How to Become a DEA Agent in Michigan by Meeting Requirements

Michigan is part of the Detroit Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), which houses most DEA jobs in the state. Located within Michigan is a Post of Duty office in Kalamazoo, a Post of Duty office in East Lansing, the Division Office in Detroit, and Resident Offices in Saginaw and Grand Rapids.

The Detroit Division of the DEA participates in many community and educational activities to inform the public of the dangers of drugs. Within Michigan, the DEA has worked with the Chippewa Valley School District in Clinton Township on a presentation entitled “Current Trends in Teen Drug Use.” They have worked with Macomb County Community College in Clinton Township and Livonia Career Tech Center in Livonia in presentations to students studying law enforcement.  The Detroit DEA has also worked on Red Ribbon Week in drug prevention activities with schools such as the Van Hoosen Middle School in Rochester, Portage Lakes Career Center in Portage, Henry Ruff Middle School in Garden City, and Hart Middle School in Rochester.

Michigan’s Drug Abuse Problem

In its Substance Abuse Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2012, the Michigan Department of Community Health Bureau of Substance Abuse and Addiction Services (MDCH BSAAS) noted that 48 percent of admissions to drug rehabilitation centers in Michigan also had a coexisting mental disorder. The challenge of treating drug abuse in Michigan is even greater in these individuals, many of whom also become involved, against their wishes, with the Michigan Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

The MDCH BSAAS reported that from 2007 to 2010, the rates for prescription drug overdose deaths were highest for males and females ages 40 to 49. In Fiscal Year 2012, the most common drugs reported among those admitted to rehab in Michigan were, in order: alcohol, heroin, marijuana, other opiates (including prescription drugs), cocaine/crack, and methamphetamine. According to the Michigan State University Institute for Children, Youth and Families, as of April 2003, the state of Michigan spent $28,000 per person in incarceration fees for drug offenders, for a total exceeding $160 million per year.

How to Become a DEA Agent in Michigan by Meeting Requirements

The Recruiter for the Detroit Division is Special Agent Christopher Taylor. He can be reached by calling (313) 234-4275 or emailing DetroitSpecialAgentRecruiter@usdoj.gov.

Those who are interested in becoming a DEA agent in Michigan by meeting the agency’s requirements should know that preference is given to applicants with advanced law degrees such as an L.L.B. or J.D. Additionally, at least a year of experience in investigations of narcotics violations is necessary. If one has a bachelor’s degree and at least a 2.95 GPA, one might be accepted if that degree also accompanies special qualifications, such as fluency in French, Spanish, French, Arabic, Russian, Hebrew, Nigerian languages, Japanese, Chinese, Mandarin, Urdu, Farsi, or any Balkan language; a pilot’s license and flight experience; maritime experience; electronics experience; or military experience. Even for those who meet these qualifications, the only way to become a DEA agent in Michigan is through specialized training at the DEA Academy in Quantico, Virginia.

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