The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) provides challenging and rewarding career opportunities for those interested in federal law enforcement and intelligence. FBI agents work to prevent terrorist attacks, both domestic and foreign. They also work to enforce federal laws and assist local law enforcement agencies in criminal cases as needed.
While West Virginia does not have its own FBI field office, the Pittsburgh Division has resident agency offices that cover the entire state of West Virginia. FBI jobs in West Virginia may be available for Special Agents, Intelligence Analysts, Linguists, Information Technology Specialists, Computer Forensic Specialists, and more. Additionally, Clarksburg, West Virginia is home to the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Center (CJIS) Division. This was designed in 1992 as the central repository for the FBI’s criminal justice information services, and is the largest division in the FBI.
FBI Field Offices and Jobs in West Virginia
The Pittsburgh Division of the FBI has jurisdiction over the satellite offices/resident agencies in West Virginia. They are located in:
- Wheeling: FBI agents in the Wheeling, West Virginia office are responsible for crimes occurring in the counties of Wetzel, Tyler, Pleasants, Ohio, Marshall, Hancock and Brooke.
- Parkersburg: While the Charleston agency is currently handling cases that would otherwise be assigned to the Parkersburg satellite office, normally FBI agents from Parkersburg would cover Wood, Wirt, Jackson and Roane Counties.
- Charleston: Special agents in the FBI’s satellite office in Charleston are responsible for cases in Putnam, Nicholas, Kanawha, Fayette, Clay and Boone Counties.
- Martinsburg: FBI agents in Martinsburg cover cases in the counties of Morgan, Mineral, Jefferson, Hardy, Hampshire, Grant and Berkley.
- Huntington: Huntington FBI special agents are responsible for cases in the counties of Wayne, Mingo, Mason, Logan, Lincoln and Cabell.
- Clarksburg: FBI agents in Clarksburg are responsible for covering Webster, Upshur, Tucker, Taylor, Ritchie, Randolph, Preston, Pocahontas, Pendleton, Monongalia, Marion, Lewis, Harrison, Gilmer, Doddridge, Calhoun, Braxton and Barbour Counties. Clarksburg is home to the FBI CJIS. Divisions within the CJIS include National Instant Criminal Background Check System, Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System, Biometric Center of Excellence, Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR), and the National Crime Information Center (NCIC).
- Beckley: Beckley’s FBI agents handle cases occurring in Wyoming, Summers, Raleigh, Monroe, Mercer, McDowell, and Greenbrier Counties.
How to Become an FBI Special Agent in West Virginia: Training and Degree Requirements
West Virginians who desire to serve their country by becoming a federal agent might consider joining the FBI. Not everyone is appropriate material to become an FBI special agent in West Virginia, however. First, one must make sure he or she meets the following requirements:
- Is a U.S. citizen
- Is between the ages of 23 and 36 years
- Holds at least a bachelor’s degree
- Has at least two years of work experience in a professional setting
- Exceptions to the experience requirement include:
- Possession of a masters or doctoral degree = only need two years of professional work experience
- Possession of a J.D. (law) degree = need no documented professional work experience
- Possession of experience in computer science or information technology = need no documented professional work experience
- Foreign language fluency = need no documented professional work experience
- Were an FBI Honors or Volunteer Intern with a 3.0 GPG = need no documented professional work experience
- Exceptions to the experience requirement include:
The FBI accepts special agent applications online at www.fbijobs.gov. Keep in mind that one may be placed in any field office or resident agency in which the FBI needs special agents, not necessarily in West Virginia.
The starting salary for an FBI agent in West Virginia is $49,397 in 2013. This figure is attained by adding the average starting salary of an FBI agent ($43,441) to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM)’s general schedule increase of 2.10% and the West Virginia locality payment of 17.5 %.