Coast Guard Investigative Service

Coast Guard Investigative Service
Coast Guard Investigative Service
	Coast Guard Investigative Service seal
Abbreviation	CGIS
Motto	Service, Integrity, Justice
Jurisdictional structure
Federal agency	United States
Operations jurisdiction	United States
Constituting instrument	United States Code Title 14 Part I Chapter 5 Section 95;
General nature	Federal law enforcement; Military provost;
Operational structure
Headquarters	Arlington, VA
Agency executive	Michael Berkow, Director, Coast Guard Investigative Service;
Parent agency	United States Coast Guard
Website
	http://www.uscg.mil/hq/cg2/cgis/

The Coast Guard Investigative Service (CGIS) is a division of the United States Coast Guard that investigates crimes where the Coast Guard has an interest. It is composed of civilian (GS-1811), active duty, reserve enlisted, and warrant officer Special Agents.

Mission

The mission of the Coast Guard Investigative Service (CGIS) is to conduct professional criminal investigations, engage in law enforcement information and intelligence collection, provide protective services, and establish and maintain law enforcement liaison directed at preserving the integrity of the Coast Guard, protecting the welfare of Coast Guard people, and supporting Coast Guard and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) maritime law enforcement and counter-terrorism missions worldwide.

Authority

The Coast Guard Investigative Service is a federal law enforcement agency whose law enforcement authority is derived from 14 U.S.C. § 95. This authority provides for Coast Guard special agents to conduct investigations of actual, alleged or suspected criminal activity; carry firearms; execute and serve warrants; and make arrests. The criminal investigative function of the Coast Guard Investigative Service is similar to that of a major crimes unit at a large metropolitan police department, investigating crimes such as those "internal" to the Coast Guard, including fraud, larceny, homicide and rape, as well as "external" investigations of maritime-related crimes ranging from migrant and drug smuggling, false distress calls, and violations of the environmental laws. The Coast Guard Investigative Service is a centralized directorship managed by a professional criminal investigator who reports directly to the Coast Guard's Assistant Commandant for Intelligence. It is located outside the Coast Guard's operational chain of command.

Responsibilities

Criminal Investigations

Felony Violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ)
United States Code violations related to or within the Maritime Jurisdiction of the U.S.
Counter-Narcotics and Alien Smuggling Investigations
Fisheries Violations and Environmental Crimes
Counter-Terrorism and Force Protection
Investigative assistance to Federal, State and Local Law Enforcement
Protective Service Operations

Commandant/Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard

Assistance to U.S. Secret Service Presidential Detail
Other Foreign and Domestic Dignitaries as Requested

Intelligence Operations

Human Intelligence (HUMINT) Collection Operations
Image Intelligence Collection Operations (IMINT)
Law Enforcement Information Collection

Anti-Fraud, Waste and Abuse

Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General Hotline complaint investigations
TRICARE medical fraud investigations

Task Force & Liaison Activities

FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF)
Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF)
High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force
Border Enforcement Security Team (BEST)

International Policing

CGIS Special Agents

The CGIS special agent workforce is composed of active duty military, reserve, and civilian personnel. However, virtually all CGIS investigators, criminal, counterintelligence, and force protection personnel are sworn civilian personnel with powers of arrest and warrant service, with the exception of a small number of reserve military personnel. All CGIS Special Agents have full arrest powers under Title 14 section 95 of the United States Code.

The active duty military component is composed of Enlisted Personnel and Chief Warrant Officer investigator positions. The civilian component is composed of GS-1811-11 to SES criminal investigator positions.

Firearms

The Coast Guard Investigative Service's standard issue firearm is the SIG Sauer P229R DAK or SIG Sauer P239 DAK in .40 S&W.

Appearance in popular culture

In March 2010, the character of Abigail Borin, a fictional CGIS Special Agent portrayed by actress Diane Neal, appeared on the hit television drama NCIS in an episode entitled "Jurisdiction". Special Agent Borin appeared again in January 2011, in the episode "Ships in the Night", as CGIS joined the NCIS team in the investigation of the murder of a U.S. Marine Corps officer on a dinner boat cruise on the Potomac River. The story illustrates CGIS's law enforcement responsibilities along the United States' rivers, coastlines, and inland waterways in support of the Coast Guard. She returned for a third time in the episode "Safe Harbor", which had a plot that illustrated the role of the CGIS in supporting the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through maritime law enforcement and counter-terrorism missions worldwide.

External links

Coast Guard's site

References

^ Coast Guard Investigative Service > Headquarters Offices and Senior Staff. Retrieved 2013-06-11.

[1] Coast Guard Investigative Service > Headquarters Offices and Senior Staff. Retrieved 2013-06-11.

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