US Marshals...

Excelsior

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A pair o' questions -

1) Do US Marshals (or any federal-type law enforcement agency) retain any of their official powers after retirement - arrest, carrying a gun, etc?

2) Anyone know where I might find examples of their exploits?
 

JamieFord

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1) Nope. Though I'm sure they'd have no trouble obtaining a concealed carry permit.

2) Why not call a local one and interview him/her?

I have a good friend who worked for the US Marshals service in Montana, and honestly, it's not nearly as sexy as you'd imagine. He retired from the Air Force and joined the Marshals and recently aged-out (retirement). Now he's a bailiff.

Most of what he did when he with the Marshals was just transportation of bad guys. He described it like a glorified taxi service. He'd drive across the state and pick up a bad guy from a local jail and bring him to court, or take him from court to a federal facility/prison, etc. Once in a while he'd have to fly out of state and escort someone back. He also was assigned as an escort to military convoys through the state.
 

The Grift

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1) Nope. Though I'm sure they'd have no trouble obtaining a concealed carry permit.

Are you sure about this? Ask your friend about HR 218. (Full text here, Sec 3) I'm almost certain that it allows a retired law enforcement officer to carry anywhere in the country with nothing more than some retirement ID.

And as far as exploits? You don't want to be looking at the US Marshals who do court work, (the 082 series) you want the 1811 series special agents. Think Tommy Lee Jones in the Fugitive or J.Lo in Out of Sight. The 1811's get out there and do all the fugitive recovery stuff. It's a highly coveted position, because it's much more high-speed low-paperwork with a lot more doorkicking then the average fed gets to see. But the 082 series DUSM's do mostly court security and prisoner transport.

Also, do some research on the USMS SOG (Special Operations Group). They get all sorts of high-speed low-drag stuff.
 
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Horseshoes

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Neither Fed, State or locals cops retain official powers post retirement. 218 has been signed by the Pres, but it is not as simple as saying 'any former cop' --there are standards re how recently the person was a cop, qual'd to standard w/ the weapon, time in service, etc. Neither 218 nor CCW permits let someone violate more stringent state gun laws, for ex, laws re no guns on school grounds or in bars.

Powers of arrest are, believe it or not, generally the same for cops and citizens. The difference comes in duty to act. Re force, for ex, a citizen has the duty the back out of a fight, and ofc has the duty to enforce the law, serve the arrest/search warrant, etc.

Given that you asked Marshalls-- or any other fed-- I wonder what your story needs this fed to do. W/ more info, maybe I could be more helpful.
 

Excelsior

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Given that you asked Marshalls-- or any other fed-- I wonder what your story needs this fed to do. W/ more info, maybe I could be more helpful.

Essentially it's groundwork for a backstory. My MC needs to be someone with law enforcement training, and in my eyes the FBI, CIA, private detectives etc are played out. It's more for originality than anything else, but I do want to sound credible when he mentions some of the things he's done.

Thanks for all the input.
 

The Grift

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Essentially it's groundwork for a backstory. My MC needs to be someone with law enforcement training, and in my eyes the FBI, CIA, private detectives etc are played out. It's more for originality than anything else, but I do want to sound credible when he mentions some of the things he's done.

Thanks for all the input.

If you want something original, have the MC be a former OIG agent. Virtually every federal agency has a section called the Office of the Inspector General, which is typically a two-pronged section. The first part monitors internal fraud and waste. The second conducts criminal investigations in that agency's purview. And these guys are sworn LE officers who carry badges and guns.

For instance, the Department of Education has an IG's Office, and the special agents who are a part of it go after criminals who have done things like defaulted on student loans. The nice part about that is that virtually any criminal who has student loans will have defaulted on them, allowing the DOE OIG special agents to get their fingers into a lot of pies. And most agencies have these guys. Everyone from the Environmental Protection Agency to the Department of Health and Human Services to Housing and Urban Development. And yes, this sort of work can be as dangerous (and/or boring) as any other federal law enforcement special-agent job.

Or for some bigger but lesser know fed agencies, how about the USPIS (United States Postal Inspector Service), the DSS (Diplomatic Security Service), Fish and Wildlife Service, the IRS CID (Criminal Investigation Divison) or even the Border Patrol? There are literally over a hundred federal agencies who have 1811 series (special agents/criminal investigators) or other 18 series who are authorized to carry a badge and a gun and arrest people. Most of them get their training at the same place anyway, one of the two FLETC (federal law enforcement training center) locations, with a CITP or agency-specific add-on.
 
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