: See TOOLS OF THE TRADE: SPECIAL OPERATOR
(page 85).
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:55, Sun 21 Apr 2019.

Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE)


U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is a sprawling law enforcement agency under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). ICE is responsible for identifying, investigating, and dismantling vulnerabilities in the nation’s border, economy, transportation, and infrastructure.

ICE is the second largest criminal investigative agency in the U.S. government, after the FBI, and the second largest contributor to the nation’s Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTFs). It is the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security.

BUDGET: $5.5 billion in 2015.

The ICE Operative at a Glance

POWERS OF ARREST? ICE special agents are federal officers and can make arrests. Most other divisions and offices do not have arrest powers.

EXPECTED TO CARRY A WEAPON? Yes, for special agents.

ACCESS TO FUNDS? Limited (no more than Incidental Expenses in most cases). While large, ICE is cash-strapped.

OPERATIONAL BUDGET/RESTRICTED ITEMS? With Bureaucracy, an Agent may check out confiscated evidence recovered from a smuggling bust, ostensibly for examination or comparison with evidence from another case.

Checking out fake consumer products, food, or foreign contraband is equivalent to an Unusual expense. Checking out items can include things like heavy weapons, vehicles with hidden compartments, or exotic animals is equivalent to a Major expense.

Checking out evidence associated with a case the Agent is not involved with automatically triggers official review unless the Agent takes steps to hide his or her identity when removing the items.

Hiding the Agent’s identity requires a Criminology roll; if it fumbles, the Agent is caught and faces possible firing and prosecution.

The Organization

ICE is led by a Director who is appointed by the President of the United States and answers to the Director of Homeland Security. Under the Director, a Deputy Director oversees three directorates: Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and a Management division. ICE has more than 15,000 employees in 400 domestic and 50 international offices.

In general, HSI tracks down suspects and ERO deals with them by imprisonment or extradition.

Key ICE Directorates

»» Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO)
   ››Removal Division
   ››Mission Support Division
   ››Detention Management Division
   ››Numerous Field Offices
»» Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)
   ››Domestic Operations Division
   ››International Operations
   ››Intelligence Division
     ∙∙Field Intelligence Groups
   ››National Security Investigation Division
   ››Special Response Teams

Operatives

Homeland Security Investigation (HSI) agents focus on identification and prosecution of criminal networks, and the seizure and forfeiture of money and property used to facilitate criminal activity. In the process of identifying transnational criminals operating within the U.S., HSI special agents investigate human smuggling, art theft, drug trafficking, arms trafficking, transnational gangs, money laundering, the production and distribution of child pornography via the Internet, import/export enforcement, trafficking of counterfeit merchandise, and the theft of antiquities. In addition, HSI agents occasionally provide security for VIPs, and augment the U.S. Secret Service.

The Intelligence Division is a component of HSI that employs special agents and intelligence analysts to collect, analyze, and disseminate intelligence for use by the Department of Homeland Security. The Intelligence Division is a member of the United States intelligence community, and works closely with the intelligence components of other federal, state, and local agencies. Many HSI field offices assign intelligence analysts to specific groups, such as financial crimes, narcotics, or document fraud. Some analysts are assigned to Field Intelligence Groups (FIGs), which focus on human intelligence collection.

HSI’s International Operations Division is staffed with agents stationed in 60 locations around the world. HSI’s foreign offices, known as attaché offices, work with foreign governments to identify and combat transnational criminal organizations. International Operations also facilitates domestic HSI investigations by providing intelligence from host countries and conducting overseas investigations.

ICE maintains a SWAT component, 17 Special Response Teams (SRTs). SRTs operate out of the larger regional offices. They handle high-risk arrest and search warrants, barricaded suspects, operations in rural or remote areas, and VIP protection. They also assist in disaster relief. SRT is a voluntary duty open to HSI agents who are assigned to an office with a certified team. SRT candidates undergo rigorous training and certification. There are currently only approximately 250 certified SRT members nationwide. They train with SOCOM and with the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team.

ICE’s other branch, Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), employs uniformed Immigration Enforcement Agents (IEAs) to identify, arrest, and remove aliens who violate immigration law. ERO Deportation Officers prosecute aliens for illegal re-entry and remove illegal foreigners from the United States. Strategically placed Fugitive Operations Teams locate, apprehend, and remove aliens who have absconded from immigration proceedings but remain in the United States.

Before applying, an ICE recruit must have at least one year of previous law enforcement or investigative work. If accepted, the trainee goes through 22 weeks of training in immigration law, advanced investigative techniques, firearms, and physical fitness. All applicants are expected to be able to serve at any of ICE’s posts, even the remote ones.

Authority and Mandate

ICE has two primary missions. First is the identification and apprehension of criminal foreigners located in the United States. Second is the detention and removal of foreigners who entered the United States illegally. Because of the higher threat posed by criminals, the first priority gets the majority of ICE’s resources.

Homeland Security Investigations agents share concurrent jurisdiction with the FBI and the DEA in the enforcement of the Controlled Substances Act. HSI agents investigate drug trafficking organizations who import their products across American borders, and study their smuggling methods. HSI’s primary focus is the importation of illegal drugs, not domestic production and sale. Drug trafficking investigations are often worked by HSI-led task forces, including the Border Enforcement Security Task Forces (BEST). HSI operations often deal with other kinds of smuggling: arms, explosives, and humans. HSI’s arms-trafficking investigations usually cooperate with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in task forces with a focus on preventing the procurement of munitions by drug cartels, terrorists, “foreign adversaries,” and other transnational criminal organizations.

ICE’s Cyber Crimes Section (CCS) investigates cybercrime cases that involve underground online marketplaces, child exploitation, and intellectual property theft. The CCS coordinates with the FBI’s Cybercrimes Division.

Field Operations

ICE has an extensive presence throughout the United States and abroad. Field offices and regional centers are spread throughout the continental United States, including most cities of over a million people and all along the northern and southern borders and the coasts. These offices are primarily bureaucratic nodes full of cubicles and office space. However, many also support the work of HSI and ERO special agents, and maintain a small motor pool of ordinary vehicles and a limited armory of shotguns, handguns, and tactical gear.

ICE maintains detention centers throughout the United States. Many are directly attached to field offices. Some serve as de facto bases of operation for agents in the field. A detention center holds illegal aliens who are eventually placed into “removal proceedings” for deportation. Large detention centers capable of holding more than 50 suspects at a time are found throughout the United States. These centers are mostly along the border and in states with large population centers. Smaller detention centers are scattered throughout the United States, in federal buildings and in county courthouses and jails.

Funding for ICE and its employees is not generous. Special agents are expected to travel, usually regionally, but have limited travel budgets. The SRTs are the exception; these teams are generally well funded and have high-end tactical and SWAT equipment. An SRT agent is expected to maintain an ICE “day job” and be available to travel at short notice. Travel funding is less restricted for an SRT agent responding to an emergency.

Areas of Friction

ICE special agents are often regarded by other federal agencies as undertrained and underdisciplined. Other agents see ICE officers as numerous but not particularly effective. Other agencies see ICE as meddling, especially with its ever-expanding expansive mandate and large numbers of employees. It is often a struggle for ICE agents to overcome prejudices and prove their worth during an operation or investigation.

But ICE is its own worst enemy. Low morale is a continuing problem. Since its amalgamation from other, formerly independent agencies, residual culture clashes persist. Offices within HSI and ERO are still reluctant to work with one another or take on new responsibilities. This makes ICE seem like many semi-independent organizations instead of a coherent whole. Low funding and salaries exacerbate ICE’s low morale.

Playing ICE

ICE can be a tough gig. ICE is rarely anyone’s first choice as an employer; few apply to work for ICE out of a passion for combating illegal immigration. You likely joined ICE because it was convenient. You probably grew up in or near a city where ICE has a large presence, or perhaps you are using ICE as an entry career into federal law enforcement. Many experienced ICE special agents use the agency as a stepping stone to something better-paying or more active (such as the FBI or the DEA). That prospect makes many ICE employees work very hard. ICE agents’ loyalty is rarely to ICE itself but to their division, branch, or office. Turnover and burnout rates are high.

Specialized professions such as lawyers and investigators often stay loyal to ICE and work their way up through the senior ranks. For agents who make it their home, ICE offers a unique opportunity to work on cases that blend international and domestic issues.

As an ICE agent you have a huge backlog of work. If you aren’t careful, you can get overwhelmed by pushing paper or get lost in bureaucratic demands. You work long hours just to clear the paperwork off your desk so you can get to your actual job the next day. ICE leadership constantly changes directives and priorities and redirects support staff to other missions. It can be frustrating. If you are lucky, your office or team knows what it is doing. A solid supervisor can insulate you from the bureaucracy.

As a new special agent, you were probably assigned to an office near the border. You worked in a hectic and fast-paced environment, responding to drug seizures, contraband interdiction, and human smuggling cases. In time, as you were promoted, you were assigned to an office deeper in the U.S. where you focused on child pornography, human smuggling, document fraud, or narcotics. There you learned how to investigate criminal enterprises and organizations. And there your loyalty to ICE was either made or broken: You either found the job fulfilling, or set your mind to using your ICE experience to get to something else.

DG Note

ICE doesn't get as much attention as FBI and DEA. Good for low profile. Has plausible reasons to go anywhere.

Suggested Professions

HSI Operations
The operational arms of Homeland Security Investigations are Domestic Operations Division (HSI/DO) and International Operations Division (HSI/International Operations).
   PROFESSION: Federal Agent.
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Bureaucracy, Criminology,
Forensics, HUMINT.
   EQUIPMENT: See TOOLS OF THE TRADE: FEDERAL AGENT
(page 85).

Office of Intelligence (HSI/Intelligence)
Provides intelligence and briefing materials for HSI and ERO operations.
   PROFESSION: Media Specialist or Intelligence
Analyst.
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Bureaucracy, Computer
Science, Science (choose one), SIGINT.
   EQUIPMENT: See TOOLS OF THE TRADE: FEDERAL AGENT
(page 85).

Special Response Team (SRT)
Provides SWAT support for ICE operations. SRT members are all volunteers, most of whom have regular “day jobs” as agents in other ICE divisions.
   PROFESSIONAL SKILLS:
»» Alertness 50%
»» Bureaucracy 40%
»» Criminology 50%
»» Dodge 50%
»» Drive 50%
»» Firearms 50%
»» Forensics 30%
»» Heavy Weapons 50%
»» HUMINT 60%
»» Law 30%
»» Persuade 50%
»» Search 50%
»» Stealth 40%
»» Unarmed Combat 60%
   BONDS: 2
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Dodge, Firearms, Criminology,
Melee Weapons.
   EQUIPMENT: Per TOOLS OF THE TRADE: SWAT (page 85).

Removal Division (ERO)
ERO/RD agents apprehend and transport illegal aliens.
   PROFESSION: Federal Agent.
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Athletics, HUMINT, Persuade,
Unarmed Combat.
   EQUIPMENT: See TOOLS OF THE TRADE: FEDERAL AGENT
(page 85).
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:26, Sat 28 Jan 2017.

U.S. Marshals Service (USMS)


The Marshals Service enforces federal court orders, tracks and apprehends fugitives, transports federal prisoners, manages and auctions the seized assets of criminals, protects federal court buildings and personnel, manages the witness protection program, and protects the Strategic National Stockpile (the nation’s emergency medicine and medical supplies). Deputy marshals often work on task forces with other federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, and are responsible for the majority of fugitive apprehensions across the country. USMS personnel work outside the U.S. in conjunction with foreign local law enforcement agencies to return wanted fugitives. Despite its small size and limited budget, the USMS conducts a proportionally large number of arrests across the country.

BUDGET: Less than $3 billion in 2015.

The Marshals Service Operative
at a Glance

POWERS OF ARREST? Yes.

EXPECTED TO CARRY A WEAPON? Yes.

ACCESS TO FUNDS? Can be supplied with a credit line if needed (up to a Standard Expense without eliciting an official review).

OPERATIONAL BUDGET/RESTRICTED ITEMS? A deputy marshal can secure emergency money by redirecting confiscated funds. This follows the same process as for a program manager (see PROGRAM MANAGERS on page 90), but the deputy marshal’s Accounting roll is treated as a failure even if it succeeds.

The Organization

The USMS is based in Arlington, Virginia. It is headed by a Director who answers to the Attorney General. The USMS is divided into offices, with the Operations Directorate and the Administration Directorate being the largest and the core of the organization. The Marshals Service employs just over 5,400 personnel, including nearly 4,000 deputy marshals serving 94 marshals (one per federal court district).

The Marshals are empowered to sell or auction (but not keep) assets seized in their work as well as the work of other federal or local law enforcement agencies.

Key USMS Divisions (Operations Directorate)

»» Investigative Operations Division
»» Judicial Security Division
»» Justice Prisoner and Alien Transportation
System
»» Prisoner Operations Division
»» Tactical Operations Division
   ››Special Operations Group
»» Witness Security Division

Operatives

Like other federal law enforcement agencies, training for the Marshals is intense with a high washout rate. Training is held at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC, pronounced “Fleht See”) in Glynco, Georgia. It focuses on firearms, hand-to-hand combat, protective services, driving, investigative techniques, and techniques for tracking fugitives.

Most USMS law-enforcement officers are deputy marshals. A deputy may be promoted to senior, supervisory, or chief deputy. A deputy who does not enter the supervisory track may become an investigator, a senior position that involves specialized and extensive training. Investigators are often assigned to task forces or specialized portfolios. Deputies who work in judicial security may advance to senior inspectors.

Deputies are supported by data analysis and electronic- surveillance data collection. The USMS employs computer and electronics support personnel who help deputies locate and track fugitives and identify threats to federal courts or to high-profile VIPs.

Authority and Mandate

The Marshals Service occupies a central position in the federal justice system. Its responsibility to execute warrants and apprehend fugitives involves it in virtually every federal law enforcement initiative. Other federal agencies turn to the USMS to apprehend wanted criminals, particularly agencies who do not employ law enforcement officers of their own. The DEA cooperates closely with the Marshals, and often turns over outstanding warrants for the USMS to resolve rather than dedicating scarce DEA special agents.

The Marshals Service is empowered to deputize other officers or special agents of the Department of Justice; federal, state or local law enforcement officers; members of the U.S Coast Guard; and private security personnel. The USMS most frequently deputizes personnel to provide security at courts and detention centers.

Field Operations

Support for deputy marshals does not normally come in large budget lines or high-tech equipment, but in additional deputies. If a case is too complex, the USMS asks other federal agencies for specialized support. Deputy marshals and investigators can take over the leadership of most teams involved in tracking fugitives, especially if the deputy marshal is the senior federal agent. The USMS does not have dedicated assets in many cities, but maintains strong relationships with local authorities. That opens up significant resources, including detention centers, office space, police vehicles, weapons, and electronic surveillance equipment. The deputation process can be a useful lever to get access to state or local law enforcement resources.

The Marshals Service uses integrated computer systems to manage warrants, records, and information collected during investigations. These systems communicate with other international, national, state, and local law enforcement systems.

Under the Witness Security Program (aka the witness protection program), the USMS protects government witnesses who are in danger due to cooperation with the U.S. government. The Marshals Service provides 24-hour protection to these witnesses and their families, and provides them with new identities with documentation if needed.
The Special Operations Group (SOG) is a specially trained and equipped tactical unit deployed in high-risk and sensitive situations. A SOG team is composed of volunteer deputy marshals who completed specialized training: high-risk entry, explosive breaching, sniper/observer, rural operations, evasive driving, less-lethal weapons, waterborne operations, and tactical medical support. SOG team members serve in normal USMS positions but are on call to respond to crises. SOG teams are technically ad hoc and have a floating membership based on proximity, skill set, and availability. The small number of SOG personnel means that many members know and trained with each other.

In order to transport prisoners between districts, the Marshals Service operates a large fleet of aircraft, cars, vans, and buses. In a pinch, these transport assets can be made available to a deputy in the field.

Areas of Friction

The small number of deputies means USMS teams maintain a limited footprint wherever they are deployed, and the USMS works frequently with other agencies. The Marshals’ mandate to augment other federal agencies means that it is generally appreciated when available. But some personnel in other agencies consider deputy marshals unsophisticated and ham-fisted. And deputy marshals and investigators sometimes come into conflict with other law enforcement personnel during the final stages of executing a warrant. The other agency may want the right to arrest the fugitive or seize the fugitive’s assets.

Playing a Deputy

You probably became a deputy marshal because you like being on the street, tracking and apprehending criminals. You probably looked other agencies like the FBI, the DEA, and the ATF, but none offered the wide range of opportunities and the ability to keep up a high momentum of arrests. They can have their labs and behavioral sciences; you’ll be out in the field. Even when you are stuck in the office, the types of mental exercises that the USMS demands, such as connecting surveillance data to a suspect, anticipating the next moves of a fugitive, and finding security vulnerabilities at a federal courthouse, are the types of problems that you love.

Tracking fugitives involves technology, patience, and close attention to detail. You work closely with the IT and data collection offices, and spend hours going through audio and visual recordings of surveillance and interviews.

The Marshals Service isn’t as big on paperwork as other federal law enforcement agencies. Sure, there is more than your fair share of reporting and accounting, but the emphasis of the agency is out in the field. Your job is tracking and arresting fugitives, not overanalyzing the results.

As a deputy marshal, you get to work with just about everyone on anything. You get along great with local police and can “sell” your services and utility to them quite easily. It is never about the glory. It is about getting the fugitive to justice. Local police appreciate that. They see you as no-nonsense and professional. Likewise, state and federal law enforcement are usually happy to have you as part of a team. You have hundreds of arrests under your belt and can speak with confident experience on the best way to take a suspect in. The right people listen. And you aren’t sloppy with your weapon, so the DEA folks are comfortable with you in a tense situation.

On a mission, your best friend is local law enforcement, particularly county sheriffs’ offices. Do not underestimate how useful these professionals can be. They know their area better than you do, and they have local relationships and contacts. If you need a tactical SUV or cruiser or simply some flashing red and blue lights, these are the women and men who will help you out. Buy them lunch. Listen to their opinions. Share your goals—or at least your cover story—and get their help if you can keep them safe. It will be worth it.

DG Note

Tough. Travel all the time. Not much oversight. Frequently in task forces. Know how to work with everybody, including locals.

Suggested Professions

Investigative Operations Division
Investigative Operations is responsible for most field work involved in tracking and apprehending fugitives.
   PROFESSION: Federal Agent.
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Criminology, Forensics,
Law, Search.
   EQUIPMENT: See TOOLS OF THE TRADE: FEDERAL AGENT
(page 85).

Tactical Operations Division/Special
Operations Group (SOG)
The SOG is a highly trained, all-volunteer group of deputy marshals that are on call to provide SWAT support in emergencies.
   PROFESSIONAL SKILLS:
»» Alertness 50%
»» Athletics 40%
»» Bureaucracy 40%
»» Criminology 50%
»» Dodge 40%
»» Drive 50%
»» Firearms 50%
»» Forensics 30%
»» Heavy Weapons 50%
»» HUMINT 60%
»» Law 30%
»» Persuade 50%
»» Search 50%
»» Stealth 40%
»» Unarmed Combat 60%
   BONDS: 2
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Athletics, Dodge, Firearms,
Unarmed Combat.
   EQUIPMENT: See TOOLS OF THE TRADE: SWAT (page 85).
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:27, Sat 28 Jan 2017.

Law Enforcement

Jurisdiction

Many layers of government overlap in the United States. There are municipal governments in towns and cities, county or parish governments, state governments, tribal governments, and the federal government. Nearly every one of these governments imposes laws
that must be enforced. Nearly every one approaches law enforcement differently.

As a rule of thumb, state laws cover traffic regulations and major crimes such as murder, robbery, burglary, rape, and drug possession. County and municipal ordinances typically cover local, “quality of life” issues dealing with noise, garbage, and property maintenance.

Municipal police officers enforce municipal ordinances, county ordinances, and state laws. Small municipalities often request assistance from county and state investigators.

County or parish police officers (usually sheriff’s deputies) enforce county ordinances and state laws but not municipal ordinances. County or parish officers often assist local and state police.

State police officers enforce state laws but not county or municipal ordinances. Most visibly, state troopers enforce traffic laws on state highways. State investigators often assist local and county officers in major criminal cases. State investigators are sometimes invited by local and county police agencies to investigate officer-involved shootings, as an alternative to having local or county detectives investigate their co-workers.

On Indian reservations, the choice of law depends on the parties. Minor offenses are usually covered by tribal law and investigated by tribal police; but if one party is Indian and the other is not, federal law applies instead. Major offenses typically are covered by federal laws; but if both parties are non-Indian, state law applies instead.

Federal laws are enforced by federal law-enforcement agencies, not by state, county, or municipal police. But local police often make reports on suspected violations of federal law, which they provide to federal agents to assist in prosecution. And local police officers are often deputized to enforce federal laws.

Deputation

Most federal law-enforcement agencies have a process to deputize local police officers to work with the federal agency’s authority as part of a task force. The best known are the United States Marshals Service’s Fugitive Task Forces, the FBI’s Organized Crime/Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF), and the DEA’s ubiquitous Task Force Officer program.

A deputy must fill out paperwork confirming he or she willingly takes on the responsibility and has not been convicted of a federal crime. A federal judge, or a special agent (or deputy marshal) from the agency,swears the deputy in and provides credentials. Deputation credentials—a card or paper which must be carried—define the dates when the deputation began and will end, a case number, and contact information for the agent who initiated the deputation.

Deputation allows the officer to carry a concealed firearm anywhere in the Unites States, to investigate and gather evidence without the requirement to pass that information to the deputy’s home agency, and to make arrests in pursuit of the case.

Many deputations are specific to individual cases and only apply while the deputy is on duty. Some (particularly the DEA) keep local officers on deputized duty for years.

Field Offices

Law enforcement field offices come in many sizes and shapes, but most have equipment and resources in common. A typical field office has a small armory with handguns, shotguns, a small number of carbines, bulletproof vests, and tactical and emergency gear such as walkie talkies, flashlights, binoculars, zip ties, duct tape, and extensive first aid kits.

A typical field office has a motor pool of a few ordinary automobiles and one or two armored SUVs (usually referred to as “LAVs” or “lightly armored vehicles”).

A field office can provide an Agent who works at that agency with a small workstation including a computer (with access to both classified and unclassified networks) and office equipment. Most field offices have communal smartphones and encrypted laptops that can be checked out by visiting personnel.

Other Law Enforcement Agencies

These agencies are prominent in U.S. law enforcement and occasionally produce Delta Green recruits.

BUREAU OF ALCOHOL, TOBACCO, FIREARMS AND EXPLOSIVES
(ATF): Investigates and prevents federal offenses involving the unlawful use, manufacture, and possession of firearms and explosives; acts of arson and bombings; and illegal trafficking of alcohol and tobacco products.

CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION (CBP): Tasked with ensuring the border is secure and reliable. CBP allows authorized people and goods to enter the United States, while endeavoring to make it hard for illegal people and items to cross the border.

U.S. COAST GUARD (USCG): Patrols maritime borders, ports and rivers. The USCG prevents unauthorized vessels from entering the U.S., responds to disasters, and conducts search-and-rescue operations. The USCG is officially a member of the uniformed services and the armed forces, but is component of the Department of Homeland Security. It is the only branch of the military with widespread law enforcement powers.

U.S. SECRET SERVICE (USSS): Protects the nation’s leaders and its financial infrastructure. The first mission involves guarding the President and other key leaders and dignitaries as well as high-visibility facilities. The second mission focuses on financial crimes such as wire fraud, money laundering and counterfeiting.
This message was last updated by the GM at 02:22, Sat 28 Jan 2017.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP)


Customs and Border Protection is the largest law enforcement agency in the United States in terms of manpower. It enforces border regulations including visitor access, trade, cargo, customs (import taxes), and immigration. CBP works closely with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the FBI to keep U.S. borders safe while facilitating legal immigration, visitation, business and trade.

BUDGET: Approximately $12 billion in 2015.

The CBP Operative at a Glance

POWERS OF ARREST? Yes.

EXPECTED TO CARRY A WEAPON? Yes.

ACCESS TO FUNDS? Can be supplied with a credit line if traveling or on an investigation or mission. The credit line can be up to a Standard expense
without eliciting official review.

OPERATIONAL BUDGET/RESTRICTED ITEMS? Using Bureaucracy, the operative can access surveillance and tracking equipment. Items like infrared or low-light cameras or goggles are equivalent to an Unusual expense. Specialized vehicles including dune buggies, improved police cruisers, improves SUVs, hardened ATVs (quads), patrol boats, and horses are Major expenses. Aerial vehicles like drones or helicopters with surveillance equipment are equivalent to an Extreme expense.

The Organization

Based in Washington, D.C., CBP employs over 50,000 people (40,000 of whom are law enforcement personnel) and maintains offices at over 300 points of entry into the United States, including preclearance posts at airports in foreign countries.

In terms of law enforcement operations, CBP’s three most important offices are Air and Marine Operations (AMO), Border Patrol (BP), and the Office of Field Operations (OFO, pronounced “oh foh”). All three employ special agents and uniformed officers to enforce U.S. law. OFO staffs the points of entry into the United States, including customs and immigration offices and posts at land borders, maritime ports, and airports. Border Patrol covers the rest of the border and is responsible for tracking and arresting illegal entrants. AMO provides air and maritime support for OFO and BP and conducts maritime searches.

Within the Office of Border Patrol is the elite Special Operations Group (SOG). SOG provides
Customs and Border Protection with specially trained and equipped teams capable of rapid response to dangerous situations, including hostage rescue, tactical operations, search and rescue, and field medical response. Within SOG there are two operational units. The Border Patrol Tactical Unit (BORTAC) deploys at a moment’s notice around the world, including into active combat zones. The Border Patrol Search, Trauma, and Rescue Unit (BORSTAR) provides advanced search and rescue and field medical support. SOG maintains a small in-house Intelligence Unit (SOG IU) and deployable logistics team (the Mobile Response Team, or MRT). SOG IU conducts electronic targeting and collections, and provides additional support for selected CBP missions and Border Patrol. MRT deploys into crisis areas to provide logistical and supply management support for other SOG or federal law enforcement teams.


Key CBP Offices

» Air and Marine Operations (AMO)
» Border Patrol (BP)
  › Special Operations Group (SOG)
    ∙ Border Patrol Tactical Unit (BORTAC)
    ∙ Border Patrol Search, Trauma and Rescue
Unit (BORSTAR)
» Office of Field Operations (OFO)
  › Cainine Enforcement Program
» Office of Intelligence

Operatives

CBP agents have the authority to stop, question, inspect, and examine any person or vehicle entering or exiting the United States, and to arrest individuals suspected of violating federal law. The primary difference between OFO, BP, and OAM is the parts of the border they focus on. OFO focuses on formal points of entry, BP patrols the large stretches of the border, and OAM covers the skies. Each CBP trainee completes courses in integrated law (including nationality, immigration, and criminal law), physical training, firearms instruction, and driving. Many CBP employees learn Spanish.

SOG officers train like other federal SWAT teams, though they travel more than most. SOG specializes in remote-area tactical operations, and in many ways operates like a military unit.

CBP canine officers use specially trained detector dogs to identify narcotics, concealed humans, smuggled agriculture products, explosives and ammunition, and unreported currency. These teams are some of the most effective means to catch explosives and contraband and are in high demand.

Authority and Mandate

In general, CBP ensures that authorized people and goods have minimal trouble entering the United States, while making it hard for illegal people and items to enter. CBP’s border security missions include interdicting illegal narcotics and other contraband; refusing entry to people attempting illegal entry or who pose a risk to the U.S. (including known or suspected terrorists); protecting American agriculture from harmful pests and diseases; collecting import duties; and enforcing trade, immigration, and agriculture laws.

Field Operations

For Border Patrol and AMO, the “field” is a breathtaking amount of territory along the northern and southern borders as well as maritime ports of entry. Agents usually spend more time out of the office than in. An AMO patrol covers specific territory such as a marine port or shipping lane. AMO patrols board ships and aircraft. Border Patrol covers large areas of remote land. While most patrols only last a day or
two, they can sometimes stretch into many days or
weeks, particularly if the team is looking into suspected criminal trafficking in remote wilderness.

It is increasingly common for surveillance drones to support Border Patrol on routine outings. BP deploys advanced IR and low light cameras, and is open to exploring new or untested surveillance technologies. By setting up regular patrols over areas suspected to be used by smugglers, the organization builds a large amount of time-lapse data on a discrete area. It discovers considerable detail by tracing physical evidence like footprints, tire tracks, or even residual heat signatures.

OFO works inside or nearby static facilities; “ports of entry” at the land border, traditional ports, and airports.

Areas of Friction

CBP generally gets along well with other federal agencies. It cooperates closely with DEA, ICE, ATF, and the FBI to combat terrorism and criminal syndicates. It is a large contributor to Joint Terrorism Task Forces. CBP works with the Department of State to identify potential criminals or terrorists who try to use fake or illegally obtained passports or visas to enter the United States.

CBP gets into bureaucratic trouble due to the distinct cultures of its three operational arms. OFO, BP, and AMO all operate in different environments, with different equipment, and sometimes with different priorities. The three offices often act like independent units rather than part of a cohesive CBP, making information sharing and cooperation unnecessarily difficult.

A series of operational failures and difficult public relations stories about the treatment of refugees and immigrants, particularly South Americans and Muslims, have subjected CBP to ongoing public criticism. Congress increasingly scrutinizes its day-today operations.

Playing a Deputy

At land Ports of Entry, OFO officers look at the credentials of drivers who enter the U.S. from Canada or Mexico. Travelers entering through portal facilities or airports are interviewed as CBP stations as the last line of clearance to enter the United States. Even at slow entry portals or airports, OFO officers and agents perform hundreds of these interviews a day.

As a member of OFO, you likely wanted to be part of law enforcement for some time. OFO provides the opportunity to guard the border and a comfortable and stable work environment. If are are family-oriented, this is a good job. Travel is light, your assignments last years at a time, and your hours are regular. OFO-operated facilities and entry portals are often the best and most reliable employers in some of the most remote areas of the country.

As part of OFO, your loyalty is to the American people, not to the traveler trying to get past you. You are sympathetic, but your job is to stop the wrong people from entering the U.S., even those who don’t know they are in the wrong. The law is the law, and the grey areas are few and far between. Travelers either have valid credentials and qualify to enter the U.S. or they don’t. Simple as that. You are amazingly quick at evaluating someone’s intentions, even outside of work. You watch for micro-expressions, universal tell-tale signs on a person’s face or in their demeanor. You listen to the pitch of their voice. You watch to see how steady their hand is. You don’t so much listen to what someone says as much as how they say it.

Border Patrol attracts a very different breed. Border Patrol agents tend to be happy to go out on long patrols in everything from SUVs to kayaks. Border Patrol tends to rely on the judgment of its personnel in the field. In the middle of the night, surrounded by desert, there isn’t always time to call headquarters for approval. On patrol, you use the same skills as a hunter: patience and a keen eye for physical evidence.

The primary activity of a Border Patrol agent is “Line Watch.” Line Watch involves the detection, prevention, and apprehension of terrorists, illegal aliens and smugglers near the border by maintaining an extensive surveillance network, both active and passive. Active surveillance involves drones, canine units, remote cameras, and officers’ eyes. Passive surveillance involves sensing equipment like unmanned infrared  cameras and chemical sniffers to determine the numbers and locations of illegal crossings.

AMO is somewhere in between the outdoor appeal of BP and the stable offices of OFO. If you are AMO, you like the fusion of law enforcement and vehicles such as aircraft or boats. The wide-open environment means you have to think a bit differently than most police, constantly evaluating the environment and geography. AMO officers usually play a support role to Border Patrol and OFO, and that suits you fine. Your team only gets called in when there is a need that the other offices can’t cover. That means much less wasted time.

Suggested Professions

Border Protection (Preclearance or Portal Monitoring) (OFO/P)
These officers man points of entry into the United States. They screen visitors and cargo. Many are posted in dangerous border crossings and face well-armed and determined narcotics traffickers.
   PROFESSION: Federal Agent.
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Alertness, Bureaucracy,
HUMINT, Persuasion.
   EQUIPMENT: See TOOLS OF THE TRADE: FEDERAL AGENT
(page 85).

Marine Interdiction (AMO/MI)
Marine Interdiction Agents are drilled in boarding actions, particularly from a small ship onto a large vessel.
   PROFESSIONAL SKILLS:
» Alertness 50%
» Bureaucracy 30%
» Criminology 50%
» Drive 50%
» Firearms 50%
» Forensics 30%
» Foreign Language (Spanish) 50%
» Heavy Weapons 30%
» HUMINT 60%
» Law 30%
» Persuade 40%
» Pilot (Boat) 60%
» Search 50%
» Swim 50%
» Unarmed Combat 60%
   BONDS: 2
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Alertness, Athletics,
Search, SIGINT
   EQUIPMENT: Per TOOLS OF THE TRADE: FEDERAL AGENT
on page 85 of the Agent’s Handbook, along with
water survival gear.

Detection Canine Program (OFO/K9)
CBP canine teams assess and identify smuggled material, particularly contraband, illegal narcotics, and explosives. K9 teams are always in high demand and can travel extensively.
   PROFESSION: Federal Agent.
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Alertness, Craft (Dog
Training), Science (Veterinary Science), Search.
   EQUIPMENT: Per TOOLS OF THE TRADE: FEDERAL AGENT
on page 85 of the Agent’s Handbook, a canine
colleague (working or sporting breed), dog handling
equipment, and veterinary medical supplies.

U.S. Border Patrol
Border Patrol officers run interdiction, surveillance, and search teams to identify trends in illegal entry and capture illegal migrants or contraband. Border Patrol officers are hardy and used to operating out of an SUV for extended periods of time
   PROFESSION: Federal Agent.
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Athletics, Drive, Navigate, Survival.
   EQUIPMENT: Per TOOLS OF THE TRADE: FEDERAL AGENT
on page 85 of the Agent’s Handbook and access to a
wide range of transportation.

Border Tactical Unit (SOG/BORTAC)
Deployable and mobile, the BORTAC is CBP’s primary tactical operations group. It specializes in both dense urban and remote environments and is designed to be self-sufficient for days without support or resupply.
   PROFESSIONAL SKILLS:
» Alertness 50%
» Bureaucracy 20%
» Criminology 50%
» Drive 50%
» Firearms 50%
» Forensics 30%
» Foreign Language (Spanish) 40%
» HUMINT 40%
» Law 30%
» Navigate 60%
» Persuade 50%
» Pharmacy 50%
» Search 50%
» Survival 60%
» Unarmed Combat 60%
   BONDS: 2
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Alertness, Firearms, Melee
Weapons, Military Science (Land).
   EQUIPMENT:  Per TOOLS OF THE TRADE: FEDERAL AGENT
on page 85 of the Agent’s Handbook.

Border Patrol Search, Trauma and Rescue Unit (SOG/BORSTAR)
BORSTAR provides skilled medical and search and rescue personnel for BORTAC and other law enforcement groups to provide. BORSTAR specializes in operations in remote areas.
   PROFESSIONAL SKILLS:
» Bureaucracy 50%
» First Aid 60%
» Forensics 50%
» Medicine 60%
» Navigate 40%
» Persuade 40%
» Pharmacy 50%
» Science (Biology) 50%
» Search 50%
» Surgery 50%
» Survival 30%
   BONDS: 2
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Firearms, First Aid, Medicine, Survival.
   EQUIPMENT: Per TOOLS OF THE TRADE: FEDERAL AGENT
on page 85 of the Agent’s Handbook and extensive
medical supplies and trauma equipment.

National Air Security Operations (AMO/NASO)
NASO operates CBP’s long-range patrol aircraft, P3 surveillance planes and drones.
   PROFESSION: Pilot.
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Alertness, SIGINT, Pilot
(Airplane or Drone), Craft (Electronics).
   EQUIPMENT: Troubleshooting manuals, flight checklists, and access to a P3 aircraft or secure space to operate a drone.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:59, Fri 19 Apr 2019.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF or BATFE)


The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is under the Department of Justice and usually goes by its older name, Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF). Its role in tracking contraband alcohol and tobacco decreased after changes to its mandate and organization following 9/11. The ATF focuses heavily on reducing the threat of violent crime linked to firearms and explosives. The bulk of its work involves regulating firearm commerce and tracing firearms and explosives involved in crimes. The ATF also arrests violent offenders who unlawfully possess firearms.

BUDGET: About $1.2 billion in 2015.

The ATF Operative at a Glance

POWERS OF ARREST? Yes.

EXPECTED TO CARRY A WEAPON? Yes.

ACCESS TO FUNDS? Can be supplied with a credit line if traveling or on an investigation or assignment. The credit line is worth up to a Standard expense without eliciting official review.

OPERATIONAL BUDGET/RESTRICTED ITEMS? With Bureaucracy, an Agent may check out confiscated evidence from previous busts, ostensibly for examination or comparison with evidence from another case. Checking out a firearm connected to an existing case, but that can be purchased in the U.S. legally, is equivalent to an Unusual expense. Expensive or rare items, such as an impounded vehicle, are equivalent to a Major expense. Accessing heavily modified or illegal weapons or ammunition such as hollow-tipped bullets, armor-piercing or high-velocity bullets, incendiary rounds, or handguns modified to handle larger caliber ammunition is equivalent to a Major expense. Checking out evidence from a case the Agent is not involved with automatically triggers official review unless the Agent takes steps to hide his or her identity. Hiding the Agent’s identity requires a Criminology roll. If it fumbles, the Agent is caught and faces possible firing and prosecution.

With Forensics or Bureaucracy, an ATF agent may request the use of special vehicles that contain extensive scientific, analytical, and forensics gear. The request is equivalent to a Major expense.

The Organization

The ATF employs about 2,000 special agents and about 3,000 other employees, a relatively low number compared to other federal law enforcement agencies. It is notably small considering the number of cases the ATF sends for prosecution. ATF is headed by a director and is divided into offices.

The operational section is the Office of Field Operations, which is supported by the Office of Intelligence and Information and the Office of Enforcement Programs. Other offices are technical or bureaucratic. ATF operates a number of forensics laboratories and ballistics/chemical identification centers. In its unique Fire Research Laboratory in Beltsville, Maryland, fullscale mock-ups of criminal arson or crime scenes are reconstructed.

ATF’s SWAT component is its Special Response Teams (SRTs). SRTs have a much wider range of missions than many federal SWAT teams. SRTs respond to high-risk arrest and search warrants, home invasion investigations, robberies, and undercover operations. They provide tracking in rural areas by human and canine operators, high-risk surveillance, precision weapon systems, and high-threat VIP protection details. The ATF maintains a large number of working dogs, many attached to SRTs.

ATF’s National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) provides federal, state, and municipal agencies with an automated ballistic imaging system. NIBIN examines physical details such as bullet striation or types of entry wounds to link previously unrelated crimes.


Key ATF Offices

» Office of Field Operations and Investigation
(OFO)
  › Special Response Teams (SRTs)
    ∙ Tactical Canine Program
» Office of Strategic Intelligence and Information
» Office of Enforcement Programs (OEP)
  › Explosives Enforcement
    ∙ Accelerant and Explosives Detection Canine
Program
    ∙ National Explosives Task Force (NETF)

Operatives

ATF special agents conduct criminal investigations involving firearms, explosives or contraband, and work with state and local police to reduce violent crime. On the other side of the house, ATF investigators are charged with regulating the gun and explosive industry. These men and women are not armed law enforcement officers but have administrative authority to conduct inspections and searches, and to recommend revocation or non-renewal of Federal Firearms Licenses when licensees violate federal firearms laws.

ATF uses criminal profilers who are trained at the FBI’s National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime (NCAVC) in Quantico, Virginia. Behavioral profilers analyze and interpret crime-scene behavior and witness and suspect testimonies to assess the personality of the perpetrator. A geographic profiler analyzes connected crime locations to pinpoint the most probable area where an offender would live. ATF is the only federal agency to use geographic profilers.

Authority and Mandate

The ATF has the lead authority on federal crimes whose nature involves firearms or explosives. It regulates the sale, possession, and transportation of firearms, ammunition, and explosives in interstate commerce and issues approvals to prospective gun sellers. The ATF conducts firearms licensee inspections and background checks. The ATF investigates cigarette smuggling and narcotics investigations

Field Operations

Travel budgets for ATF employees are reasonably robust. Official travel is frequent and not heavily scrutinized. ATF agents have large caseloads and sometimes travel between states or overseas for weeks at a time. When in the field, ATF agents, investigators, and officials operate like other federal law enforcement personnel. It is rare for an ATF agent to operate alone, and the ATF is likely to send a team composed of at least an agent and an investigator. When violence is expected (which is common in ATF operations), multiple special agents are sent while investigators and other personnel are held back. If available, a Special Response Team is deployed.

ATF utilizes a National Response Team (NRT) to deploy personnel to significant events. NRT members are expected to deploy within 24 hours. The NRT is composed of veteran personnel, including explosives specialists, fire investigators, forensic mapping specialists, explosive detection canine teams, electrical engineers, and forensic chemists. A deployed team is generally broken down into two components, one that processes the scene and another to lead the investigation.

Areas of Friction

Due to the databases the ATF maintains, it is often called upon by other federal and state law enforcement bodies for forensic or firearms tracing data. The data never comes quickly enough. There is always more demand for data from the ATF than it has resources to quickly handle, leading to resentment and a general sense that ATF personnel “aren’t doing their job.”

Firearms are involved in many crimes in the United States, but the ATF’s involvement in many of these crimes is to focus on violations of firearms or explosives law rather than the primary criminal act.This can lead to the ATF feuding with other agencies over jurisdiction, especially when it comes to serving a warrant and getting credit for the operation. Frequently, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and ATF often work at cross purposes against the same criminal organizations or suspects.

ATF’s mandate brings it into conflict with a number of lobbying and special interest groups, particularly the powerful and well-funded National Rifle Association (NRA). This places ATF operations under constant public and political scrutiny.

Playing the ATF

You don’t have time for niceties. ATF special agents consistently rank at the top of all federal agencies in cases referred for prosecution and arrests made. Every agency bemoans the fact that it is understaffed and underfunded, but ATF has it particularly rough. Your supervisors place a premium on closing cases or sending them to jury. You wish you had more time to go through the details, but you have to rely on your instincts to make sure you don’t get bogged down in minutiae.

ATF investigations are intense. Every interaction with a suspect is potentially deadly. ATF personnel are taught to be cautious and thorough until a situation begins to unravel. Then, the ATF personnel are expected to take control quickly and forcefully. Suspects are often better armed than the ATF, so the best response is to secure the initiative.

Most ATF agents perform well under stress. If they didn’t, they would have left long ago. Still, you have to find ways to cope. For many that means drinking. Hopefully you have another outlet on your time off to help you wind down and stay focused. Travel is a significant part of your life, making a balance of work and a personal life more difficult. You have to make it work. If you don’t, something will break.

You have a lot of face time with the worst elements of society on their own turf. ATF agents not only have to learn how criminal organizations work and the personalities involved, but must be able to blend in to their neighborhoods and communities. This type of work is better learned in the field with veteran agents than in classrooms.

Suggested Professions

Tactical Canine Program (SRT/K9)
ATF’s canine program focuses on hidden or fleeing suspects. The human member of the team is expected to be good at tracking human suspects on their own, and with a canine partner, they are formidable. The duo is also trained to work in concert in a fight.
   PROFESSION: Federal Agent.
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Craft (Dog Training), Melee Weapons, Search, Survival.
   EQUIPMENT: Per TOOLS OF THE TRADE: FEDERAL AGENT
on page 85 of the Agent’s Handbook, a canine colleague (working breed), dog handling equipment, and limited veterinary medical supplies.

Tactical Medic Program (SRT/TMP)
Tactical medics are special agents who specialize in combat trauma care.
   PROFESSIONAL SKILLS:
» Alertness 50%
» Bureaucracy 40%
» Criminology 50%
» Drive 50%
» Firearms 50%
» First Aid 50%
» Forensics 30%
» HUMINT 60%
» Law 30%
» Medicine 30%
» Military Science (Land) 30%
» Persuade 50%
» Pharmacy 50%
» Search 50%
» Unarmed Combat 60%
   BONDS: 1
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Firearms, First Aid, Science (Biology or Veterinary), Surgery.
   EQUIPMENT: Per TOOLS OF THE TRADE: FEDERAL AGENT
on page 85 of the Agent’s Handbook and extensive
(and portable) first aid and trauma gear.

Tactical Operations (SRT/TO)
ATF’s Special Response Team tactical operators focus on highly dangerous manhunts.
   PROFESSIONAL SKILLS:
» Alertness 60%
» Athletics 60%
» Demolitions 50%
» Dodge 60%
» Firearms 60%
» First Aid 40%
» Heavy Weapons 50%
» Melee Weapons 50%
» Military Science (Land) 30%
» Navigate 50%
» Stealth 60%
» Survival 50%
» Swim 50%
» Unarmed Combat 60%
   BONDS: 1
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Athletics, Demolitions,
Firearms, HUMINT.
   EQUIPMENT: Per TOOLS OF THE TRADE: FEDERAL AGENT
on page 85 of the Agent’s Handbook.

Office of Field Operations and Investigation (OFO)
ATF special agents put cases together against suspected illegal weapons dealers and smugglers. That often means conflict with organized criminal gangs and syndicates.
   PROFESSION: Federal Agent.
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Criminology, Forensics,
Firearms, Law
   EQUIPMENT: Per TOOLS OF THE TRADE: FEDERAL AGENT
on page 85 of the Agent’s Handbook.

Criminal Investigative Analyst
Geographic profilers and behavioral profilers anticipate a suspect’s tendencies and motives as well as areas they are likely to strike.
   PROFESSIONAL SKILLS:
» Bureaucracy 40%
» Computer Science 40%
» Criminology 50%
» Foreign Language (Spanish) 40%
» HUMINT 60%
» Forensics 40%
» Law 40%
» Psychotherapy 30%
» Science (Statistics) 50%
» Science (Biology) 50%
   BONDS: 3
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Criminology, Forensics,
Law, Psychotherapy
   EQUIPMENT: Access to FBI and ATF databases and
files, access to academic research on psychology and
behavioral sciences, and a respectable library on criminal behavior.

Office of Field Operations and Investigation (OFO)
ATF special agents put cases together against suspected illegal weapons dealers and smugglers. That often means conflict with organized criminal gangs and syndicates.
   PROFESSION: Federal Agent.
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Criminology, Forensics,
Firearms, Law
   EQUIPMENT: Per TOOLS OF THE TRADE: FEDERAL AGENT
on page 85 of the Agent’s Handbook.

Explosives Specialist
Certified Explosives Specialists (CES) are special agents trained in explosives investigations, the disposal of explosive materials, and how the commercial explosives industry operates. Some CES are also trained as Explosive Enforcement Officers with additional skills in defusing explosives during kinetic operations.
   PROFESSIONAL SKILLS:
PROFESSIONAL SKILLS:
» Alertness 60%
» Athletics 60%
» Artillery 40%
» Demolitions 60%
» Dodge 60%
» Firearms 50%
» First Aid 40%
» Heavy Machinery 60%
» Heavy Weapons 50%
» Military Science (Land) 20%
» Stealth 50%
» Survival 50%
» Swim 50%
» Unarmed Combat 50%
   BONDS: 1
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Criminology, Demolitions,
Forensics, Science (Chemistry or Physics).
   EQUIPMENT:  Per TOOLS OF THE TRADE: FEDERAL AGENT
on page 85 of the Agent’s Handbook, explosives
protection gear, a large selection of tools, electronic
and chemical diagnostics equipment, and access to
remotely operated vehicles to approach, surveil, and
neutralize suspected explosives.
This message was last edited by the GM at 06:02, Mon 22 Apr 2019.

The U.S. Secret Service (USSS)


The United States Secret Service is a federal law enforcement agency within the Department of Homeland Security. The USSS has a two-fold mission: protection of the nation’s leaders and protection of its financial infrastructure. The first mission is defensive in nature, and involves ensuring the safety of the President, other key leaders and dignitaries, and high-visibility facilities. The second mission is investigative in nature, and involves financial crimes such as wire fraud, money laundering, and counterfeiting.

BUDGET: Just over $1.6 billion in 2015.

The Secret Service Agent at a Glance

POWERS OF ARREST? Yes. Special Officers and Uniformed Division officers can only make arrests connected to their official duties, as opposed to many other federal agents, including USSS special agents, who can make arrests of nearly anyone suspected of a crime in their presence, and certainly anyone who commits a crime in front of them.

EXPECTED TO CARRY A WEAPON? Yes.

ACCESS TO FUNDS? Can be supplied with a credit line if traveling or on an investigation or mission, up to a Standard expense without eliciting official review.

OPERATIONAL BUDGET/RESTRICTED ITEMS? Using Bureaucracy, an operative may use advanced, converted armored civilian vehicles such SUVs and limousines (always in black). These vehicles are not only armored and have improved engines, they also come with a wide range of encrypted communications gear, advanced drone support, and surveillance gear. Such a vehicle is the equivalent of a Major expense. Operatives may request transport of their vehicles or any large piece of equipment by military aircraft to support VIP protection details as an Extreme expense. Because of the rarity of these vehicles, “borrowing” one automatically elicits official review. Hiding the agent’s identity requires a Criminology roll; if it fumbles, the agent is caught and faces possible firing and prosecution.

The Organization

The missions of the Secret Service have evolved considerably. Originally part of the Department of the Treasury and tasked with investigating counterfeiting and financial fraud, the USSS was soon tasked with protection of the President. Following 9/11, the USSS was transferred to the newly formed DHS. The Secret Service is one of the smaller agencies within the DHS in terms of both personnel and budget. The agency employs over 3,000 special agents, around 1,300 Uniformed Division officers, and around 2,000 support and technical personnel. The USSS has agents assigned to 136 field offices with the headquarters in Washington, D.C.

USSS is divided into offices. The most notable include the Office of Protective Operations, the Office of Investigation, and the Office of Strategic Intelligence and Information (SII). Protective Operations focuses on protecting VIPs. Supporting USSS agents on protective details is the Protective Intelligence and Assessment Division (PID), which engages in information analysis, threat investigation, risk assessment, and intelligence sharing.

The National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) provides training on the prevention of targeted violence and the identification of attack-related behaviors. NTAC conducts its own behavioral research, and sets the standard for threat assessment and risk assessments on particular individuals.

To investigate financial crimes, the USSS utilizes a nationwide network of Electronic Crimes Task Forces (ECTFs) to investigate and prevent attacks on financial and critical infrastructure. Electronic Crimes Task Forces bring together federal, state, and local law enforcement, prosecutors, private-sector companies, and academia to address serious financial or identity-theft crimes.

Key USSS Offices and Divisions

» Office of Protective Operations
  › Personal Protective Detail Division
  › Special Operations Division
    ∙ Counter Assault Team
    ∙ Counter Sniper Unit
  › Uniformed Division
  › Protective Intelligence and Assessment Division (PID)
» Office of Investigation
  › Forgery Division
  › Electronic Financial Crimes Division
» Office of Strategic Intelligence and Information
(SII)
» National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC)

Operatives

In general, there are three law enforcement career paths in the Secret Service. The most high-profile are the special agents who perform investigation and protection mandates. Special officers support the protective mission with a fusion of law enforcement skills and site surveillance equipment such as metal detectors. The Uniformed Division uses traditional policing techniques to protect facilities like the White House. The support network for the Secret Service includes specialized Administrative, Professional and Technical (APT) personnel. APT includes bureaucratic and support staff as well as technical specialists like digital forensics analysts. Much of the investigative side of the USSS is performed by APT personnel.

Special agents’ careers are more varied than other USSS personnel. They are expected to do stints in both the Office of Protective Operations and the Office of Investigations. Special agents’ dual responsibilities in protection and investigation mean they must excel at different skill sets.

Uniformed Division officers carry out their protective responsibilities through a network of fixed security posts as well as foot and vehicular patrols. Within the Uniformed Division are a number of specialized teams: the Counter Sniper Team (CS), the Canine Explosives Detection Team (K-9), the Counter Assault Team (CAT), and the Emergency Response Team (ERT). Officers assigned to CS, ERT, and K9 are designated “technicians” to recognize their advanced training. These units are part of the agency’s Special Operations Division.

Authority and Mandate

The Secret Service has primary jurisdiction in cases that involve threats against those it protects and cases that involve certain financial crimes counterfeiting of U.S. currency, forgery or theft of federal monies, credit card fraud, telecommunications fraud, computer fraud, money laundering involving federal funds, and identity fraud.

VIP protection remains the most visible mission of the Secret Service. The USSS is tasked with protecting the President and Vice President of the United States and their families. Visiting heads of state and key dignitaries are also protected by the USSS while they are within the United States.

Field Operations

Special agents travel often, but they have little leeway in their missions since most field operations are tied to high-visibility and extremely busy VIP protection details. Much of the Secret Service’s travel is for site preparation and reconnaissance missions in advance of a visit by a VIP. These “Advance Teams” are usually composed of one or two special agents and either technical personnel or a special officer. USSS always operates as a team during VIP protective details. Most requests for material go through at least the Agent in Charge (AIC) before being sent to Washington for approval. While in the field, funding is tightly monitored and is reviewed back in Washington, D.C., after the operation.

Field operations and travel connected to financial crimes leave the individual agent in command of their resource requests and locations of travel. Special agents and, occasionally, special officers execute arrest warrants across the United States connected to financial or identity crimes. These operations are generally handled in conjunction with the local ECTF or field office. Field offices maintain small armories and a relatively large fleet of standard and armored vehicles for agents’ use.

Areas of Friction

The Secret Service must rely on local law enforcement for crowd control and intelligence, but in terms of operations, it is loath to relinquish any control. This makes USSS less than popular with state and local law enforcement, and creates animosity with other federal agencies whose personnel aren’t treated much better. The arrival of USSS is often seen with dread by local police.

USSS works closely with the Department of the Treasury when investigating financial crimes. The USSS’s primacy on financial investigations is not always well respected by Treasury investigators, leading to overlapping and sometimes redundant cases.

Playing the Secret Service

As a Secret Service agent, you are smart and tough. You work for one of the world’s most historic and elite law enforcement organizations. The Secret Service name means something, and the organization prides itself on its exclusivity. You get to be the best. You have no issue comparing yourself to SOCOM or other elite forces. What you do is different, but no less intense. Even the technical staff is a cut above most agencies.

Secret Service agents look and act like those from any other federal agency, but with a stronger background in Internet and financial crime. Investigations begin, evidence is gathered and cataloged, (digital) forensic techniques are applied, warrants are issued, arrests are made, and assets are recovered.

Secret Service agents are rarely talkative and usually very cautious. Their constant proximity to VIPs is part of the reason they need high-level security clearances. It is usually better to stay quiet about what is seen rather than risk breaching personal or professional trust.

Protection involves much more than looking intimidating around a VIP. Your job is to be paranoid. You constantly evaluate worst-case scenarios. Experienced agents know where to look for vulnerabilities like single-exit buildings, blind corners, and narrow roads that could serve as bottlenecks. You are expected to be hyper vigilant. As cops everywhere say, your head is on a swivel. You watch people’s shoulders. When you know what to look for, the shoulders are dead giveaways for hostile intent.

Protective details aren’t about winning a fight. You approach firefights or physical altercations differently than other law enforcement or military organizations. Your priority is not to take down a suspect but get the protectee away safely. If that means emptying several magazines without hitting your target even once, so be it.

APT specialists form the bureaucratic backbone of the financial crimes division. These investigations require very specialized knowledge.

Suggested Professions

Protective Intelligence and Assessment Division (PID)
PID collects open-source and classified intelligence from a wide range of sources and analyzes the data for indications of an attack against a VIP. If the data suggest an attack, PID then builds a case file on the suspected nature of the attack and the perpetrators.
   PROFESSION: Intelligence Analyst.
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Computer Science, Criminology, HUMINT, SIGINT.
   EQUIPMENT: Access to classified reporting from
across the intelligence community.

Personal Protective Detail Division (PPD)
PPD agents and special officers are bodyguards and site control officers for the most high profile VIPs.
   PROFESSIONAL SKILLS:
» Alertness 60%
» Athletics 50%
» Criminology 30%
» Demolitions 40%
» Drive 50%
» Firearms 60%
» Heavy Weapons 50%
» HUMINT 60%
» Law 20%
» Melee Weapons 50%
» Navigate 50%
» Stealth 50%
» Survival 50%
» Swim 50%
» Unarmed Combat 60%
   BONDS: 1
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Athletics, First Aid, Military Science (Land), Search.
   EQUIPMENT:  Per TOOLS OF THE TRADE: FEDERAL AGENT
on page 85 of the Agent’s Handbook.

Counter Assault Team (CAT)
The CAT is a unique SWAT team that specializes in defensive and suppressive combat to evacuate VIPs who are under attack.
   PROFESSIONAL SKILLS:
 Alertness 60%
» Athletics 60%
» Demolitions 40%
» Drive 50%
» Firearms 60%
» First Aid 40%
» Heavy Weapons 50%
» Melee Weapons 50%
» Military Science (Land) 60%
» Navigate 50%
» Stealth 50%
» Survival 50%
» Swim 50%
» Unarmed Combat 60%
   BONDS: 1
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Alertness, Criminology,
Firearms, Law.
   EQUIPMENT: Per TOOLS OF THE TRADE: FEDERAL AGENT
on page 85 of the Agent’s Handbook.

Financial Administrative, Professional and Technical Support
F-APT’s accountants and bureaucratic specialists perform financial investigations and analytical and digital forensics.
   PROFESSION: Lawyer or Business Executive.
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Accounting, Computer
Science, Criminology, SIGINT.
   EQUIPMENT: Access to significant classified reporting from across the intelligence community.