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Supervisory special agent vs internal affairs investigator

The differences between supervisorsy special agent and internal affairs investigators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a supervisory special agent and an internal affairs investigator. Additionally, a supervisory special agent has an average salary of $67,204, which is higher than the $54,189 average annual salary of an internal affairs investigator.

The top three skills for a supervisory special agent include law enforcement agencies, fraud investigations and criminal investigations. The most important skills for an internal affairs investigator are patrol, background checks, and conduct interviews.

Supervisory special agent vs internal affairs investigator overview

Supervisory Special AgentInternal Affairs Investigator
Yearly salary$67,204$54,189
Hourly rate$32.31$26.05
Growth rate3%3%
Number of jobs87,24215,880
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 66%Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Average age4444
Years of experience22

What does a supervisory special agent do?

A supervisory special agent leads teams of special agents in investigations. His/Her or her duties include delegating assignments, performing field interviews, examining suspects' financial records, and monitoring wiretaps. Supervisory special agents should have good judgment and possess excellent communication skills. They are often hired by industries such as government and finance. The education requirements to qualify for the position include a bachelor's or master's degree in criminal justice, business, law, or a related field.

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.

Supervisory special agent vs internal affairs investigator salary

Supervisorsy special agent and internal affairs investigators have different pay scales, as shown below.

Supervisory Special AgentInternal Affairs Investigator
Average salary$67,204$54,189
Salary rangeBetween $46,000 And $96,000Between $25,000 And $115,000
Highest paying City-New York, NY
Highest paying state-Maryland
Best paying company-Amazon
Best paying industry--

Differences between supervisory special agent and internal affairs investigator education

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

Supervisory Special AgentInternal Affairs Investigator
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 66%Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Most common majorCriminal JusticeCriminal Justice
Most common college--

Supervisory special agent vs internal affairs investigator demographics

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

Supervisory Special AgentInternal Affairs Investigator
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 90.5% Female, 9.5%Male, 72.0% Female, 28.0%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 2.8% White, 62.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%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%
LGBT Percentage9%9%

Differences between supervisory special agent and internal affairs investigator duties and responsibilities

Supervisory special agent example responsibilities.

  • Manage the development of actionable investigative leads for DoD leadership; senior law enforcement and counterintelligence investigators.
  • Manage, review and coordinate DoD espionage investigations and counterespionage operations.
  • Manage numerous violent street gang investigations resulting in numerous convictions for narcotics and firearms crimes.
  • Conduct joint planning and manage AFOSI's criminal investigations and counterintelligence operations in northern Italy.
  • Identify and resolve jurisdictional issues between the ATF and FBI in order to further collaborative investigation efforts.
  • Supervise the computer forensics and firearms qualification programs.
  • Show more

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.
  • Show more

Supervisory special agent vs internal affairs investigator skills

Common supervisory special agent skills
  • Law Enforcement Agencies, 18%
  • Fraud Investigations, 7%
  • Criminal Investigations, 7%
  • Violent Crimes, 4%
  • DEA, 4%
  • Domestic Terrorism, 4%
Common internal affairs investigator skills
  • Patrol, 22%
  • Background Checks, 10%
  • Conduct Interviews, 8%
  • Law Enforcement Agencies, 8%
  • Narrative Reports, 5%
  • Administrative Hearings, 5%

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