The United States Marshal Service follows the organizational structure of the Federal District Court system; therefore, U.S. marshals in Arkansas work out of one of the state’s Eastern and Western Districts.
The U.S. marshals of the Eastern District of Arkansas serve the eastern portion of the state, which includes the major cities of Little Rock, Helena, Pine Bluff, Jonesboro, and Batesville. The U.S. marshals of Arkansas’ Western District serve the western portion of the state, which includes the major cities of Fort Smith, El Dorado, Texarkana, Fayetteville, Harrison, and Hot Springs.
There is a plethora of career opportunities for U.S. marshals in Arkansas, as in addition to serving the state through fugitive recovery, asset forfeiture, and judicial security, these federal law enforcement officers carry out their mission of investigation and federal law enforcement through their involvement in a number of multi-agency task forces, including:
- Operation Safe Gateway: Validates the addresses provided by the state’s registered sex offenders, thereby allowing law enforcement officials to validate the information given by registered sex offenders under Arkansas state law
- Northwest Arkansas Sex Offender and Violent Crime Task Force
- Western Arkansas Fugitive Task Force
How to Become a U.S. Marshal in Arkansas: US Marshal Job Description
A U.S. marshal job description outlines the requirements to achieve a position in this esteemed federal law enforcement agency. Specifically, individuals who want to pursue U.S. marshal jobs must qualify at the GL-7 federal pay level. This pay grade requires candidates to possess one of the following:
- A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university; OR
- At least one year of specialized experience at the GL-5 level, which includes work in criminal investigations/apprehensions or law enforcement; OR
- A combination of experience and education
To qualify for a U.S. marshal job in Arkansas through education, candidates must be able to show proof of “superior academic achievement” during their bachelor’s program. This means that they must have achieved, at a minimum, a 3.0 overall GPA, a 3.5 GPA in all major courses during the last two years of the bachelor’s program, and they must have graduated in the upper third of their class. Individuals who do not have a history of superior academic achievement may also qualify if they have completed at least one year of graduate –level study in a program related to law enforcement, such as criminal justice, criminology, public safety, or sociology.
Candidates for U.S. marshal careers in Arkansas must be able to successfully complete the agency’s pre-employment assessment process, which includes taking a competitive examination, taking a physical fitness test, passing a complete medical examination and a comprehensive background investigation, and passing a panel interview process.
Training Requirements for U.S. Marshals in Arkansas
All new U.S. deputy marshal trainees must complete the 17 ½ week U.S. Marshals Service Basic Training Academy at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center located in Glynco, Georgia.
This highly demanding training program, which is physically strenuous, demands the successful completion of 7 examinations, as well as a final physical fitness test. Just a few of the topics covered during basic training include:
- Surveillance
- High-threat trials
- Building entry and search
- Officer survival
- Court security
- Search and seizure
- First aid
- Physical conditioning
U.S. marshals who want to become detention enforcement officers (DEOs) or aviation enforcement officers (AEOs) must also complete a 3-week program at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. Trainees must be able to maintain firearm proficiency and possess the physical stamina needed when performing such duties as: running long distances to reach scenes of emergencies; repelling or resisting intruders; resisting assault; and working alongside inmates in confined areas.