The U.S. Marshals Service office now located in Ohio was established in 1801, two years before Ohio became a state. The Ohio U.S. Marshals Service was divided into two districts in 1855 based on the organizational structure of the Federal District Court System: the Northern and Southern District.
How to Join the US Marshals Service in Ohio
Individuals interested in pursuing career opportunities with the U.S. Marshals Service in Ohio must meet the following minimum requirements:
- Must be a U.S. Citizen
- Must be between the ages of 21 and 36
- Must have a valid driver’s license
- Meet the GL-07 specialized experience, education, or superior academic achievement requirements.
In order to meet the minimum requirements for GL-07 experience, candidates must have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university with superior academic achievement OR at least one year of graduate level study in a field related to law enforcement.
Candidates can also qualify with one year of specialized experience in an area of law enforcement or criminal investigations, or a combination of education and experience.
Candidate selected for U.S. Marshals service in Ohio will participate in a demanding 17 ½ week basic training academy at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, GA.
This intensive training program includes a combination of physical conditioning and specialized training in a wide variety of skills related to the U.S. Marshals service. 7 exams, including a FIT test, are administered throughout the training program and candidates must pass all of them with a 70% or higher to graduate.
Ohio’s Northern and Southern Districts
Northern District — U.S. Marshals in Ohio’s Northern district serve several major cities, including Cleveland, Youngstown, Akron, and Toledo. U.S. Marshalsin Ohio’s Northern district have exciting career opportunities, including working for the ward-winning Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force.
The Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force is a district-wide collaborative law enforcement endeavor that focuses on pursuing, apprehending, and prosecuting violent adult fugitives. The task force is also supported by Project Safe Neighborhoods and is part of a national effort to reduce gun crime across America.
The task force allows federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to work together to get violent criminals off the street and provide protection throughout Ohio’s Northern district. The Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force coordinates has several divisions throughout the Northern district that U.S. Marshals oversee:
- Cleveland Division-Cleveland, OH
- Akron Division-Akron, OH
- Lorain County Division, Lorain County, OH
- Richland County Division, Mansfield, OH
- Toledo Division, Toledo, OH
- Youngstown Division, Youngstown, OH
Each division has several participating law enforcement agencies including police departments, courts, parole authority, and even the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Each division also operates a 24-hour tip-line.
Southern District — U.S. Marshals in Ohio’s southern district serve the major cities of Columbus, Dayton, and Cincinnati. Many of the career opportunities for U.S. Marshals in Ohio’s Southern district involves overseeing the Southern Ohio Fugitive Apprehension Task Force.
Southern Ohio Fugitive Apprehension Task Force (SOFAST) is a collective organization that includes several southern Ohio law enforcement agencies and whose purpose is to arrest violent criminals in Southern Ohio district. Strike teams operate out of the three major cities: Columbus, Dayton, and Cincinnati.
The strike teams focus especially on violence caused by gangs, guns, and drugs. Every member of the strike team has been deputized as a Special Deputy U.S. Marshal.