Hey everybody, welcome back to X-Line Macon 5, the podcast where we take the questions you always wanted to ask and talk about in a way that's easy to understand. We're your hosts, I'm Tim. Hey everyone, I'm Kevin. So Kevin, today we're talking about special agents, and it's something that fascinates any five-year-old, in fact, people of all ages.
So here's the first question. Why are personnel in agencies like the FBI called special agents and not just agents? What is it that makes them special? What a great first question.
So in general, an agent is really simply a representative of the government who can conduct investigations. They don't really possess the special power to also arrest people. Special agents, such as FBI special agents, are able to both conduct investigations and also possesses the special power to make arrests. In other words, they hold arrest authority.
I got it. So special agents Mulder and Scully from the X-Files TV show were able to make arrests and that's what made them special. Exactly. Within the United States federal law enforcement system, dozens of federal agencies employ federal law enforcement officers, each with different criteria pertaining to the use of the titles special agent and agent.
Now there are so many different law enforcement entities in the United States, sometimes it's hard to know who does what. Like, for example, what is the difference between the police department and the sheriff's department? Oh yeah, you're right. Easily confused, but also should be straightforward to explain.
So police officers and sheriff's deputies are both sworn by the state and they may have powers of arrest within that state. So that's kind of what's the same about them. But police, they have a jurisdiction where they are hired. So something like the Townsville PD has jurisdiction within the city limits of Townsville.
While sheriff's departments have this kind of county-wide jurisdiction. So let's say this Townsville is in Johnson County, the Townsville police department will patrol Townsville itself, while the Johnson County sheriff's department will patrol the kind of outlying areas. And sheriffs also have slightly different responsibilities and duties than just police officers. So for example, they often run the jails, serve civil papers, and can also act as bailiffs.
Another one which is confusing is Highway Patrol. Oh yeah, so Highway Patrol is interesting because it's a state agency. So they have statewide jurisdiction and in some states are one of the same as state troopers. I got it.
So there's kind of a progression in terms of the scope of jurisdiction, starting with the police department in the city, then the sheriff's department, the county, and then state agencies. Yep, yep, that's right. And obviously there's a final category, which is when you get into the federal agencies. Yes, like the FBI, the DEA, and the Secret Service.
Correct. So federal agencies, like the FBI, have federal jurisdiction and enforce federal laws. Under the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI's main objective is combating domestic terrorism, which can, you know, involve a fairly broad set of operations. That's right.
I was reading about how the FBI had a special sting operation, which was a very interesting story in the 1980s. Oh yes, yes, I know what you're talking about. In 1980, the FBI, they formed a fake company and actually attempted to bribe members of Congress. And you know what?
Nearly, I think, 25% of those tested accepted the bribe and were convicted. Even there's a movie, I think the plot of the movie, American Hustle, is kind of loosely based on all this. That is pretty stunning and an interesting story. So federal agencies then end up with a pretty broad remit, I suppose.
Well, yes and no. So the different federal agencies have nationwide jurisdiction geographically, but are limited to investigating very specific federal crimes. So for example, the DEA, the Drug Enforcement Administration, is involved strictly with federal drug crimes. There's another one, the ATF, pretty notable.
So that's the Bureau for Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. How about the CIA? Oh yes, the CIA, the Central Intelligence Agency, which operates outside the U.S. So the agency was formed in 1947 after World War II.
You know, that sounds very recent. Did the U.S. not have a foreign intelligence service before that time? Well, no, no, we did.
The United States did have intelligence services dating back much further. And many of the people who started the CIA had been in what was called the Office of Strategic Services. So the function was there, just not by the same name. I see.
Well, the CIA sounds much, much cooler a name. Another cool name is CSI. What about CSI? Oh, well, the TV show CSI is fictional.
And the crime scene investigation is not a branch. They may not even be law enforcement. So CSI are the people who are called to certain crime scenes to really collect and analyze evidence. And they are usually employed by, you know, like a police or a sheriff's department, and maybe civilian employees or actual officers.
On the FBI's official recruitment website, I think there's an FAQ frequently asked questions section. And in there, there's this question, which I quote, I want to be an FBI profiler. Where do I begin the application process? End quote.
What's that about? Oh, well, you know, it's really funny because it really shows the power of TV that the FBI needs to have this on their official website. So the answer is, and I'm also paraphrasing for the website, the FBI does not have a job called profiler. Despite some popular depictions, these FBI special agents do not yet quote-unquote vibes or experience quote-unquote psychic flashes while walking around fresh crime scenes.
In reality, it's an exciting world of investigation and research, a world of inductive and deductive reasoning, crime-solving experience, and knowledge of criminal behavior, facts, and statistical probabilities. Wow, it's pretty cool that that comes from the official FBI website that they needed to explain that. And it does feel like TV does have a big impact on recruitment to many of these agencies. NCIS is perhaps the other one that's popular, and that one has to be a real agency, correct?
Oh, yes, yes. The NCIS is the federal agency that investigates crime within the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. And finally, you have to tell us about the Secret Service.
Ah, yes. So in the United States, the Secret Service is best known for protecting important government leaders. What most people don't know, actually, is that the United States Secret Service was created in 1865 to stop fake money counterfeiters, you know? It did not start actually protecting the president until after President William McKinley was shot until in 1901.
Oh, wow. So it's definitely the more dramatic part of their job for sure. And when Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981, I believe Timothy McCarthy became one of four Secret Service agents to take a bullet for president. Well, thank you for clearing all of that up and explaining all the different agencies.
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