Global InformationSpecial agent information
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (April 2014) |
| Law enforcement in the United States |
|---|
|
| Separation of powers |
|
| Jurisdiction |
|
| Legal context |
|
| Prosecution |
|
| Lists of law enforcement agencies |
|
| Police operations/organization/issues |
|
| Types of agency |
|
| Types of law enforcement officers |
|
| See also |
|
|
In the United States, a special agent is an official term used to refer to an investigator[disambiguation needed] or detective for a federal or state government who primarily serves in criminal investigatory positions. Additionally, many federal and state special agents operate in "criminal intelligence" based roles as well. Within the U.S. federal law enforcement system, dozens of federal agencies employ federal law enforcement officers, each with different criteria pertaining to the use of the titles Special Agent and Agent. These titles are also used by many state level agencies to refer to their personnel.
Most people holding the title of "Special Agent" are law enforcement officers under state or federal law (with some also being dual intelligence operatives such as with the FBI). These law enforcement officers are distinctly empowered to conduct both major and minor criminal investigations, and hold arrest authority.
In U.S. federal law enforcement, the title of "Special Agent" is used almost exclusively for federal and military criminal investigators.
In intelligence usage, "agent" may also refer to a human source or human "asset" who is recruited, trained, controlled, and employed to obtain and report information.[1] However, within law enforcement agencies, these types of sources are often referred to as informants, confidential informants (CI—not to be confused with counterintelligence), or confidential human sources (CHS).
Alternatively, some state and local government agencies within the United States title their criminal investigators as special investigators.[2][3]
- ^ North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO Standardization Agency "AAP-6 - Glossary of terms and definitions", p. 47.
- ^ "Worcester County, MD: State's Attorney". Worcester County, MD Code. Retrieved 2021-12-26.
- ^ "View Document - Maryland Code and Court Rules". govt.westlaw.com. Retrieved 2021-12-26.