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No Kings, No Kooks is an easy and short read that will you give you a peek into the life of a professional background investigator. Background investigations in the federal government are typically carried out by a combination private contractors, Special Agents (1811) or even specific government background investigators. The author of this book, Thomas Sarnicola, has been both an agent and contract investigator. Sarnicola is "from a working class New York Italian American family and invites the reader into the world of security clearance investigations for the federal government and military." The book is not only a recollection of his coming of age story but also describes some of the more interesting security clearance cases he investigated and the people he encountered along the path.
This book is not meant to be an in-depth explanation of the federal security clearance vetting process. That endeavor is lengthy, dry and compartmentalized, a necessary protocol to conduct an objective review and execute a fair decision making process. Instead Sarnicola gives the reader some insight into the portion of the process that he was involved with at the field level, specifically the investigative fact finding. Just like 1811s in criminal investigations, it is not the background investigators job to make prosecutorial like adjudications. Rather, investigators are supposed to gather the facts in an impartial manner and follow up on leads they develop. If you have ever wondered what a background investigator is thinking or why they asked certain questions, then you will likely find this book interesting and at times entertaining.
For most clearance holders in the US federal government the background investigation and vetting process is largely a black hole beginning from the time one submits that exhaustive SF86 until a final eligibility notification is received. Occasionally applicants might hear something from a friend or neighbor who was interviewed but for the most part, the candidates don't know what is happening at any given time. For some clearance holders they might only go through this lengthy process one time in their life, depending on the type of clearance sought and/or the amount of time it is required. The term clearance holder is specifically used in lieu of employee because clearances are granted to anyone who requires it, so long as they are eligible. This obviously includes federal employees and members of the Armed Services, but it also includes government contractors, politicians, and even employees of private companies with government contracts. You might recall the story of Elon Musk smoking weed on the Joe Rogan show and the issues it raised regarding his clearance eligibility.
If you are or end up in a lifetime career field that requires a Top Secret clearance then you will endure the joys of the background process roughly every 5 years. You have also likely already experienced or will experience the changes in the vetting process over the years. No Kings, No Kooks gives the reader a brief overview of the different agencies that have participated in the process over the years and discusses the history of how it all began, beginning with the assassination of President Garfield. Knowing this history might shine light on why your clearance renewal was delayed at different times during your career. Given the federal government's constantly evolving bureaucratic model, these changes will probably continue throughout your career.
In my opinion one of the most irritating parts about the background process is the lack of communication between the agency that requests the investigation and the field personnel tasked in carrying out the actual background case. Quite often, the field investigators are just as out of the loop as the subject of the investigation. I still recall an interaction with a background investigator for my first clearance in the military. Shortly after basic training for the military reserve, I was back home at my civilian place of employment when my mother called to say someone with a badge was at her house asking questions and wanted to talk to me in person. As a new service member, I knew that my position required a clearance, but after the initial entry paperwork the rest of the process was never really mentioned. No one from my unit had told me to expect an investigator, nor did they ever mentioned that it might be a private contractor. Alarmingly, when I called the security manager at my unit, they did not appear to be aware of anything and advised that I should independently verify the investigator before talking to him, all of which is quite a burden on a nascent employee. Unfortunately, 20 years later I can't report that the process has gotten any better. In this day and age of online fraud and business email compromise schemes, it is somewhat unnerving to receive an email from a random private company telling you that they are conducting a background investigation on behalf of the federal government.
Sarnicola gives his readers a little insight into being one of these private contractor investigators as well as being an 1811/Special Agent with the federal government. Quite often these private contractors are also retired Special Agents who continue working as a background investigator part time or as a second career. The process can be stressful and sometimes the background investigator might be irritating, but just remember to be polite and answer their questions to the best of your ability. These investigators are just trying to do their job the right way, often with supervisors pressuring them to speed things up and process more cases to clear out a backlog of pending investigations.
Overall, No Kings, No Kooks is an entertaining read on a unique topic of interest. Check it out if you want to learn about something different.
The Special Agent community is a small one and we at the Special Agents Blog are always happy to help promote the work of a fellow Special Agent. You can check out Sarnicola's book on Amazon.
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