Exploring Law Enforcement: Interview with a U.S. Marshal

The person whom I contacted for my informational interview was Joseph Gaines. I was able to meet Mr. Gaines through a network connection I made from my co-intern at Internal Affairs Division at the Metropolitan Police Department. I chose this individual because he holds a position that I am very interested in and may like to pursue as a career goal. We met and had lunch together. At which time I was able to interview him and get some insight of his daily duties to see if this career choice would be a good fit for me. Mr. Gaines is a Senior Inspector for the Sexual Predator Unit for the United States Marshals Service. He has an overall thirty-eight years of law enforcement experience. Mr. Gaines worked for the last twenty-five years as a U.S. Marshal.

During my interview with Mr. Gaines he explained about the type of leadership style qualities needed in this line of work. He stated that persistence and adaptability are a must quality. One needs to be able to advocate not only for themselves but also for their team. One must be able to show bravery, compassion, maturity and patience to the victims they come across on a daily basis. Excellent communication skills are extremely important and being able to

work well with others is a major factor. Mr. Gaines empathized these attributes which are so essential the skills needed to succeed in this profession.
During my interview with Mr.

Gaines, I could picture myself possibly acclimating to this environment. Many of the qualities he touched upon, I believe I already obtain some of these traits. I believe that my internship has helped me greatly this past five weeks helped me improve on my people skills and how to accomplish my job in a timely manner. I have always been a people person with good communication skills. I feel that would be most helpful when interviewing the victims without further traumatizing them. Convincing victims and witness to talk to me so I can gather necessary information to present to the federal prosecutor for an arrest warrant that may be needed. My organizational skills would help in keeping proper documents that are relevant to a

case.
What I found most interesting while interviewing Mr. Gaines was the amount of work that goes into his daily duties investigating unregistered sex offenders to determine if they have violated the federal law for failure to register as a Sex Offender. The amount of paper trail needed for his investigations to satisfy the criteria for federal prosecution case. The many roadblocks he faces on a daily basis due to the inconsistency among the fifty different states regarding their sex offender registry laws. Researching various databases both public and law enforcement on sex offenders. Interviewing law enforcement officers, probation officers, prosecutors and witnesses in the field. To be able to safely arrest the suspect using overwhelming manpower and a sound tactical approach without anyone getting hurt. If that was not enough work Mr. Gaines goes around the United States and teaches investigative techniques to other Senior Inspectors. I expected Mr. Gaines to tell me he held a Criminal Justice Degree, when in fact he holds an Associate in Applied Science in Business Management and a Bachelor of Applied Science in Liberal Arts.
I can strongly envision following Mr. Gaines career choice in the future. We both are very passionate about making a difference in this world for the better. It has to be very rewarding to know that you have the power to keep this type of predator in jail so that they cannot commit more sex crimes against innocent victims. I do not think I would do anything different just knowing that your day can go from boring to a life-threating encounter in an instant.
Some of the strategies that Mr. Gaines mentioned for breaking into this field of choice are to be aware of the current attitude much of the public has toward law enforcement and be able to accept what comes with that as you do your job. Not to get into any situations involving drugs and or alcohol that could eliminate you from consideration in the hiring process. To excel in all the areas of the hiring process, present yourself well with face-to-face interview, always make eye contact. Be confident and professional in your appearance at all times. Be punctual for any meetings and or interviews. Keeping physically fit and is prepared to pass a thorough background investigation. This was overall a wonderful experience interviewing Mr. Gaines and learning about his career with the United States Marshals Service. It provided a lot of insight and knowledge of what his daily routine entails. This has given me a lot of positive feedback that was hoping for.
In conclusion, this assignment was a great eye opener for me and gave me much needed information that I was looking for. To talk and see in the shoes of a Senior Inspector in the Sexual Predator Unit for the United States Marshal Service was very exciting for me. It showed me in depth that this career is demanding but very rewarding field of choice in many aspects. I definitely know that I am in the correct path of my future in Criminal Justice; just need to stay focused and see what federal agency will be the perfect fit.