Portland is the most populous city in the state of Oregon, and is home to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) regional division field office. The FBI field office in Portland is responsible for supervising all major investigations in the state, and oversees the operations of multiple satellite offices located throughout the state.
Satellite offices serve as the home base for Special Agents and are strategically spread throughout the state in order to ensure that the bureau can respond to events as soon as possible. The field offices in the state of Oregon are located in the cities and towns of Bend, Eugene, Medford, Pendleton and Salem.
Each office looks over two to five counties in the state- ranging from the tree-lined coastlines of the state, to the mountainous forests and the brush desert located on the eastern side of the state.
FBI Jobs in Portland, OR
There are many opportunities for applicants to find specialized FBI jobs in Portland, Oregon that suit their skills and specializations. Along with special agents, there are positions available for intelligence analysts, financial analysts, investigative specialists, support services technicians, language specialists, paralegals, electronics technicians and security specialists.
These various FBI jobs comprise specialized teams:
Evidence Response Teams: There are two, eight-member Evidence Response Teams in the state of Oregon. These team members are responsible for securing crime scenes and then collecting various types of evidence. Evidence includes taking photographs of the crime scene, diagram and survey the crime scenes, analyze blood stains and splatters, determine bullet trajectories and collecting DNA evidence (blood, sperm, fingerprints, etc.)
The Northwest Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory: Portland is home to the regional laboratory for digital evidence collection, storage and analysis. These labs operate as forensics facilities as well as training facilities. There are only a handful of them spread throughout the country.
Specialized Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team: Portland has a 15-member SWAT team that is responsible for handling some of the most dangerous crimes and criminals in the state. FBI requirements in Oregon require SWAT members to be highly-trained and disciplined in breaching locked and barricaded buildings, traveling through rugged terrain, handling hostage situations and negotiations, apprehending and/ or rendering armed and dangerous criminals safe, ending car chases in the safest ways possible and utilizing tactical maritime operations on the coast, among many other dangerous and risky tasks.
Hazardous Materials: This FBI job in Portland, Oregon is only one position. The bomb expert is responsible for investigating bomb threats and mysterious packages, and then rendering the potentially explosive materials safe using a variety of techniques. Other materials dealt with include biological, chemical and radiological materials. The bomb expert works in concert with the national FBI Weapons of Mass Destruction experts. FBI requirements in Portland for this job requires years of technical training and expertise.