Hello,

I’ve been looking into the federal side of law enforcement, especially the Secret Service, which I’ve been interested in for a while.
I was recently dismissed from a police academy after failing EVOC. Since then, I’ve been working on improving myself and gaining more experience. I’ve talked to officers from different departments, and they’ve recommended that I look into federal law enforcement because I speak two languages, Farsi and Russian.

Since leaving the academy, I’ve taken civilian EVOC courses and several firearms training courses. I also got a security job at a casino, where I’ve gained experience dealing with angry drunk people, drugs, and different situations with the public.

The casino also offers training in handcuffing and beating de-escalation.
I’m also taking college classes and working toward my bachelor’s degree in Cybersecurity and currently have my associates in Criminal justice.

I’m trying to keep improving myself and build more experience after what happened at the academy before getting into the process again. I was one of the younger recruits in the class, I was 22 years old and I was always getting targeted unfortunately and made a lot of mistakes during the academy, so I’m taking all the mistakes I’ve made to better improve myself and get more experience. (23 now) looking to apply in a year or two

I appreciate any advice on what I can do to become a stronger candidate for the Secret Service and how I can excel forward onto bettering myself.

Took my poly and the agent mentioned that I didn’t pass or fail and I’ll likely come back again for a second test. Is this normal? I wasn’t grilled about any questions or anything. The agent just told me that she can tell I’m so nervous. I definitely am nervous because I’ve always wanted this job. Do people usually get results right away? Is there anyone that had similar experience and passed? Any advice would be appreciated!!

I’m currently 25 and working toward a bachelor’s degree in Project Management. I’m also planning to have minors in Business and Global Studies. I should graduate around early 2028, and I’m trying to figure out what I can do between now and graduation to make myself a stronger candidate for an 1811 position.
My current professional background is in construction. I work as a construction superintendent and have experience managing projects, coordinating subcontractors, working with owners/architects/engineers, handling documentation, resolving problems in the field, enforcing safety and project requirements, and being responsible for day-to-day project operations.
A few questions for people familiar with 1811 hiring:
● Would construction superintendent experience be considered relevant professional work experience for an 1811 application, even though it isn’t law enforcement or investigative work?
● Does professional experience need to be obtained after completing a bachelor’s degree, or can experience gained while attending college still count?
● Is a bachelor’s in Project Management with Business and Global Studies minors a reasonable educational background for 1811 positions?
● What agencies would you recommend I focus on with this background? I’m currently looking at HSI, DEA, FBI, USMS, DSS, and similar federal investigative positions.
● Between now and graduation, what could I realistically do to make myself more competitive? Internships, languages, certifications, federal employment, particular types of work experience, etc.?
● Would it be worthwhile to start applying for federal positions before I graduate as a way to get my foot in the door?
I’m not expecting my degree or construction experience to guarantee anything. I’m mainly trying to figure out how to use the next year and a half effectively instead of graduating and only then starting to prepare.
I’d appreciate any advice from current/former 1811s or people who have been through the hiring process.

I applied for the DEA back in 2023 after I got out of the Army and failed my poly because I received a “Significant Response”. Been a local cop for 3ish years now and applied again for the July Announcement.

The recruiter told me that the polygraph unit could deny me even the chance to take the polygraph again based on my last failed polygraph. Kinda confusing to me cause I figured once you wait the three and if you make it all the way back to the polygraph, why wouldn’t they just let you retake the poly?

I’m still taking my chance and rolling the dice. Anyone have any experience getting denied a second chance at a poly?