What Does an NSA Police Officer Do?

The primary job that a National Security Agency (NSA) Police Officer does is to make sure that the people who work at the NSA are protected. More specifically, they are responsible for counter terrorism and personnel involved in counter terrorism protection. They are assigned to protect NSA assets. They may reduce pedestrian and vehicle access to certain areas to accomplish this. They are part of the response team for all security, medical, and fire emergencies. They manage critical incidents.

In short, they are the go-to defense for anything that requires the protection of the NSA, its assets, investigations, and operations. As such, it is important that education and skills be linked to job experience.

The NSA is an information and intelligence organization and computer information science education is very helpful. Criminal justice classes are also helpful, but the NSA has its own branch of police academy. According to the Bureau of Labor statistics a Bachelors Degree is required for information security analysts. That may include helpful educational goals needed to be an NSA police officer.

Educational Requirements

The NSA does not list an official educational requirement. However, they are interested in job history/experience and a potential candidate’s skill level. As such, the following degrees might help boost acceptance.

• Cyber Security
• Tactical Intelligence
• Cyber communications
• Criminal Justice

What are the steps needed to become a NSA Police Officer?

The NSA does not have a standard hiring process. The primary step needed to apply for a position within the NSA is to submit your resume. The NSA holds resumes for upwards of six months to properly evaluate their candidates. They match your skills to all open positions and then make applications available as needed.

The NSA is looking for qualified candidates for the job of an NSA Police Officer – specifically, former military personnel with qualifying experience in law enforcement. When additional jobs cannot be satisfied by qualified discharged military personnel, then the NSA will look to an outside job resource to find what they need.

The Minimum Requirements:

• Aged 21 or older.
• Vision: 20/125 uncorrected or better vision that can be corrected to 20/20. The process is valid for both eyes.
• Hold a valid state issued drivers license.
• Some positions may require a comprehensive physical.

The process for hiring is lengthy. The review of your resume may take upwards of six months. The application process is by far one of the longest in law enforcement. It is longer than the local police department.

Application & Interview

Once your resume has been approved, and you are invited to apply, expect to spend a minimum of two months just completing your application. Every step of your application requires a new level of security/intelligence clearance.

The security clearance and background check may take the longest – the NSA evaluates almost every aspect of your application and life. In order to corroborate your background and employment history they may send an agent to interview your former employers, your neighbors and your college roommate. They look at your criminal history. And, during the interview process, you will be subject to random drug testing. When they say the background check is intensive, it is.

Late Stage Application

In the later stages of the application process, they NSA may require what they call “Necessary Training.” It is an opportunity to fill out your skill set. The NSA does not expect that everyone who applies will have an ideal skill set. They want to make sure that upon being hired that every employee is equal in the skill sets for that position. As such, expect to be trained.

The NSA offers two comprehensive career paths within the Law Enforcement field. Those being Security and Police Officers. Security officers are more like investigators, rather than guards. They are the people who make investigations, drag dark into light, and search for hidden clues in investigations. When you submit your resume you might indicate and either or option so that you can be considered for both career paths.

It is also important that you demonstrate your education assets on your resume. You may not get a second look if they do not like your resume. If you can tie work experience to educational achievements, that may boost your odds of being accepted. Even without military experience, well educated people should apply.

Overall, becoming an NSA Police Officer is a rewarding and honorable career, one many will find appealing.  However, only the strongest candidates may fit the bill.