State and local law enforcement officers increasingly getting top secret clearances
An article in USA Today says more state and local law enforcement officers are getting top secret clearances from the FBI to access sensitive federal information in terrorism cases than at anytime since 9/11.
Clearances granted to members of the FBI’s network of regional terrorism task forces jumped to 878 in 2009, up from 125 in 2007…Since 2001, the number of terrorism units, which draw on federal, state and local investigators, have grown from 35 to 104 nationwide. The units are staffed with 4,433 officers and agents, up from 912 in 2001, FBI spokesman Bill Carter told USA Today.
The FBI is launching an effort to declassify information that can be shared with more local investigators. “Trying to get everybody into the clearance arena is not the solution,” FBI Assistant Director Ronald Ruecker reported to USA Today.
After 9/11, the FBI established the State and Local Law Enforcement Executives and Elected Officials Security Clearance Initiative. This program was initiated to brief officials with an established “need-to-know” on classified information that would or could affect their area of jurisdiction.
For more information see FBI Process for State and Local Law Enforcement | Brochure [pdf]
Comment Archive
I would love to get mine back but with the credit burdens of bankruptcy—I probably never will which is going to lead to me losing my job…how sad
Hi,
I recently switched jobs and my previous employer put a LOJ on my clearance. Prior to that, they gave me a subject interview because they said there was no subject interview done for your TS/SCI. Now my current employer after waiting for two months are putting me on leave without pay. They already put in a RRU and said they are waiting for some kind of documentation, my question is how long does something like this take and what would I need to do speed up the process?
Know360
If the RRU is done–it should not take too long. There is not much to speed-up the process, but if it’s been a few months, have your FSO call and ask whatever agency is adjudicating.
Now,
If you were already cleared it should show in JPAS assuming you are under the DoD.
Thanks a lot……
This is what my FSO said was in my JPAS below:
Reconsideration Adjudication of SSBI OPM, Opened 2007 05 18, Closed 2008 01 09, determined Eligibility of Loss of Jurisdiction on 2010 05 18
I don’t how much longer I can wait without a paycheck, what is the average time for something like this?
Know360,
Hard to say consistently. I just did an RRU on me and it took less than 2 months, but hear some are lucky and some take a little longer. Was 05/2010, when you stopped actively working using a clearance?
Hi,
I actually never stopped working, I put in my two weeks notice at my last job and transitioned over to my new job. Around June 15th is when they found about my LOJ, they still kept me for about another two months so they could clear the situation, but after no luck they had to send me home without pay. I blame this company for not being competent about smoothly carrying over my clearance and also is there something that a lawyer can do in a case like this?
Know360
I’m somewhat confused–if the LOJ was DoD and where you work is DoD than I guess I can’t understand why this is so backwards. Seems to me the clearance should show unless your interview was shortly before you moved locations than it may be lost in the shuffle. If it’s been a few months and you have had no issues it should be done shortly. If you were interviewed, you are probably getting a reinvestigation–which would include all of the info….ie references, where you have lived…etc. If the case was active and then halted because the loss of jurisdiction, that will change things. I guess we need to know why you suddenly had to get an interview if you were holding a clearance already–this is hard to understand with why there was an interview. I cannot almost guarantee you would not have been in an SCI environment without an interview prior.
The interview came up because they said a subject interview was never done and I was granted a TS/SCI. About a couple months after the interview I switched jobs and that is when this LOJ issued appeared. I don’t know if there was some kind of mistake or something but I’m paying the price for their mistakes.
Know360,
You bet there was a mistake somewhere. Hard to believe someone put you in an SCI job without a full background–I will say, this is a first for me. If this is accurate, it sounds like someone doing a CYA.
Hopefully, Someone with more expertise will jump-in on this one. Next time you write address to adjudicators or Mr Henderson. I have a good understanding, but no doubt they have more expertise.
Thanks…
If a another Agency wants to look into hiring me directly for them right now, would it be alright to go with the process, even though my current contracting company is trying to sort this out. What I’m trying to say is that, they are Government and right now I’m a contractor,maybe they can clear this up quicker.
How would I write to the adjudicators or Mr. Henderson?
Know360,
You can work anywhere you would like–but, just because it’s a govt agency does not mean quicker.
Just address a question here to them.
Know360:
I’ve read over your posts and they are confusing. If you would like my opinion, please post a chronology of events and agencies/companies involved (you can refer them as A, B, C if you like). It would also be helpful to know whether you were dealing with DISCO & OPM or an IC agency and their contract investigators. There seems to be a big gap between the date your SSBI closed and the LOJ. The adjudication summary in your JPAS should show your TS/SCI eligibility date, if you were granted TS/SCI eligibility sometime in the past. Was there an interim clearance at some point?
Mr. Henderson,
I’m a little confused myself, I’ll try to break it down below….
2008: I was told by the company I was working for that I was granted a TS/SCI.
2009: I switched jobs and started to work for NGA but as a contractor, NGA told me that were was never a subject interview done for my clearance, so they did the interview.
2010: I switched jobs to work for a contractor without any gaps. After a month they spotted the LOJ in JPAS and put me on leave without pay until they can resolve the issue, that is where I’am today.
When I began working as a contractor, they gave me a interim and then from there I was granted a Final Secret Clearance and finally on to a TS/SCI.
It has been over two months since I’ve been waiting for a resolution. How much longer does something like this take? Also, would be smart to apply do different company and see what they can do?
know360:
1. Was a Subject Interview conducted in 2008?
2. In 2008 when you were told you had been granted a TS/SCI, did you receive a security briefing and sign a non-disclosure statement?
3. Did you actually have access to TS or SCI material.
4. Who granted the interim clearance and the final secret clearance and when?
5. What was the date of the LOJ, who entered the LOJ in JPAS and where were you working at the time of the LOJ?
Mr. Henderson
1. No, a subject interview was never done.
2. Yes, I got read on and signed a non-disclosure statement.
3. Yes, I did have access to TS and SCI material.
4. DOD granted all of my clearances, interim was in 2005 and final I think was in 2006.
5. The date of LOJ was in May 2010, NGA entered the LOJ in JPAS. I was working for a DOD Contrator when the LOJ was put in.
Know360:
Here’s what I think happened. In 2008 you were either granted a TS/SCI by mistake, which makes the clearance invalid, or the TS/SCI was granted with an “exception.” There are 3 types of exeptions: Waivers, Conditions, and Deviation. Deviations allow for the granting of a clearance when the investigation does not meet approved standards for scope or period of coverage. The absence of a Personal Subject Interview (PRSI) from an SSBI is considered a deviation. This is sometimes allowed when the Subject of the investigation is for example in a war zone and unavailable for the PRSI and everything else in the investigation is favorable. Clearances granted with any type of exception are not subject to the rules regarding reciprocity.
NGA did you a favor by accepting your Jan 08 partially completed OPM SSBI and only requiring the PRSI portion to be added to it. At that point your SSBI was a year old and it had been (partially) done by OPM. Some IC agencies won’t accept an OPM investigation, regardless of reciprocity rules. In about May 2009 when you switch jobs, NGA had not yet completed their “reconsideration” adjudication of your SSBI with its added PRSI. So when you switched jobs again, they correctly changed your clearance status from adjudication pending to LOJ.
If the government agency that is now considering you for a TS/SCI is not NGA, it must either obtain a copy of your complete investigation—part of it from OPM and the PRSI portion from whoever did the PRSI—or have you go through a new SSBI. If they choose to obtain both parts of your prior SSBI, they will review it and decide whether the SSBI is recent enough and thorough enough to adjudicate. If it’s good enough, then it could take 1 to 3 months to adjudicate after they get it. If it’s not good enough, you’ll have to do another SSBI. A lot depends on who the government agency is. Army, Navy, and Air Force will readily accept an OPM investigation, but some of the 3-letter IC agencies will not.
Bottom line – you don’t have a TS/SCI clearance that can be reinstated or reciprocally accepted by anyone. You have an SSBI that may or may not be acceptable for adjudication, because of its age and the way it was conducted. I believe you have a reinstateable Secret clearance.
If your SSBI is currently being adjudicated by some government agency, switching companies at this point will wipe out whatever progress was made during the last 2 months. Check with the FSO at your company and ask about the status of your case. If it is being adjudicated, wait it out. To start over from scratch could take 6 months or more. If you choose to go to another company, apply for a job that only requires a collateral TS. You may be able to get an interim TS very quickly.
Mr. Henderson,
Thanks a lot for the information…
I will wait it out, it’s already been over two months, I just hope I hear something soon…
know360 – any update since Aug 25?