LAW ENFORCEMENT - INVESTIGATIVE - CORRECTIONS

The safety of our Nation’s cities, towns, and highways greatly depends on the work of police, detectives, and special agents, whose responsibilities range from controlling traffic to preventing and investigating crimes.

Police and Detectives who work in small communities have many duties. They may direct traffic at the scene of a fire, investigate a burglary, and give first aid to an accident victim. In large police departments, officers are detailed either to patrol or to traffic duty. Others are experts in chemical & microscopic analysis, firearms identification, and handwriting & fingerprint identification. A few officers may work with special units such as mounted and motorcycle police, harbor patrols, helicopter patrols, canine corps, mobile rescue teams, and youth aid services.

Detectives and Special Agents are plain-clothes investigators who gather facts and collect evidence for criminal cases. They conduct interviews, examine records, observe the activities of suspects, and participate in raids or arrests.

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agents investigate violations of Federal laws in connection with bank robberies, theft of Government property, organized crime, espionage, sabotage, kidnapping, and terrorism. Special Agents employed by the U.S. Dept. of Treasury work for the U.S. Customs Service the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms; the U.S. Secret Service; and the Internal Revenue Service. Customs Agents enforce laws preventing the illegal smuggling of goods across U.S. borders. Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms Agents might investigate suspected illegal sales of guns or the underpayment of taxes by a liquor or cigarette manufacturer. U.S. Secret Service Agents protect the President, Vice President, and their immediate families, Presidential candidates, ex-Presidents, and foreign dignitaries visiting the U.S. They also investigate counterfeiting, the forgery of Government checks or bonds, and the fraudulent use of credit cards. Internal Revenue Service Special Agents collect evidence against individuals and companies that are evading the payment of Federal taxes.

State Police Officers (sometimes called State Troopers or Highway Patrol Officers) patrol highways and enforce laws and regulations that govern their use. They issue traffic citations to motorists who violate the law. At the scene of an accident, they direct traffic, give first aid, and call for emergency equipment including ambulances.

Security Guards, also called Security Officers, patrol and inspect property to protect against fire, theft, vandalism, and illegal entry. Their duties vary with the size, type, and location of their employer. Places of employment include: office buildings, banks, hospitals, department stores, museums, art galleries, ports, airports, and railroads; factories, laboratories, government buildings, data processing centers, military bases, universities, parks, social affairs, sports events, conventions, & other public gatherings; in armored cars, and as personal bodyguards.

Correctional Officers are charged with the safety and security of persons who are serving time in a correctional institution. They keep order among inmates and enforce the rules of the prison for the safety, health, and protection of the inmates, officers, and other workers. They oversee inmates while they eat, bathe, work, sleep, attend classes, and take part in sports and other pastimes. Sometimes it is necessary to search inmates and their living quarters for weapons or drugs, to settle disputes between inmates, and to enforce discipline.

Claims Adjusters investigate, negotiate, and settle all claims made against an insurance company by its policyholders. They determine whether the policy covers the claim and the amount of the loss. If the company is liable, they negotiate with the claimant and settle valid claims. Some issue checks to valid claimants and others submit their findings to claim examiners.

HUMAN SERVICES - COMMUNITY REHABILITATION PROGRAM’S

“Human Services Worker” is a generic term for people who hold paraprofessional jobs in such diverse settings as group homes and halfway houses; correctional, mental retardation, & community mental health centers; family, child, and youth service agencies; and programs concerned with alcoholism, drug abuse, family violence, and aging. Depending on the employment setting and the kinds of clients served there, job titles and duties vary a great deal.  For instance, in community, mental health, or residential care settings, they organize and lead group activities, assist clients in need of counseling or crisis intervention, and administer food bank or emergency fuel programs.

In social service agencies, they help clients through the red tape that surrounds many entitlement programs. This involves interviewing clients, assessing their needs, and establishing their eligibility for services that are available. Major areas of social work practice include child welfare and family services; psychiatric and mental health services; public assistance; medical social work; gerontological social work, school social work; community organization, planning & policy development; and social welfare administration.

A growing number of social workers specialize in child or adult protective services. Those in child protective services investigate reported cases of abuse and neglect and intervene if necessary. They sometimes institute legal action and remove the child from the home, placing the child, temporarily, in an emergency shelter or with a foster family. Social workers who specialize in adult protective services take similar steps on behalf of adults, typically battered wives, neglected or abused elderly, or mentally impaired individuals. Whenever a social worker helps an individual or a family in crisis, direct counseling is a major part of the job.

Halfway houses and group homes serve adults who need some supervision or assistance before becoming fully independent. These facilities generally house from 5-15 residents, and in some cases, as many as 40. Drug addicts, alcoholics, parolees, and mental retardates are some of the groups that use these facilities. Residential

Counselors are responsible for keeping clients’ records up to date and reporting changes in behavior to the supervisor. The counselor must prepare oral and written reports on the condition and progress of each member of the residence and may also be responsible for the financial management of the household, including documenting all household expenditures.

LAW - GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION

A Paralegal, also called a Legal Assistant or sometimes a Legal Technician, is someone who can do everything a lawyer can do, short of arguing a case in court, giving legal advice, accepting clients, setting or accepting legal fees or making legal decisions. They can do all the varied research necessary for the preparation of any legal proceeding, including drafting legal documents, researching points of law, and investigating the facts of a case. Some also deal directly with clients and assist the attorney in court, while others do all their work in the office. Employers include: law firms, corporate legal departments, government agencies and public service agencies.

Campaign Aides work on the campaign of a candidate who is running for local, state or national office. Some responsibilities could include direct mailings, phone campaigns, rallies, fund raisers, and even door-to-door canvassing. The nature of the job changes to match the progress of the campaign.

Legislative Aides, also called Legislative Assistants do work that relates to various bills under consideration. They may write bills, answer correspondence or letters relating to certain bills, or help the member answer questions before committees. They keep track of potential laws or proposals for the member, and do research on how bills will affect the people in the member’s home district.

The words probation and parole mean the same thing to many people. In fact, they are different. Probation is a sentence imposed by courts of criminal jurisdiction. Instead of sending convicted persons to jail or to some jail time followed by community supervision, the court sentences them to probation. They are then under the supervision of a Probation Officer for a fixed period of time. They follow the orders and conditions of probation imposed by the sentencing courts and report to the probation officer at regular times, as ordered. The probation officer keeps track of the activities of probationers in the community.

Parole, on the other hand, refers to persons released from prison. It is a kind of supervised release. Parole boards choose inmates they think will benefit from release from prison before they serve their full sentence. Parole Officers take charge of these parolees and try to help them make their way to a crime-free life outside prison. Parole officers, like probation officers, supervise the activities of parolees in the community.

Youth Counselors lead group “rap” sessions and serve as part of a treatment team to provide therapeutic activities for youths. They contact family members, maintain records, evaluate behavior of residents, plan for placement in communities and conduct remotivation and resocialization programs.

 ADDITIONAL GOVERNMENT, LAW & LAW ENFORCEMENT, PROTECTIVE SERVICES & INTERNATIONAL OCCUPATIONS

Law Enforcement Agents, Immigration & Naturalization Service enforce immigration laws of the U.S. They question applicants seeking entry, prevent entry of illegal aliens, combat smuggling of illegal aliens and goods, verify legal status of applicants for naturalization. Border Patrol Agents are the uniformed enforcement arm of the INS. They patrol the 6,000 miles of land and sea boundaries of the U.S. to prevent the smuggling and illegal entry of aliens into the U.S. They also cooperate with other Federal and local law enforcement agencies to intercept narcotics and other contraband being smuggled into the U.S.

Conservation Officers patrol districts to prevent violation of game laws and damage to the environment, arrest offenders, and compile biological data on fish and wildlife. They enforce the laws and regulations of hunting and fishing, and also teach people conservation and safety practices, as well as work to preserve and enhance natural resources.

Forensic Scientists (Crime Lab Analysts or Criminalists) use scientific principals and methods to analyze, identify, and classify physical evidence relating to criminal or suspected criminal cases. They interpret their findings and then present the findings of their work to those conducting an investigation.

Detention Officers (Jail Officers) maintain security and direct, manage, and counsel inmates in local jails or precinct station houses. These local jails hold persons who have not yet been charged, tried or convicted of crimes, or who are serving sentences of eighteen months or less.

Drug Enforcement Special Agents (DEA Special Agents) enforce the laws and regulations pertaining to the manufacture, transportation, and distribution of illicit drugs. They seize illegal drug shipments and investigate international and nationwide narcotics violators.

Fingerprint Classifiers record, catalog and compare fingerprints of unknown persons or of persons suspected of a crime with fingerprint records to try to find match. Latent Fingerprint Examiners process crime scenes to find, draw out, and photograph the latent imprints of fingers that made them.

Foreign Service Officers represent the Government of the U.S. in posts overseas. They conduct relations with foreign countries and international organizations, and are in charge of administrative support at diplomatic and consular posts. Foreign Service

specialists serve as secretaries, communications technicians, financial and personnel managers, security experts, physicians and nurses, and as other specialists.

Intelligence Officers collect, evaluate and disseminate vital information on political, military, economic, scientific, and other developments abroad in order to safeguard national security. The officers of these agencies include the CIA, FBI, Dept. of State, Dept. of Defense, the Defense Intelligence Agency, National Security Agency, Treasure Dept., Secret Service, DEA, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms as well as several intelligence branches of the U.S. Armed Forces.

Special Agents, Bureau of Diplomatic Security protect foreign dignitaries visiting the U.S., the U.S. Secretary of State, and other representatives of the U.S. Government. They also conduct criminal and background investigations.