Thread: DEA duty question

Just to give a little background so you know where I'm coming from with this question....in my community (naval aviation) there are certain duties that are very, very important (like being a flight instructor in Pensacola) but can hurt your career if you take it. I've always had the mentality that you should apply for duties that you would find rewarding regardless of the perception for reputation/promotion, as long as you give 110%.

Now my question, is there this perception in the DEA for any duties? ...for example would a demand reduction coordinator be seen as a non-enforcement type duty (and somehow less respected/wanted?) I'm not disrespecting a DRC, just using it as an example, I think that I would really enjoy interacting with the community and that's why I'm asking this question. In the end, I've always done what I felt was important, but was just curious as to what the perception is. In my community, it's a competition driven/top dog mentality and if you take a tour outside the cockpit, you fall behind. So in DEA, is it like that if you leave the field for a tour or two?

It doesn't matter what duty you get assigned to. If you do a good job, it will enhance your career. Everybody starts out in enforcement, regardless. Other non enforcement postitions will be more familiar to you by the time you would qualify for them.

Navyair,

That hurts man (Just kidding!) The flight instructor gig has been great and I'm glad that I chose it over the RAG or WTU. I wouldn't even be contemplating staying in if I had stayed in one of the commnity jobs, but I found out that I passed Phase II and now the Nav isn't even a close second. Good luck with the rest of the process. Is it raining in Whidbey?

Dusty

Dusty,

Congrats on Phase II!

I'm very surprised to hear that the Nav is in second. I was sure you were staying in from your last PM.

Knowing how our community works, I'm sure you understand my question.

And thanks for rubbing it in that you get to live in Pensacola...but I'm out of the wind storms of Whidbey now. Your goal should be no SODs between now and Quantico....I remember how you instructors are.

Why would you be concerned with an issue you may or may not have to deal with 5 or 10 years from now. Your first concern should be making it through the application process.

As to your question. Being selected for a non-enforcement position is actually an achievement. One may get some ribbing from enforcement agents for not having to be involved in long surveillances or working on the weekend. However, all agents know that being selected for these non enforcment positions means that one must first have done a very good job in the field and have the ability to interact on a daily basis with top management and headquarters.

Originally Posted by Iknow

Why would you be concerned with an issue you may or may not have to deal with 5 or 10 years from now.

Because the federal government (or at least the military arm of it) has been known to kill good officers' careers with moves like that. Got a fast track officer who is hot stuff, send him to be an instructor so that others can learn from him. Suddenly this officer is missing a command position on his career history report, and is two steps behind all other not-so-spectacular people in his year group. I've seen it happen to people in my career field--they get sent to Biloxi to work at the school house, or Montgomery for Air Education and Training Command HQ, or tagged as an ROTC instructor, and they disappear from the radar.

Yes, it's a sign that you are a good officer to be put into those jobs, and they're very important as NavyAir has already pointed out. And like you said, IKnow, you must first have done a good job in the field. The catch-22 is that they are also seen as dead ends, career killers. When the board is looking at who to promote, they see two officers with the same careers up to a certain point. Then one moves on to become a squadron commander, and the other is selected to be an instructor--the commander will get picked for promotions and better jobs over the instructor 9 times out of 10. Not too many LTCs who are ROTC Det commanders make it to O-6. The concern is valid.

There is one problem with this discussion. The military and federal law enforcement should not be compared. There are completely different undertones and perceptions for every action one may take in each agency. In the military it may be career ending to take an instructors job, however, in federal law enforcement one may be in a non-enforcement position for only two or three years and then will be put back into an enforcment group. This rotation occurs constantly.

Maybe I just mis-read the very first post in this thread, but I was under the impression that the differences between the military and FLE is exactly why the question got asked in the first place. Great, people get rotated out to "special duty" assignments for a couple of years and then are back into the thick of it--I think everybody understands that part, and it happens that way for us too. I don't think anybody is assuming that if you pull a desk job for a few years that they'll kick you out of the DEA once that job is done. The focus of the question is what is the rest of your career like after you complete that tour--are you still honestly competitive for promotions, better jobs and assignments, etc. Being put back into an enforcement group is great, but will you ever be the leader of that group?

Originally Posted by Iknow

Why would you be concerned with an issue you may or may not have to deal with 5 or 10 years from now. Your first concern should be making it through the application process.

As to your question. Being selected for a non-enforcement position is actually an achievement. One may get some ribbing from enforcement agents for not having to be involved in long surveillances or working on the weekend. However, all agents know that being selected for these non enforcment positions means that one must first have done a very good job in the field and have the ability to interact on a daily basis with top management and headquarters.

I never said I was worried, just curious to what the environment is like, isn't it good for investigators to ask questions? Never called it an "issue I would have to deal with", I will call it an opportunity I'd love to have and take to be a DRC/Recruiter/Door kicker/ what have you. Also, I'm no longer "worried" about the application process, I've done all I can and now it's in DEA's hands and of those who are greater than me, (minus the recert which I train 5 days a week for and beat my previous score.)

Never implied that these jobs were left to "lower achievers", I tried to a great extent to prevent this misperception, I did try to explain that I felt some are very interesting and seem rewarding to me.

I also understand that FLE is different than mil with alot of common people (type A go getters), hence my question.

Jedi, you stole my words.

Originally Posted by Iknow

Why would you be concerned with an issue you may or may not have to deal with 5 or 10 years from now. Your first concern should be making it through the application process.

As to your question. Being selected for a non-enforcement position is actually an achievement. One may get some ribbing from enforcement agents for not having to be involved in long surveillances or working on the weekend. However, all agents know that being selected for these non enforcment positions means that one must first have done a very good job in the field and have the ability to interact on a daily basis with top management and headquarters.

First of all, obviously his first concern is making it through the application process, I hate when people say that. This isn't exactly his first post on this board, and it's not like he asked some stupid how many toys will I get issued question. He asked a valid career oriented question, and guess what this board is for? Yeah, asking questions.

Second of all, I am not a DEA agent and maybe you are, but what I have always heard directly from the agents I know is that DEA is about making cases, putting bad guys in prison and getting dope off the street. That is priority numero uno and if you do that well you will never be asked to do anything else (recruiter, polygrapher, whatever). That doesn't mean these jobs aren't important and it doesn't mean there aren't good people in these jobs, but if that is the overall perception then I don't see how it can be too good for your career.

Originally Posted by Iknow

There is one problem with this discussion. The military and federal law enforcement should not be compared. There are completely different undertones and perceptions for every action one may take in each agency. In the military it may be career ending to take an instructors job, however, in federal law enforcement one may be in a non-enforcement position for only two or three years and then will be put back into an enforcment group. This rotation occurs constantly.

It's not a career ender to take an instructor tour in the military, but it is important to consider where you take that instructor tour. If you are a Tomcat pilot and teach at the Tomcat training squad, you are more than good to go. If you go somewhere outside of your Tomcat community, it is viewed as less desirable, considering how tough it is to make command or department head now. The operational to nonoperatonal rotation in the military is probably not unlike the law enforcement/non-le type duties in FLE, but I'll know when I get there.

Originally Posted by USMC_0203

First of all, obviously his first concern is making it through the application process, I hate when people say that. This isn't exactly his first post on this board, and it's not like he asked some stupid how many toys will I get issued question.

My favorite part is that it was this guy's 2nd post and he's talking to people like we're idiots. Way to make an intro, eh?

As to your question, when you get out of a non-enforcement position and are put back in an enforcement group, no one thinks twice about it. It is that simple. Can you still be a leader, Yes. Your a senior agent when you go into a specialized unit and you are even more experienced having now dealt with management issues. Most agents do not see what is being discussed at the Division level or at the HQ level. Being in a specialized unit enables you to work on issues that the average agent does not deal with. The supervisor of the new group you are placed in understands this and will welcome that agent's imput because the supervisor knows that you have learned things that may help the supervisor make the appropriate decisions as it relates to the rules and priorities of upper management.

The bottom line is that in FLE, agents move in and out of specialized groups all the time and is not an issue that is discussed.

Iknow,

Thanks for the inputs, that's what i was looking for and I hope it's like that agency wide. That sounds like a great benefit that you can move to specialized groups and back with new experiences to offer. I wished that the Navy saw things that way, I have a good friend who is struggling with this decision to take a career type tour or a personally rewarding type tour and be deemed "not -promotable".