Federal Criminal Investigators are not always called “Special Agents.” Some agencies use different titles for the same 1811 criminal investigative job series. Criminal Investigators within the U.S. Marshals are called “Deputy Marshals.” Similarly, 1811 criminal investigators for the U.S Postal Inspection Service are called “Postal Inspectors.” To make matters even more confusing, the Diplomatic Security Service refers to its criminal investigators as Special Agents in the United States, but when posted at overseas embassies they are called Regional Security Officers (RSOs). Additionally, some federal law enforcement agencies have a uniformed department and a separate agency for special agents (i.e. uniformed secret service police officers vs. secret service special agents). The most important thing to remember is the OPM Job Series code 1811. There are a number of federal law enforcement agencies that have uniformed police officers, however, those officers are typically in the 1801/0083/1810 series and are NOT special agents. This blog is limited to special agent positions within the 1811 Criminal Investigator position and does not concern other non 1811 federal law enforcement positions such ICE Deportation & Removal Officer or Border Patrol Officer.

Department of Agriculture (USDA)

• United States Forest Service Office of Law Enforcement and Investigations
• Office of Inspector General (USDA-OIG)

Department of Commerce (DOC)

• Bureau of Industry and Security, Office of Export Enforcement
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

• Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Office of Criminal Investigations (OCI)
• Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG)

Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

• Coast Guard Investigative Service (CGIS)
• Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
• Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
• Transportation Security Administration 
• United States Secret Service (USSS)
• Federal Protective Service (FPS)
• Office of Inspector General (DHS-OIG)

Department of the Interior (DOI)

• Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
• United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)
• National Park Service (NPS)
• Bureau of Indian Affairs Police (BIA)
• Office of Inspector General (DOI-OIG)

Department of Defense (DOD)

• Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI)
• United States Army Criminal Investigation Command (USACIDC)
• Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS)
• Pentagon Force Protection Agency (PFPA)
• Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS)

United States Office of Personnel Management

• Office of Inspector General (OPM-OIG)

Department of Justice (DOJ)

• Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
• Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
• Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
• United States Marshals Service (USMS)
• Office of Inspector General (DOJ-OIG)

Department of State

• Diplomatic Security Service (DSS)
• Office of Inspector General (DOS-OIG)

Department of Transportation (DOT)

• Office of Inspector General for the Department of Transportation (DOT-OIG)

Department of the Treasury

• IRS Criminal Investigation Division (IRS-CID)
• Bureau of Engraving and Printing Police
• Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA)
• Treasury Office of Inspector General (OIG)

Postal Service (USPS)

• United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS)
• Office of Inspector General (USPS-OIG)

United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

• Criminal Investigation Division (EPA-CID)
• Office of Inspector General (EPA-OIG)

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)

• Office of Inspector General (CIA-OIG)

Library of Congress (LOC)

• Office of Inspector General (LOC-OIG)

Smithsonian Institute

• Office of Inspector General (SI-OIG)

Refer to the "Office of Inspector General" Section for a comprehsenive list of all the OIG Agencies.  

The concept of a statutory Inspector General (IG) was broadly introduced to the civilian side of

the Federal government by the Inspector General Act of 1978 (IG Act).  The original Inspectors

General (IGs) were established in 12 Federal agencies. The concept has proved so successful

that today, there are 72 statutory IGs across the Federal government.

Statutory IGs are structurally unique within the Federal government. The stated purpose of the

IG Act is to create independent and objective units within each agency whose duty it is to

combat waste, fraud, and abuse in the programs and operations of that agency.  To this end,

each IG is responsible for conducting audits and investigations relating to the programs and

operations of its agency, and providing leadership and coordination and recommending policies

for, and to conduct, supervise, or coordinate other activities for the purpose of promoting

economy, efficiency, and effectiveness and preventing and detecting fraud and abuse in those

programs and operations. Importantly, each IG is also to keep the agency head and the Congress

“fully and currently informed” about problems and deficiencies relating to the administration of

agency programs and operations. The IG Act contains a variety of statutory guarantees of Office

of Inspector General (OIG) independence, designed to ensure the objectivity of OIG work and to

safeguard against efforts to compromise that objectivity or hinder OIG operations. It is these

guarantees of independence that make statutory IGs unique.   Learn More by reading the

 Official IG Authorities Paper or the Official IG Brochure.

The comprehensive and current list of ALL Office of Inspectors General Offices is maintained online by the Council of the Inspectors General on Safety & Efficiency.  Full OIG Directory Link

OIG Frequently Asked Questions Link

The issue of the oldest federal agency has been endlessly debated by feds and two agencies conflictingly claim the title.  SA Blog has finally put this issue to rest.

Which is the Oldest Federal Agency? - Blog Post