Special Agent Training
1. Investment - Investment training provides new personnel training in their primary function and teaches experienced personnel advanced and supervisory skills. Examples of investment training are all U.S. Army Military Police School courses; Apprentice Special Agent Course, Advanced Fraud Investigations, Child Abuse Prevention and Investigative Techniques, Crisis/Hostage Negotiations, Combating Terrorism on Military Installations, and Protective Service Training, all mandatory professional development training and U. S. Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory, Field Investigative, Special Agent Laboratory training and student examiner training.
2. Sustainment - Sustainment training is designed to maintain individual proficiency. It may also be considered as refresher training to keep personnel current in the latest developments in their areas of responsibility. The majority of military Sustainment training is conducted at the unit level and includes additional training on topics initially covered in investment training, as well as DoD and DA mandated training requirements. Funding for Sustainment training is discretionary. Examples of discretionary training are common military training, mobile training teams, exportable training packages and local training opportunities. Mentorship is a critical sub-task of Sustainment. Experienced senior personnel help junior/new personnel in their office to do their jobs successfully by guiding them in the right direction using the benefit of the senior's background and experience. Constant evaluations, assessments and counseling occur as personnel develop practical experience and the skills needed by the command.
3. Specialty - CID Special Agents may apply for and attend training to become qualified in specialized fields, areas or skills. Select agents are eligible to receive advanced training at the FBI Academy, the Canadian Police College, Scotland Yard, the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, the Defense Acquisition University, Army Logistics Management College and the Defense Academy of Credibility Assessment, formerly known as the DoD Polygraph Institute. Select agents can also be accepted into the Masters Degree Program in Forensic Science from George Washington University which runs concurrent with a Fellowship from the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology.
Personnel Development
The objective during the conduct of training is that realism, hands-on and performance-oriented training be the keys. By training multi-echelon tasks we can maximize the effectiveness of the training programs and our ability to deploy, conduct criminal investigations and support the force. There are three significant developmental areas:
Special agent development - All special agents must conduct investigative Sustainment training to maintain proficiency and learn new methods of focusing their investigative resources. Newly assigned special agents-in-charge (SAC) attend the formal SAC Training Course, consisting of either the Warrant Officer Advanced Course or the headquarters managed SAC Training Course.
Support personnel development - Training for assigned military support personnel (officer, warrant and enlisted) must enhance duty performance and be directly related to the current or a projected CID assignment. Such training must enhance and maximize productivity. Civilian support personnel training and education must meet this standard as well or be related to official duties (job description), documented individual development plans, and employee's job competence development.
Professional development - This is investment training in the future leaders of this command, the Military Police Corps Regiment and the Army. Professional development programs are conducted at the lowest level possible and target our officers, noncommissioned officers and DA civilians, whenever appropriate. These programs are designed to supplement unit training programs. Whereas the majority of unit training is targeted at basic investigative skills, professional development programs are designed to address leader tasks in support of the overall Army mission.
War fighting
While there are many similarities between civilian law enforcement agencies and the CID, the Army's CID has an additional area of responsibility -- to conduct criminal investigations during periods of military conflict (war fighting). War fighting for CID is the mission of conducting criminal investigative operations in other than a peacetime environment. Investigative standards must continue to be met. These standards are included in all training phases as CID elements and soldiers train to be prepared to deploy and provide the requisite support needed in time of war or conflict. Imperative are the basic tenets of moving, shooting and communicating in concert with those units being supported on the battlefield, as well as maintaining the ability to deploy to any theater of operations.
What do these tenets mean?
Moving - The U.S. Army is a highly mechanized force and CID units must be able to keep pace with the units being supported. All tactical units must train and develop operator maintenance proficiency as well as the mounted and dismounted navigation skills necessary to accomplish the mission of criminal investigations in a proficient manner on the battlefield.
Shooting - Weapons proficiency and qualifications are zero-deficiency programs. All special agents must qualify on a quarterly basis, to standard, in order to ensure their ability to protect and defend soldiers and families. Training on the use of force and stress firing (shoot - don't shoot situations) are also incorporated in agent's weapons training programs. As always, weapons safety, security, accountability and maintenance are critical enabling tasks and are included throughout all phases of weapons training.
Communicating - Training on communications systems and signal operating instructions are accomplished at all levels. Soldiers must be proficient in establishing and entering tactical nets as well as performing basic operator maintenance. If the soldier-agent cannot communicate with the supported units, the agent will be unable to provide the support required for the units to be successful.
Because CID agents and units must be prepared to deploy and conduct criminal investigative operations anywhere in the world, extensive, high quality training is especially significant. One way of accomplishing this is taking the initiative to participate in readiness exercises whenever and wherever the opportunity presents itself. One of the CID's goals is to support all major exercises. Another is supporting individual agent training, both military and civilian.