In addition to the security risks any state faces, federal law enforcement officers in New Hampshire must deal with the additional challenges that come with an international land and maritime border. Every year lawbreakers attempt to smuggle weapons, narcotics, organic products containing invasive species, and illegal aliens across the international border with Canada and via ports on the Atlantic.
Last year there were 1,358 federal agents tasked with internal security and defense of New Hampshire, who by qualifying at the top of their application pool and completing a stringent training regimen have become competent to serve and protect the people of their state. They have additionally been supported with a recent Homeland Security grant totaling nearly $3 million.
Beginning the Path towards Making an Application
Successfully applying for federal law enforcement jobs in New Hampshire can take years of planning.
The many federal agencies that operate across the state provide a range of federal law enforcement careers to choose from. Although each agency has its own specific requirements, candidates will in general need to have at least a bachelor degree, commonly in fields including:
- Homeland Security
- Forensic Science
- Emergency Management
- Police Science
- Law
- Public Administration
- Public Safety
- Crime Scene Investigation
More specific training for federal law enforcement jobs in New Hampshire will be required as new agents learn the intricacies of their new profession, and this may also include other college degrees in fields like Computer Science, Linguistics, or Engineering. Training and education related to border and maritime patrol issues is particularly relevant in New Hampshire.
Federal Agents Make Headlines in New Hampshire
Because their work is carried out on a larger scale and often involves significant criminal activities, the actions of federal agents are favorite features for media outlets. Some recent notable state operations highlight the current trend of inter-agency collaboration and the types of duties associated with different kinds of New Hampshire federal law enforcement careers.
An investigative team comprised of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations Agents, the US Postal Inspection Service, and agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATFE) recently arrested a New Hampshire man after gathering enough evidence to charge him on three counts related to illegally trafficking firearms to an overseas location. The undercover operation involved special agents receiving several illegally shipped firearms from the suspect, worth an estimated total of $11,000.
FBI Agents recently led an operation that culminated in the arrest of 24 New Hampshire residents, mostly on drugs and weapons charges in the Manchester area. New Hampshire is part of a zone federal law enforcement agents have identified as having particular problems with organized crime involving narcotics and weapons. The investigation was spearheaded by the Safe Streets Gang Task Force which included special agents from:
- Manchester Police Department Special Investigations Unit
- New England High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Unit
- United States Marshals Service
- United States Secret Service
- Drug Enforcement Administration
- ICE
- ATFE
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Officers arrested a Lebanon, New Hampshire man after finding methamphetamine and marijuana in his vehicle during a search. More alarming however was the fact that while searching the suspect’s car two CBP Officers became sick from an unknown suspected chemical agent and had to be decontaminated by a hazardous materials team, a demonstration of the sacrifice federal law enforcement officers make to honorably protect their state and country. After being treated at a hospital the two CBP Officers were released.
And although it may seem like it, federal law enforcement agents are not only involved in arrests and investigations; US Coast Guard Officers based out of Portsmouth Harbor recently launched a Life Boat in response to an emergency distress call from a ship at sea whose passenger was suffering from convulsions and sea sickness. The Coast Guard provided a medical escort as the ship returned to awaiting EMS units on shore.
Federal Law Enforcement Career Locations throughout the State
As prospective applicants learn more about how to join the ranks of federal law enforcement in New Hampshire they will be interested in knowing the locations of the various agencies which are spread throughout the state. These include:
- US Coast Guard bases in Portsmouth and Newcastle
- CBP posts in Manchester and Portsmouth
- DEA Manchester Resident Office at 324 South River Road
- ATFE Manchester Field Office at 55 Constitution Drive
- US Secret Service Office in Manchester
- US Marshals Office in Concord
- New Hampshire Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management in Concord