Posted on Jan 27, 2018
SPC Kevin Cha
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More specifically:

Am I still required to live in the barracks? (I am an E4)

Am I still required to use a meal card?

Do we PT on our own in the mornings or do we still have to do organized (asinine) PRT?

Do you like being a CID agent and are you planning to make it a career?
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Responses: 4
CW3 Michael Clifford
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I came into CID as a single E4. I also retired in 1994 but I haven’t heard of any of your questions changing over the years since my departure.

I was a secondary zone selection for both E5 and E6. I was promoted to E5 during the first three weeks of the CID course. I lived in a BEQ while single. I was in a kitchenette and cooked my own meals.

I did PT on my own for all 17 years except physical fitness tests, division runs, etc.

Training will be continuous throughout your career. This will include MOS required (BNCOC, ANCOC, etc.). It will also include MOS specific (Hostage Negotiations, Protective Services Course). I specialized in white collar and sex-based crimes. For that, I attend the Club Management Course, DOD Contracting Course, and the Property Disposal Operations Course. I also attended the Basic Arson Investigator’s Course, Advanced Death Investigator Course and ultimately attended the Forensic Science Course at Scotland Yard in London. I was a bit of a gun enthusiast and attended the train-the-trainers course when we converted over from .38 caliber revolvers to 9mm semi-automatic handguns. I added up all of my classroom time during my 17-year CID career and found I spent nearly 4 years of it in classrooms. I attained the rank of SFC in the enlisted ranks; CW3 in the Warrant Officer ranks and earned a AA, BA and a MPA in the college education efforts.
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CW2 Team Chief
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Talk to your local Recruiting Coordinator at the CID Office and visit the website cid.army.mil

-You're not required to live in barracks unless overseas. You'll pick up 5 soon after graduation.
-You do not need a meal card and will receive BAS.
-This depends on Office. Typically you'll do PT on your own.
-There are good and bad days in CID just as any other career field. Yes I am planning on making it a career, however our retention rate is low.
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CW2 Team Chief
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This is a very difficult question to answer. I think CID would like to know the answer and rectify the problem, however I believe the workload and strict investigative requirements when making E5 pay definitely pushes a lot of guys into the CIV FED world. The "burn out" rate is pretty high, especially at the busier offices.
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SFC Section Leader
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Are you able to elaborate on the strict investigative requirements? I know I worked a case as a Local LEO with CGIS and it was a two-man field office and the rules they had to play by were fairly strict on what could be done and how it was done.
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CW2 Team Chief
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I can't go too far into, however one of our requirements is "timelines." Reports and certain activities have different time requirements that must be completed. When you have multiple Sex Assaults and death investigations...those requirements will creep up. Sometimes you feel you have to work 175 hours a week (theres only 168 hours in a week)
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SFC Section Leader
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Understood. While I cannot directly relate to that, I know the feeling of needing more time and reports stacking.
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SMSgt Thor Merich
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I was not CID, but I have a friend that was and I worked some cases with CID before I retired from my civilian LE job.

My buddy did not live in the barracks.

I do not know about the meal card.

He did not do unit PT, but did have to keep in shape and maintain Army PT standards.

My buddy ended up leaving the Army and got hired by the FBI. The others guys I knew seemed pretty happy with their jobs. They actually worked a lot with the civilian LE. The CID guys I worked with were competent investigators on par with other Feds (FBI, ATF, Secret Service, DEA, etc) that I had worked with.

Hopefully an actual CID agent can add more info for you.

Good luck.
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