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In a single sentence, "Special Agents" are federal law enforcement officers vested with the power of the federal government to enforce and investigate violations of federal law. "Special Agent" is a working title - what you typically see printed on an agent's business card, whether he or she works for the DEA, IRS, or any of the 80 other agencies that employ Special Agents. Their official job title, which better describes their duties, is often "Criminal Investigator." Special Agents are sworn, meaning they have a presumption of trust by the government (backed up by background checks and security clearances); the ability to "swear out" search warrants and arrest warrants; and the power of arrest for all violations of federal law. While most Federal Agents are called "Special Agents," not all are. Criminal investigators for the U.S. Marshals Service, for example, usually use the title "Deputy Marshal," and sometimes "Inspector" for more senior Marshals. Similarly, the U.S. postal service Agents often go by the title "Postal Inspector."
While the titles can vary, almost all Special Agents fall under the same federal government job series, GS-1811. You will often hear people in-the-know say, "I'm an eighteen-eleven." This is a quick and easy way to identify that you belong to the class of federal employees who investigate crime and enforce federal law. So 1811 is sort of a federal HR shorthand. It's a useful code to remember, too, since this is the job series you will want to look for when it comes to finding jobs that are out there.
More generally, the 1800 series of jobs encompasses all manner of criminality-centric federal jobs, from technical specialists to similar badge-and-gun jobs, such as some Federal Air Marshals and older Deputy U.S. Marshals who do not have significant criminal investigation duties as part of their daily work. One notable exception is Special Agents of the U.S. Department of State; since they are members of the Foreign Service (as opposed to the domestically-oriented Civil Service), they go by the designation FS-2501.
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