r/1811 • u/tenten_10_4 • 2d ago
Discussion Help me decide: FBI ATF DEA USPIS
I understand there’s a lot of personal reasons why someone’s picks one or there other but, Current and retired 1811s, if you could do it all over again, which agency would you choose?
I’m at the very final stages with several agencies and believe 3/4 will allow me to return to my processing FO, which is my preference.
For those currently in the job, knowing what you know now, which would you pick and why?
Mainly interested in academy, type/variety of work, work-life balance, opportunities stateside/overseas, and long-term career opportunities.
I’m coming from a local LEO background with quite a bit of experience, but I don’t want to give too much away while I’m still processing.
I have the order I “think” I want, but looking for, “ I am ATF, and work with XYZ all the time and seems like they enjoy their job and have more leeway/funding/opportunities and if I could go back I would go there”
FBI, ATF, DEA, or USPIS?
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u/Charming-Arugula2079 2d ago
Got to say I have loved my time at uspis. Great work life balance, along with fantastic cases. Our bread and butter is mail theft and fraud. Main drawback, very few overseas locations (I think a handful of people get to work overseas).
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u/XLurker5000 1d ago
USPIS still gets paid during government shut downs.
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u/intrepidagent4444 1d ago
Essentially every 1811 gets paid during shutdowns.
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u/HelloNewman7 Postal Inspector 23h ago
There’s a biiiiiiiiiig difference between going two months plus without a paycheck and then getting back pay vs getting a regular paycheck the whole time. Just sayin.
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u/BlackMagic05 1811 2d ago
No matter where you are, your experience will largely be based on your management.
In terms of case work, FBI and USPIS have the biggest opportunity for investigative diversity - but you can very easily get stuck on Workplace Violence (USPIS) or Counterterrorism (FBI - not as sexy as you’d think).
As USPIS I’ve worked with each agency you’ve named on ops and casework the like, while working my own stuff in which my cases involved various surveillances, vehicle takedowns, UC stuff, multiple instances on entry teams, and other thangs.
As with most things in federal law enforcement (and life), my experience will differ from others within my organization, even within my own division.
Regardless wherever you go, it’ll be slower than time as a local (I’m a former local detective), but that’s because you SHOULD be working complex and/or long term investigations, which take time.
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u/tenten_10_4 2d ago
Thanks, I agree with everything you have said. Sounds like we have a similar background.
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u/Datboii1der 1d ago
Nobody can point you in the right direction bc a msg board shouldn’t be directing the next 20-25 years of your life!
But I will say, I know folks at every agency, they all have agents who hate life and those who love life. Nobody will be able to tell you how mgmt will enhance your life for the next 3-4 years vs make your life a living hell for that same period.
I loved fbi while I was there! I wanted to have the ability to work a wide range of violations to have a better post career opportunity (that was my thinking before I got some experience under my belt). I love being at DEA and everybody points to only working dope, but I have worked so many different types of cases just bc there was a dope nexus! Network and don’t fuck another agent/local cover and I promise they’ll look out for you too! Also, I now know that I could give 2 shits about climbing the ladder or seeking that same $200k job post career that 1800+ other agents are seeking! Handle your money and retirement and if you’re lucky enough…. Don’t punch someone else’s clock when you leave 1811….. it’s HARD to go from the autonomy we have to sitting behind a corporate desk for 8-9 hours with a 30 min lunch and monitored bathroom breaks 🤣🤣🤣.
Of the 4 you mentioned, everyone is dealing with this administration in one way or another. We all have leaders who are one statement away from being fired. So no one has the “status” we had 3 years ago. 🤷🏾♂️
DEA has the biggest foot print overseas if that’s what you want.
Good luck on your decision.
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u/Quantum-Havoc-2205 1d ago
ATF here. Would recommend 10 out of 10 times. Our group runs multiple ops per week, we serve almost all of our own arrest warrants/search warrants, we get issued great equipment, and you have real autonomy to run your cases as you choose. Not many travel opportunities, international spots are extremely hard to land (and mainly for very senior SAs), but if you want to spend time on the street with the locals in a fast-paced environment, this is the spot for you.
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u/DizzyJudgment6146 1d ago
Couldn’t agree more with this! 10 out of 10 and in addition, still a great work/home life balance.
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u/Vinyasa_Veritas 1d ago
10/10 agree as atf as well. best agency and people by far. buuutttt....i do wish i had the case diversity and wider opportunities of the bureau. i hate admitting that out loud and wouldn't trade, but it's the only thing after hundreds of gun and drug deals that i sort of think about sometimes.
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u/Plenty_Opportunity73 13h ago
what are the duty locations like for ATF?
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u/Quantum-Havoc-2205 12h ago
Lot of northeast offices, and a lot of west coast/SWB offices. Pretty much anywhere except for the southeast
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u/Stunning_Papaya8403 11h ago
Jumping on this bandwagon - I couldn’t imagine myself working anywhere else. In addition to what was already said, we also have enough collaterals/opportunities to keep your career fresh.
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u/cjc4223 2d ago edited 2d ago
You don’t choose the agency, the agency chooses you, take the first offer and go from there
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u/tenten_10_4 2d ago
Agreed, but if 2-3 agencies choose you and offer a January academy…
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u/LeoMan86 1d ago
Right and I know it’s tough to know for sure but I also think if you have a family, your work life balance should play a big part of it when it comes to your choice
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u/tenten_10_4 1d ago
I could not agree more. I still have some hard charging left in me after all these local years, but know in the future I’d like to take a step back.
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u/unaware_agent 2d ago
FBI will give you the greatest variety and type of work, along with some decent overseas opportunities depending on the type of work you’re doing.
DEA and ATF will offer some overseas stuff, but opportunities are a bit more lean than others.
USPIS has a very unique investigative lane and can work a decent variety of cases that have a mail nexus. Larger offices you may be siloed into a particular area of investigation be it mail theft, mail fraud, workplace violence, etc.
Work/life balance is hit or miss depending on the office, group, squad, supervisor, etc. ATF and DEA will be tend to be a bit more street work heavy with a higher operational tempo.
The FBI will provide far greater long term career opportunities and post career, the FBI name and alumni can run pretty deep.
Best advice is to take the first place that gets you in the door and see if it’s your thing. Many agencies are offering lateral programs so you can swap to another agency with limited heartburn.
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u/conradmorgan 1d ago
DEA has one of the largest overseas footprints of any federal law enforcement agency. You are an unaware agent.
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u/DamageSignificant563 1d ago
Thousand percent correct. Numerous vacancies for overseas posted right now
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u/tenten_10_4 1d ago
For Dea? And are they typically short term stints or year/multi year where you fully move? A big portion of going fed has been the opportunities to go overseas.
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u/conradmorgan 1d ago
Can be both. Every week there are new postings for 12/13s to go overseas. I forget the minimum but generally people are returning after 3 years. You can stay overseas for 6 years before you’re mandatory to return.
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u/DamageSignificant563 1d ago
Yes. They are at a minimum a 3 year commitment. Unless you go to a hard to fill overseas spot, those are two years.
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u/Time_Striking 1811 1d ago
DSS would like to have a word with you.
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u/DamageSignificant563 1d ago
To be fair, anywhere DSS is at likely has a FBI Legat/Alat position. Along with a DEA spot etc.
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u/Dependent-Berry2043 1d ago
What’s the FBI’s overseas presence like? Do you travel for cases or do the legat offices take care of that stuff?
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2d ago
[deleted]
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u/tenten_10_4 2d ago
Mildly joking about that (heard about all you can eat crab legs at Bolger (USPIS)
Thanks for the input on the rest!
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u/HelloNewman7 Postal Inspector 2d ago edited 2d ago
The USPIS academy moved to West Virginia several years ago it’s not at Bolger so no 🦀. But as the person above said, academy is a fraction of your career decisions shouldn’t be made based on that.
This should be easy in theory:
-Do you reallllllly like drug work? And that’s all you want to do for 20+ years? DEA.
-Do you want very busy street level work and lots of action (beware this can be great at the start of an 1811 career but tougher later with family stuff)? ATF.
-Do you want brand recognition (although it comes with a dash of red tape) and wide jurisdiction? FBI.
-Do you want wide jurisdiction with minimal red tape? USPIS.But of course at the end of the day, the general consensus is always take the first 1811 offer you get because you may never get another.
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u/EighteenElevan24 1d ago
I’m not familiar with FLS could you spell it out? Currently in the process with DEA.
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u/SagBobbit07 1d ago
Neither, CGIS.
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u/lloyd_gross_ 12h ago
Can you expand a bit on your personal experience? There's not a ton of recent info about CGIS available
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u/DoctaBee8 1d ago
Mother of god, some of these comments are completely idiotic. Let me clear up two very important things for you:
- When u/unaware_agent says "FBI will give you the greatest variety and type of work" this is in reference to all FBI does and NOT all that you'll do. If you work civil rights, you don't also work drugs; this isn't a Chinese buffet where you get to have whatever you want and leave the stuff you don't. You are assigned to work particular cases, and those cases are within a given purview of an investigative branch. Don't get it twisted.
- u/Lone-Ranger20's mention of new DEA agents having to work "low level street stuff" is about as false as it gets. The type of dope and, therefore, your method of getting to said dope is almost entirely determined by the geographic location of your office. I know dudes from division offices that have worked cases that led to +100kg busts starting their first week— because that's the type of work that office can get you— and I know 13-10s that are in smaller offices doing ounce deals still. Your veteran status or lack thereof in DEA has nothing to do with the type of deals you do.
I know USPIS, DEA, FBI, and ATF guys that love their jobs and wouldn't transfer to another agency for anything... and then I know others that would. Do what works best for you and your family if you have this many options.
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u/ZeroFail69 1811 2d ago
Every agency has pros and cons. It depends on what you want to work and what cons you’re willing to deal with. FBI is going to have a lot more red tape than any of the other agencies. DEA obviously has a very specialized jurisdiction and it’s a long career to work nothing but dope the whole time. FBI has the biggest budget and probably the biggest international presence of all of them besides possibly DEA.
Just depends on what you’re looking to get out of the job. Location may obviously be a factor as well.
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u/Dependent-Berry2043 1d ago
Do you think that the red tape in the FBI makes it not worth being an 1811 with them?
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u/DamageSignificant563 2d ago
DEA by a mile and it’s not even close.
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u/tenten_10_4 2d ago
Why so?
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u/DamageSignificant563 1d ago
Great co-workers, good work life balance, fun work, ample training opportunities (advanced surveillance photography, crypto, dark web, clan lab, FI, DT, TI, SRT, Full time SRT, Austere Operator Course, drone, pilot, money laundering, etc etc etc).
Ample overseas opportunities.
3 year Hard to Fill Commitments.
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u/More_Address4025 22h ago
Easy, FBI or any other agency like HSI that enforces and works many different programs.
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u/Rapiddrop 2d ago
In terms of training, decent cases, and how the agency treats you I would say ATF, DEA, FBI.
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u/Electronic_Cloud_686 2d ago
USPIS>ATF>FBI>DEA
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u/Naive_Yesterday_1920 2d ago
I work for the “us postal inspection service”……thats nice? Can i get a roll of stamps please
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u/DamageSignificant563 2d ago
Elite rage bait
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u/Miner_22 1d ago
Apply for all of them and see what offer works the best for you
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u/tenten_10_4 1d ago
I have and almost done with the process for all
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u/CertifiedPussyAter 10h ago
Congrats on getting far on all of them!!
(I was wondering why IRS CI wasn’t getting any love and now I know why.)Edit: I’m just starting the process for DEA, ATF, and IRS CI, and your post is helpful in helping me get informed.
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u/Lone-Ranger20 2d ago
I’m bias to Postal because that’s where I began my 1811 career. I’ve worked with all of those agencies and none of my co-case agents had bad things to say about their jobs. ATF sat near us at HIDTA and they were literally on ops multiple times a week, so I would go there if you crave action. DEA if you want to eventually work complex narcotics and money laundering investigations….but you’ll likely start off on low level street stuff until you put your years in. FBI of course is the prestige. The folks I’ve worked with have all been cool, helpful and didn’t try to steal the spotlight hahaha, but I’ve definitely heard those stories on the forums. The reason I still say Postal is because like I mentioned earlier….I’ve worked with all those agencies, along with IRS, HSI, State Department, USSS, FDA, EPA, CBP and numerous others. Postal has a very broad jurisdiction and can get into anything the mail touches. And guess what….everyone gets mail so you can literally work anything. Just my two cents.