Criminal Investigations Special Agent (31D)
Legal and Law Enforcement Army MOS Information

Posted Friday, November 25, 2005

• Enlisted
• Active Duty
• Not an entry level position

Crimes can happen anywhere. The Army is no exception. Fortunately, the Army has their own law enforcement and security specialists to handle crimes committed on Army property or that involve Army personnel.

Criminal Investigations Special Agents are primarily responsible for supervising or conducting investigations of incidents and offenses or allegations of criminality that affect Army or Defense personnel, property, facilities or activities. Some of your duties as a Criminal Investigations Special Agent may include:

• Investigating criminal activities and activities related to espionage, treason and terrorism
• Interviewing witnesses and questioning suspects, sometimes using polygraph machines (lie detectors)
• Investigating serious crime
• Conducting sensitive/serious investigations
• Collecting, Analyzing, and Disseminating criminal intelligence
• Conducting protective service operations
• Providing forensic laboratory support
• Maintaining army criminal records

Training:

Job training for a Criminal Investigations Special Agent consists of nine weeks of Basic Training, where you'll learn basic soldiering skills, and a 15-week resident course challenging the student both mentally and physically, and is designed to train personnel for criminal investigation duty. Some of the skills you'll learn are:

• Civil and military laws
• Investigation procedures and techniques
• Knowledge of criminal law, crime scene processing, testimonial evidence, investigations of crimes against persons and property
• Knowledge of physical evidence, drug investigations, economic crimes, investigative reports
• Knowledge of Special investigative techniques, Terrorism and photography

Helpful Skills:

Helpful attributes include:

• An interest in law enforcement and crime prevention
• A willingness to perform potentially dangerous work
• An ability to remain calm under pressure

Advanced Responsibilities:

Advanced level Criminal Investigations Special Agents supervise and train other Soldiers within the same discipline.