Postal Inspector, US Postal Inspection Schools, College, Training, Jobs, and Careers

What is a Postal Inspector?
You ordinarily would not think of the post office as a place of high number of crimes. But the truth be told, a lot of crimes are committed through the mail. People think dropping incriminating things in the mail can keep them from being caught.

This is why the United States Postal Service has postal inspectors. They are responsible for investigating criminal and civil crimes involving the postal service. They get involved in the following duties and investigations:

1. Protecting postal employees

2. Protecting the mail

3. Protecting postal facilities

4. Investigating prohibited mailing, such as narcotics, child pornography, mail bombs

5. Investigating mail fraud, such as Ponzi schemes, 419 fraud, credit card fraud, wire fraud

6. Conducting financial and performance audits of the Postal Service

7. Etc.

Make no mistake about it, this is a fully functional federal law enforcement agency. It is also one of the oldest. Its establishment dates back to the days of Benjamin Franklin.

How to Become a Postal Inspector:
As with most federal law enforcement agencies, to become a postal inspector, you must have a bachelor’s degree. There is no major listed as the preferred major. You are also required to have 2 years of law enforcement experience or 2 years of active military duty. Knowledge of a foreign language like Spanish, Chinese, Russian, and Japanese will help offset the 2 years of law enforcement or active military duty experience.

Additional requirements are:

1. Be a US Citizen
2. Be Between the Ages of 21 and 37 Years
3. Pass Background Investigation
4. Have a Valid Driver’s License
5. Pass Physical Exam
6. Pass Psychological Exam

After you are hired, you can expect to receive basic training on conducting inspection. This training will last 16 weeks and takes place at the Inspection Training Center in Potomac, Maryland.

Postal Inspector Salary:
Postal inspectors make $35,000 per year to start. At the middle of their career, their pay will rise to $65,000 per year. Those at the high end of their career make as much as $95,000 per year.

Postal Inspector School:
For the education requirement of a bachelor’s degree, we think you should pursue a degree in criminal justice, law enforcement, or policing with emphasis in investigations. Though no majors are specified, we believe a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, policing, or law enforcement can give you an upper hand against the competition.

There are online schools that will help you get a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice without putting a hold to your current life. One of them is AIU online. Follow this link to get their free no obligation information.

Another one is Kaplan University. You can also follow this link to get their free information. It may be a good idea to get both information and see which one suits your schedule the best.

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