Located in the heart of the country, Arkansas is an intriguing option for any prospective Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent. Opportunities are abound in Arkansas as it is located in one of the fastest growing regions of the country. The burgeoning Spanish-speaking population located in and around Little Rock, the largest metropolitan area in the state, has required the FBI to hire more and more agents at the Little Rock Division Field Office.
While the main FBI office in the state is located in Little Rock, there are a variety of smaller satellite offices that are responsible for overseeing operations and investigations in certain regions of the state. The small satellite offices are located in the cities of El Dorado, Fayetteville, Fort Smith, Hot Springs, Jonesboro, Marion, Pine Bluff and Texarkana.
Recent Major Events in Arkansas
In 2011, the FBI in the state of Arkansas played a large role in apprehending dozens and dozens of people in a corruption sting. The sting focused on the transportation of drugs through the state and across state lines. The investigation focused on Arkansas police officers who accepted bribes in order to look the other way while drugs were transported through their various jurisdictions. Drugs included large amounts of marijuana, methamphetamine, cocaine and crack cocaine. The FBI worked with more than 800 law enforcement officials in the state in order to bust 71 people involved in the scheme overall.
The History of the FBI in Arkansas
The original FBI headquarters opened up in Little Rock in 1924, but closed shortly afterwards due to economic circumstances. Throughout the next couple decades the whole state was under the jurisdiction of numerous regional FBI offices, including ones in Memphis, Dallas and Oklahoma City. Gangster crime started to skyrocket in the 1940’s, which cause the re-opening of an FBI office in Little Rock. Since then, the FBI has had a presence in the state.
FBI Career Paths in Arkansas
The regional location of the state results in the FBI having numerous responsibilities in the area. The FBI jobs in Arkansas are numerous and it is a rapidly growing office, as agents have been added on a yearly basis since 2001. Depending on which job is being applied for, FBI requirements in Arkansas will vary from position to position. The following are some of the main priorities of the FBI in Arkansas at the moment:
- Evidence Recovery and Processing: In Little Rock, the Evidence Response Team is made up of 17 members. These agents are responsible for investigating crime scenes and processing any evidence that is found at the scene. This evidence can include physical evidence like fingerprints and DNA, as well as other evidence like blood splatter patterns, tire track identification, bullet trajectory and many other types.
- Tactical Response: The Arkansas FBI has a 13-member Specialized Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team. This team can help breach barricades, rescue hostages, apprehend dangerous and armed criminals, patrol areas and provide various forms of security, as well assist local law enforcement when called upon to do so.
- Bomb Recovery and Analysis: Ever since the domestic terrorist bombing in Oklahoma City in 1995, a bomb squad has been a priority in nearby Little Rock. The state of Arkansas has 3 members who specialize in defusing and identifying bombs and other explosive materials.
Other positions available in Little Rock include a computer forensics team and a hazardous materials handling team, among other positions with much smaller staffs than the ones mentioned above.