Internal affairs investigator vs special agent

The differences between internal affairs investigators and special agents can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an internal affairs investigator and a special agent. Additionally, a special agent has an average salary of $60,916, which is higher than the $54,189 average annual salary of an internal affairs investigator.

The top three skills for an internal affairs investigator include patrol, background checks and conduct interviews. The most important skills for a special agent are professional work, national security, and local law enforcement.

Internal affairs investigator vs special agent overview

	Internal Affairs Investigator	Special Agent
Yearly salary	$54,189	$60,916
Hourly rate	$26.05	$29.29
Growth rate	3%	3%
Number of jobs	15,880	46,232
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	2	2

What does an internal affairs investigator do?

An internal affairs investigator is responsible for investigating an alleged violation committed by a person or company, such as misuse of funds, misconduct, corruption among company officials, or other concerns involving employees and staff. They also monitor wrongful accusations. Other duties include writing investigative data and reports, conducting interrogations and interviews with all parties involved in an accusation, and providing testimony.

What does a special agent do?

A special agent is responsible for investigating law violations and criminal activities by collecting pieces of evidence, including witnesses' testimonies, to release a warrant of arrest and initiate prosecution. Special agents work closely with other law enforcement agencies to identify threats, analyze occurring criminal activities, and connect intelligence records through observation and field investigations. They also attend court proceedings to present evidence for court decisions. A special agent must have excellent communication and critical-thinking skills, assessing unusual situations, and handling suspicious activities.

Internal affairs investigator vs special agent salary

Internal affairs investigators and special agents have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Internal Affairs Investigator	Special Agent
Average salary	$54,189	$60,916
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $115,000	Between $43,000 And $85,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	Maryland	Hawaii
Best paying company	Amazon	BNSF Railway
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between internal affairs investigator and special agent education

There are a few differences between an internal affairs investigator and a special agent in terms of educational background:

	Internal Affairs Investigator	Special Agent
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	-	-

Internal affairs investigator vs special agent demographics

Here are the differences between internal affairs investigators' and special agents' demographics:

	Internal Affairs Investigator	Special Agent
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 72.0% Female, 28.0%	Male, 83.1% Female, 16.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 16.7% Asian, 2.8% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 2.8% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between internal affairs investigator and special agent duties and responsibilities

Internal affairs investigator example responsibilities.

Receive multiple letters of commendation for effective investigations that lead to successful prosecutions.
Deploy technical surveillance (CCTV) to protect corporate proprietary information and assets.
Used exception reports, CCTV and interview to determine loss and make decision on resolution of the case.
Testify at criminal, civil, administration, arbitration and/or deposition hearings.
Investigate and open cases on customers and non-customers who have potentially engage in activity which goes against federally mandate BSA/AML regulations.
Conduct extensive research and case file preparation for due process hearings such as pre-disciplinary conferences and arbitrations.

Special agent example responsibilities.

Manage a team of field supervisors on a project to modernize and improve the ATF system of office inspection.
Conduct joint planning and manage AFOSI's criminal investigations and counterintelligence operations in northern Italy.
Follow up on tips receive from a variety of sources, including patrol officers, community members, and confidential informants.
Conduct detailed and precise SIU investigations involving insurance fraud.
Authore products highly praise by senior FBI and DOJ officials.
Interview witnesses, gather evidence and prepare cases for litigation.

Internal affairs investigator vs special agent skills

Common internal affairs investigator skills

Patrol, 22%
Background Checks, 10%
Conduct Interviews, 8%
Law Enforcement Agencies, 8%
Narrative Reports, 5%
Administrative Hearings, 5%

Common special agent skills

Professional Work, 73%
National Security, 8%
Local Law Enforcement, 5%
Search Warrants, 2%
Law Enforcement Agencies, 2%
Counterintelligence Investigations, 1%

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Internal Affairs Investigator
Internal Affairs Investigator vs Special Agent

Updated January 8, 2025

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