Retiring from SF looking at DEA

[bcwn]

I will be ritired in 2 years and change from special forces. My back ground is has been CT/HR. Not that that means squat unless you are wrapped around stuff on paper. So with that being said I am looking into applying with the DEA. I am getting the feeling based on conversations with some of the guys on my team that I cannot apply due to the fact I will be forty at time of application. Is there any type of waiver. Can I even go to work for any Fed LE. I spend around 14-18 solid hours on commercial aircraft going back and forth with my team, so the FAM is not even an option for me. God bless those guys I have no idea how they can do that, way under paid in my book.. Any advice of help in this matter would be greatly apprecieated..

[MLPJLP]

I am sending you a PM

[SA13]

There are some fed LE jobs that do not have the age limit. However, if you are hoping to be a DEA Special Agent (aka GS-1811 Criminal Investigator) that job is one that has the special LE retirement, with a mandatory retirement age of 57, which means you must be able to have 20 years of service in a job covered by the special LE retirement before you reach 57. All of which means you must have been in one of those jobs prior to your 37th birthday. Military time, regardless of specialty, cannot be used to get credit toward those 20 years.

All of that is established by federal law. Individual agencies have very limited authority to "waive" the age limit. However, that is based on agency wide hiring requirements, NOT individual requests for a waiver. For example post 9-11 the FAMs were allowed to raise the age allowing them to hire people who had not yet reached their 40th birthday, because there was a push to expand the agency. I have never seen any program that raised the limit above 40.

Further, typically if someone is in a covered job they can switch to other covered jobs. For example someone gets hired by the FBI as a SA at age 34 then 4 years later at age 38 that decide they want apply to DEA there is no problem because they are already in a covered job that counts toward the required 20 years before age 57. However, that does not apply to people hired above age 37 by an agency that temporarily was allowed to raise the age limit. For example someone hired by the FAMs at age 38 would not be able to transfer to another agency because the "waiver" was agency specific.

DEA has no shortage of qualified applicants so it's doubtful they will be seeking an exception to the age limit. If you are truly motivated by the DEA mission you may want to look into other jobs other than the SA position. There are plenty of other jobs that are valuable to the mission, but aren't SA jobs covered by the LE retirement.

Sorry, I'm sure none of that's what you wanted to hear. If you want to be a criminal investigator there are still options. You could apply to local agencies, and work hard to make detective in a few years. Hell, if you work as a narcotics detective you could even try to get assigned to a fed task force and still work with DEA.

[bcwn]

well I appriecieate the honesty. It wasnt what I wanted to hear, but I guess there is really nothing I can do about the age thing. I will look into other LE jobs and see how that works out. Thanks again for all of your help.

[CCGIA]

bcwn,

If the DEA doesn't work out and moving to CA is an option for you look at the California Department of Justice, Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement (BNE). They are the states equivalent to the DEA for California. Check out the CA Attorney General’s website for more info or www.cslea.com/Affiliates/ASA-DOJ/index1.asp (website for the Association of Special Agents). Good luck...

[Group 29]

There is the possibiliity of some contract jobs with DEA with your background. There are former SF personnel who are hired on a contract basis for commo and medic slots from time to time, almost always for overseas slots like FAST (or Snowcap). Those positions are hard to find sometimes, but they do exist. But, you have nothing to lose by calling.

[nateljen80]

Please consider the Bureau of Prisons,

Plenty of available movement for the gypsie/vagabond. High speed assignments ie; SORT, DCT ect. ect. Investigations, you name it. Pay is great and you can move all over CONUS if so desired or you can pitch a tent and hang out for awhile.


They will hire you.....................


There's plenty of plot................

[Bearcat357]

Please consider the Bureau of Prisons,

Plenty of available movement for the gypsie/vagabond. High speed assignments ie; SORT, DCT ect. ect. Investigations, you name it. Pay is great and you can move all over CONUS if so desired or you can pitch a tent and hang out for awhile.


They will hire you.....................


There's plenty of plot................

If he's over 37, BOP won't hire him either due to 20 year retirement....same with FBI, ATF, ICE, etc........

[nateljen80]

oh yeah................

unless he has 3+ years federal time accrued elsewhere...........They also may make an exception given his stellar background. That may go for any agency.Couldnt hurt to ask.

[Bearcat357]

They also may make an exception given his stellar background. That may go for any agency.Couldnt hurt to ask.

Agencies don't do that.....there has to be an exceptional reason as to why they are doing it.....as they will have to chat with OPM about it.....

From another board I go to (that has a ton of Feds on there) the chances of an exception to the policy is at about .1%......

It just doesn't happen because of all of the other available candidates out there....

[manstown]

I will be ritired in 2 years and change from special forces. My back ground is has been CT/HR. Not that that means squat unless you are wrapped around stuff on paper. So with that being said I am looking into applying with the DEA. I am getting the feeling based on conversations with some of the guys on my team that I cannot apply due to the fact I will be forty at time of application. Is there any type of waiver. Can I even go to work for any Fed LE. I spend around 14-18 solid hours on commercial aircraft going back and forth with my team, so the FAM is not even an option for me. God bless those guys I have no idea how they can do that, way under paid in my book.. Any advice of help in this matter would be greatly apprecieated..

You can apply for Border Patrol before you're 40 and hope for a Tentative Offer. If you receive that TO before you're 40 it stops the clock and you can be put on a list because of military obligation. Meaning, first you apply, test and get a TO. If this happens before you're 40 you can defer until you retire from the military. They have raised their age limit because of the need of BP Agents. Give it a shot. Other than that, I don't know any others that have that raised age limit. Even FAMS have gone back to 37. ICE IEA's have it, but don't have any openings for a test coming up just yet.

[ICE Offcr]

the age limit is also 40 in ICE/DRO now. Signed late last year by the Director.