US Marshals in Idaho serve the residents of the state through their main office in Boise, with three additional field offices located in:
- Coeur d’Alene
- Moscow
- Pocatello
From Idaho’s inception, US Marshals have been an important part of maintaining law and order in the state. More recently, they were in the national spotlight during a 1992 standoff with a fugitive in Ruby Ridge. Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, their efforts have been focused on preventing terrorism and taking violent criminals off the streets. The US Marshal job description in Idaho also includes asset forfeiture and the formation of fugitive task forces, with two operations last year focused specifically on these elements.
Qualifying for US Marshal Positions
Stringent requirements to become a US Marshal are designed to weed out candidates who are not qualified for the position. Having the right education is one obstacle applicants often run into. The degree options are as follows:
- Holding a bachelor’s degree in any subject, along with a high GPA or other academic distinction.
OR
- One year of graduate-level study in a field related to:
- Criminal Justice
- Crime Scene Investigation
- Forensic Science
- Sociology
- Law Enforcement
Idaho applicants may also substitute a year of advanced law enforcement or criminal investigative experience in place of formal education.
Candidates with a strong educational foundation in these areas can also find their new-hire training to be more familiar.
All US Marshal career opportunities are posted on the federal government’s USA Jobs website. Along with their application, candidates will also need to be prepared to:
- Submit proof of their US citizenship and a copy of their valid state driver’s license
- Prove they are between the ages of 21-36, unless a veteran or federal officer
- Undergo a medical exam
- Make a good impression in an interview
- Pass a thorough background investigation
Training for High-Risk Situations
Upon hire, new marshals will attend a little over four months of training at the US Marshal Service Basic Training Academy in Georgia. Training requirements are strict, and include:
- Meeting the fitness standards for men and women
- Firearms instruction
- Protective services
- Federal law
- Target surveillance
- Prisoner search and restraint
Before arriving at the training camp, new marshals should make sure they are in top physical condition, and be prepared to run between 1.5 and 10 miles on a daily basis.
Major US Marshals Operations in Idaho
Besides conducting high profile raids and providing important court security in Idaho, US Marshals have also recently been engaged in two cooperative initiatives with local law enforcement.
Operation Not in My County was a recent collaboration between US Marshals and local police who, in 11 teams, made compliance checks across southern Idaho to ensure sex offenders were not violating the terms of their release. Out of 1,376 checks, 64 sex offenders were found to be non-compliant, while two were arrested on new charges.
As a parallel part of the operation, the US Marshal Service Greater Idaho Fugitive Task Force, a multi-agency grouping of marshals, police officers, and sheriff deputies swept the same territory to locate and arrest fugitives with existing warrants for sex crimes. As a result, 19 arrests were made over a four day period.
In separate initiative, US Marshals recently worked to establish the position of an Asset Forfeiture Financial Investigator through a partnership with the regional US Attorney. Doing this will allow US Marshals to make a greater amount of seizures of commodities, including money, obtained by convicted defendants through criminal activity.