FBI..........I'm scared!!!!!

[mla2177]

My hubby has been going through the hiring process with the FBI for almost three years now. He is now in the very final stage, and it looks like it is really going to happen, and now I am scared!!!!

After four months in the academy, they assign you to a field office, and really we could be put anywhere in the US!!! Apparently, there are 56 offices (all major cities) and they make you put them in order of preference. I am so confused on where to pick!!!!!!

Has anyone else gone through this with the FBI or any other Federal government agency? If so, what did you do? How did you pick? A friend of ours who went through this a few years ago said mostly everyone in his class got between there 3rd and 5th pick, no one got beyond their 10th pick. Apparently, wherever they assign you, you need to stay there for five years, then can pick wherever you want.

My first thought was to pick Tampa and be closer to the mouse, but then I would be far from all our family. The other part of me is saying that it's only five years which would put my son at age 8, and I might as well pick a place I want to be as apposed to being put far away and hating the city!!! What would you do?

 

[flipturngirl]

I would do something that fills confortable with you

 

[Database]

Not with the FBI.

It is a crap shoot. My recommendation is to sit down and list them in the order that you'd like. Realize you may just get 56 on the list. If someone has to go there. It could be your family.

In my experience, I listed my preference and got selected for an assignment not even on the list. Go figure!

 

[tikilyn]

My dh is a Border Patrol agent. The process took a year in a half before he was accepted to their academy. He only had five choices South Texas, W.TX/NM, AZ, or California. Northern Border was not an option for us as all new hires have to go South! LOL Lucky for us we got our First choice S.TX! We like it here and plan on stay until dh retires (age 60 is the limit).

 

[Cass]

What are the city choices? do they pay for your move?

 

[kctwinmommy]

Wow! Good luck to you guys! We haven't really done it, but my DH is in the military, although he doesn't pick his base really since he's in the Reserves. Although he just got reassigned to a new base with his promotion last month, and he didn't pick it. I agree though to just sit down and look at all the pros and cons of several different cities, and still realize that you may not get anything in the top few you've chosen.

Either way, be proud of your DH, I think it's great that he's going to make it in! And it'll be tough, but WTG!!! And you too, supporting can be just as tough. My DH has been a cop for almost 12 years now and in the military too.

 

[mla2177]

I think I'm really having trouble because I am not a world traveler, and I have a child to worry about.

Here are the choices:
1. Mobile, Alabama
2. Birmingham, Alabama
3. Anchorage, Alaska
4. Phoenix, Arizona
5. Little Rock, Arkansas
6. Los Angeles, Cali
7. Sacremento, Cali
8. San Diego, Cali
9. San Francisco, Cali
10. Denver, Colorado
11. New Haven, Connecticut
12. Baltimore, Maryland
13. Washington DC
14. Jacksonville, Florida
15. Miami, Florida
16. Tampa, Florida
17. Atlanta, Georgia
18. Honolulu, Hawaii
19. Salt Lake City, Utah
20. Chicago, Illinois
21. Springfield, Illinois
22. Indianapolis, Indiana
23. Omaha, Nebraska
24. Kansas City, Missouri
25. Louisville, Kentucky
26. New Orleans, Louisiana
27. Boston, Massachuettes
28. Detroit, Michigan
29. Minneapolis, Minnesota
30. Jackson, Mississippi
31. St Loius, Missouri
32. Las Vegas, Nevada
33. Newark, New Jersey
34. Albuquerque, New Mexico
35. Albany, New York
36. Buffalo, New York
37. New York, New York
38. Charlotte, North Carolina
39. Cinncinnati, Ohio
40. Cleveland, Ohio
41. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
42. Portland, Oregon
43. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
44. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
45. Columbia, South Carolina
46. Knoxville, Tennessee
47. Memphis, Tennessee
48. Dallas, Texas
49. Houston, Texas
50. El Paso, Texas
51. San Antonio, Texas
52. Richmond, Virginia
53. Norfolk, Virginia
54. Seattle, Washington
55. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
56. Puerto Rico


I can tell you what I know I am putting at the bottom of my list and DO NOT want:

Anchorage, Alaska
Los Angeles, Cali
San Francisco, Cali
Miami, Florida
Chicago, Illinois
New Orleans, Louisiana
Detroit, Michigan
Las Vegas, Nevada
New York, New york
Puerto Rico


I am originally from NJ and that is where most of my family is. The only NJ pick (Newark) is still 2.5 hrs from family, and is very expensive to live there. I've been told if that city is anywhere in the top ten, we will probably get it. I'm not sure I want to pick it though!!! It is very expensive to live in a major city in NJ and it's actually a pay cut for us to take this job for the first couple of years. I think with that being said, my first pick would be Philadelphia. From there I am lost!!!!!!If I pick offices based on distance to family, it puts me in a lot of areas I really don't want to be, Wash Dc, Baltimore, Newark. Should I just pick offices of places I think I would like and not worry about being close to family? What would you do?

 

[mla2177]

What are the city choices? do they pay for your move?

They do pay for your move and give you locality pay for some of the major cities.

 

[golfgal]

That is a tough job. It sounds to me like you really want to be close to family so I would start picking spots based on that and go from there. Another way to look into this is to start listing cities with the best schools, since you have a child and move down the list there.

Do you have to actually live IN the city listed or can you live in a suburb? You have Chicago on your no way list but there are some VERY nice suburbs with great schools in Chicago and a LOT to do there for family activities, etc.

We used to live about 3 hours away from our family, not far at all really. DH's brother lived in Seattle, a 3 hour plane ride away. He got more visitors then we did because he lived in a spot where people wanted to vacation. I bet if you picked Florida, Carolinas, Hawaii, etc. you would end up seeing people as much if not more then if you lived in Philly.

 

[Frantasmic]

I'd pick smaller big cities that have good airports.

The locale because they shouldn't have as much crime as the super big cities.
An airport because you will need to visit your family. Is he leaving the decision entirely up to you? Do any of the cities have a speciality he could get into easier?

Little Rock
Denver
Jacksonville
Atlanta
Springfield
Omaha
Kansas City
Louisville
Minneapolis
St Louis
Albuquerque
charlotte
Philly
Norfolk

 

[Cindy B]

Is there a residency requirement? Do you have to live in that exact city or can you live in the suburbs of the city? I'm basing these choices on suburbs of the city.

Philadelphia could be a good choice, since your family is nearby. You can live in the suburbs or even in neighboring NJ/DE. It is expensive, but you can find decent to excellent schools easily in the suburbs.

I lived in Cleveland area and LOVED it. The people are friendly, housing was cheap, schools are great (depending on the suburb of Cleveland)
and it was nice to live there. Yes, there was snow-- but I would live back there in a heartbeat. Cleveland is only about 500 miles from Philly area as well- it can be done in about an 6-8 hour drive or a 45 minute plane ride. Cleveland is a very small big city and it has a very small town feel even in the big city. I loved Cleveland.

And close to Cleveland is Pittsburgh PA. Pittsburgh is a great town. The flight from Pittsburgh to Philly is only 40 minutes. Pittsburgh to Cleveland isn't far either. When my family lived in Cleveland, we would occasionally drive to Pittsburgh for things and do something different. (it wasn't that far) Pittsburgh is constantly written up as a great small big city as well.

Another small big city is Milwaukee. It is pretty far from what you looking, but Wisconsin has decent people as well.

I loved living in the Midwest, can't you tell? I had previoulsy lived in the Philly area all my life, and moving to Cleveland area was fabulous to me. The people were so down to earth, housing was so cheap, and there was so many things to do. It was a great place for kids as well--my son was born there and I was pg with my daughter when we left.

Then I would pick Charlotte, NC or Columbia, SC. I've heard wonderful things about both of those towns. I don't know anything about schools there but I've heard nice things about the Carolinas.

 

[mla2177]

Is there a residency requirement? Do you have to live in that exact city or can you live in the suburbs of the city? I'm basing these choices on suburbs of the city.

Philadelphia could be a good choice, since your family is nearby. You can live in the suburbs or even in neighboring NJ/DE. It is expensive, but you can find decent to excellent schools easily in the suburbs.

I lived in Cleveland area and LOVED it. The people are friendly, housing was cheap, schools are great (depending on the suburb of Cleveland)
and it was nice to live there. Yes, there was snow-- but I would live back there in a heartbeat. Cleveland is only about 500 miles from Philly area as well- it can be done in about an 6-8 hour drive or a 45 minute plane ride. Cleveland is a very small big city and it has a very small town feel even in the big city. I loved Cleveland.

And close to Cleveland is Pittsburgh PA. Pittsburgh is a great town. The flight from Pittsburgh to Philly is only 40 minutes. Pittsburgh to Cleveland isn't far either. When my family lived in Cleveland, we would occasionally drive to Pittsburgh for things and do something different. (it wasn't that far) Pittsburgh is constantly written up as a great small big city as well.

Another small big city is Milwaukee. It is pretty far from what you looking, but Wisconsin has decent people as well.

I loved living in the Midwest, can't you tell? I had previoulsy lived in the Philly area all my life, and moving to Cleveland area was fabulous to me. The people were so down to earth, housing was so cheap, and there was so many things to do. It was a great place for kids as well--my son was born there and I was pg with my daughter when we left.

Then I would pick Charlotte, NC or Columbia, SC. I've heard wonderful things about both of those towns. I don't know anything about schools there but I've heard nice things about the Carolinas.

He is leaving it up to me, but I obviously want him to be happy. Plus, I really want to be in a low crime area because of having a child and I want my hubby's job to be as safe as possible. We are allowed to live anywhere we want. He will get a take home car, and he said he is willing to drive an hour to and from work.

 

[golfgal]

People can probably give you pros and cons of every city on that list. For me, I might start with Hawaii just because I could and I would love to visit there. I could probably live there for 5 years easily.

Minneapolis would be my first choice since we live here. The schools are excellent and since you are from NJ the weather is pretty similar except we have snowplows so if it snows we aren't stuck in our houses for weeks . Omaha is actually a great area of the country, easy to fly into/out of and usually pretty cheep flights. It is fairly inexpensive too.

Personally I would not want to be in the deep south but that is a personal preference. If I had to choose a southern state it would be one of the Carolinas probably.

St. Louis area is also a GREAT family area. The schools aren't so good but you have the option of private schools. There is so much to do in the area and it isn't all that long of a drive to the east coast.

Phoenix is also a nice area. We have friends that live north of Phoenix in Anthem and that is a great family area. They have brand new schools, great parks, a lot of new development, etc.

 

[Laura]

Wow, I can see why this is a hard decision for you; so many places to choose from. I can tell you Honolulu would be #1 on my list, though.

If you want to be near family, start with the lower-crime cities in the Northeast. Then work on the closest cities in the south and midwest and check if they have nice airports and low crime. Just eliminate everything that's too far away, and you'll see how the list gets shorter. (And throw Tampa in there because you'll be close to WDW but not too close. )

And even though your DH says to leave it up to you, I would include him in this. Two heads are better than one.

 

[mla2177]

Does anyone know where I can find a list of information about crime and schools in each city?

 

[TCPluto]

I'd pick smaller big cities that have good airports.

The locale because they shouldn't have as much crime as the super big cities.
An airport because you will need to visit your family. Is he leaving the decision entirely up to you? Do any of the cities have a speciality he could get into easier?

Little Rock
Denver
Jacksonville
Atlanta
Springfield
Omaha
Kansas City
Louisville
Minneapolis
St Louis
Albuquerque
charlotte
Philly
Norfolk

The lists of cities is quite deceiving. For instance, the Detroit office covers the entire state of Michigan. They have offices throughout the state, not even remotely close to the city of Detroit.

We have an office in Traverse City, 4 1/2 hours from Detroit, resort town on lake Michigan in northern MI. That office got a new hire out of the last academy. But his official work site states "Detroit field office".

On on another note, it seems a bit ironic that advise is offered for a brand new law enforcement officer to seek a low crime area to cut his teeth.

 

[hercamore]

I would also recommend Minneapolis.


herc.

 

[mickeysgal]

Anchorage, Alaska
Los Angeles, Cali
San Francisco, Cali
Miami, Florida
Chicago, Illinois
New Orleans, Louisiana
Detroit, Michigan
Las Vegas, Nevada
New York, New york
Puerto Rico

I wouldn't be so quick to put Chicago on your NO list. Chicago and it's surrounding areas are a great placer to live and work. Why don't you like it? Is it the winters with the snow? I can understand that, if thats your reason.

Is there a requirement to live in the city limits or can you live in a suburb? I can tell you for a fact that there are excellent schools and great suburbs in the Chicago metropolitan area.

 

[barkley]

i think it also depends on weather you plan on moving every time your dh gets transferred, and what the bureau estimates your husband's minimum time in his inital assignment location could be.

reason i say that is i have 2 friends in law enforcement that have had to move several times. one works for a state agency, one for the fbi. the one with the state agency did academy then was transferred to one of those posts newbies do and transfer out of at the first opportunity. he then got an assignment in the region he and his wife wanted to live, but depending on his office assignment-he might have a half hour commute or a 3 hour commute (one way). they chose a place to live that could accommodate any of his assignments. the friend with the fbi was 'technicaly' assigned to one of the texas offices for years-but he never seemed to be there. he was constantly on temp assignment somewhere else, being loaned out to work in conjunction with another agency-and was out of the country allot...he will retire in the next 5 years or so and is now assigned to one of the new york branches with a promise of no more international assignments-but that was only after he did a 2 or 3 year stint at an international location there was no way he wanted to move his family to.

i think some of the assignments/locations are def. geared to different types of careers within the bureau, so if your dh has some type of education/training that will lend itself or he has a desire to work his way up-he should be talking to someone and finding out where the best placement for those opportunities lie.

 

[TCPluto]

Does anyone know where I can find a list of information about crime and schools in each city?

Each feild office you have listed has a number of "Resident Agent" offices that you could be assigned to, not necessarily the named city. Those "RA's could be hundreds of miles from the field office, so until you know where your going in the division, it's a bit tough for you to research.

Doing research on "Detroit" will be to no avail if he goes to Grand Rapids, St. Joseph, or Traverse City (here in Michigan).

He also has limits on how far he can drive the govenrments car to get in to work. I think an hour is over the limit.