The FBI has 56 field offices located throughout the United States, more than 60 abroad, and 380 smaller regional satellite offices. FBI jobs in New Orleans are centered around one of these field offices. Included in this jurisdiction are an additional six satellite offices in the cities of:
- Lake Charles
- Baton Rouge
- Monroe
- Lafayette
- Shreveport
- Alexandria
Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the primary goal of the FBI has been to prevent another similar event, and the New Orleans Division acts to fulfill this and many other goals.
Intra-Agency Collaboration
The FBI’s New Orleans Division is highly collaborative with other state, local, federal, and even international agencies. The Louisiana Joint Terrorism Task Force is one such collaboration, where representatives from 22 agencies come together to investigate terrorism leads and provide support for special events. A particularly successful multi-agency project has been the Innocent Images Task Force, set up to combat the sexual exploitation of children. Agents involved in this type of sting operation pose as teenagers in online chat rooms. The New Orleans Gang Task Force is another collaboration aimed at dismantling neighborhood-based gangs that are part of international syndicates such as the Latin Kings and MS-13.
Special Agents and Professional Specialists
Special agents and career professionals make up the brunt of the FBI’s force in the New Orleans Division. It has two eight-member Evidence Response Teams specializing in crime scene forensics, a SWAT Team made up of 23 agents with special training in hostage rescue and weapons, three bomb technicians, and a HAZMAT expert who is capable of responding to biological, chemical, radiological, or nuclear attacks.
Professionals in linguists, surveillance teams, intelligence analysis, cyber crimes, engineering, and security work to protect the United States from future terrorist attacks, investigate white-collar crimes, defend against foreign intelligence operations and espionage, fight public corruption, and maintain civil rights. Recently agents proved helpful in the investigation and prosecution of a woman who claimed she was a federal employee offering classes to train job-seekers on cleanup methods for containing the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The convicted woman collected between $150 and $400-a-person for her fake cleanup courses and then provided forged certificates she claimed gave their bearers access to federal cleanup jobs.
How to Become an FBI Agent in New Orleans
The FBI requirements in New Orleans for prospective special agents include the following:
- Four-year college degree from an accredited institution
- Between the ages of 23-37 (with some exceptions for those with military careers)
- Have at least three years of professional work experience
- Be a citizen of either the United States or Northern Mariana Islands
- Be available for assignment anywhere within FBI jurisdiction
FBI jobs in New Orleans also require the prospective agent to complete an FBI background check, receive an FBI security clearance, and pass a physical examination. The prospective agent will be disqualified if he or she has misused prescription drugs or used marijuana in the past three years, has any felony record, or has used any other illicit substance in the past ten years.