The United States Army Criminal Investigation Division (USACID), previously known as the United States Army Criminal Investigation Command (USACIDC) is the primary federal law enforcement agency of the

United States Department of the Army The United States Department of the Army (DA) is one of the three military departments within the Department of Defense of the U.S. The Department of the Army is the federal government agency within which the United States Army (U.S.) is or ...

. Its primary function is to investigate

felony A felony is traditionally considered a crime of high seriousness, whereas a misdemeanor is regarded as less serious. The term "felony" originated from English common law (from the French medieval word "félonie") to describe an offense that resu ...

crimes and serious violations of

military law Military justice (also military law) is the legal system (bodies of law and procedure) that governs the conduct of the active-duty personnel of the armed forces of a country. In some nation-states, civil law and military law are distinct bodie ...

& the United States Code within the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

. The division is a separate military investigative force with investigative autonomy; CID special agents, both military and civilian, report through the CID

chain of command A command hierarchy is a group of people who carry out orders based on others' authority within the group. It can be viewed as part of a power structure, in which it is usually seen as the most vulnerable and also the most powerful part. Milit ...

to the USACID Director, who reports directly to the

Under Secretary of the Army The United States under secretary of the Army is the second-highest-ranking civilian official of the United States Department of the Army, serving directly under the United States Secretary of the Army. The Secretary and Under Secretary, togethe ...

and the Secretary of the Army. Unlike their counterparts at OSI, NCIS and CGIS, Army CID does not have primary counterintelligence responsibilities.

Overview

The division does not charge individuals with crimes; instead, CID investigates allegations and turns official findings over to the appropriate command and legal authority for disposition and adjudication. CID exercises jurisdiction over military personnel who are suspected of offenses under the

Uniform Code of Military Justice The Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ, 10 U.S.C. §§ 801–946 is the foundation of military law in the United States. It was established by the United States Congress in accordance with the authority given by the United States Constitutio ...

, as well as civilian personnel when there is

probable cause In United States criminal law, probable cause is the standard by which police authorities have reason to obtain a warrant for the arrest of a suspected criminal or the issuing of a search warrant. There is no universally accepted definition o ...

to believe the person has committed an offense under the criminal laws of the United States with a nexus to the U.S. Army. CID special agents may be military personnel ( NCOs or

warrant officers Warrant officer (WO) is a rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ranks, the most ...

), or appointed civilian personnel. Within the United States Army, CID has exclusive jurisdiction in the investigation of all serious, felony level crimes with the exception of certain national security crimes such as espionage, treason, and certain aspects of international terrorism. Investigative jurisdiction within the Army of these crimes resides with U.S. Army Counterintelligence (ACI), although joint and parallel investigations can and do happen depending on specific circumstances (most commonly with terrorism investigations). USACIDC was established as a United States Army command in 1971 and is headquartered at

Marine Corps Base, Quantico Marine Corps Base Quantico (commonly abbreviated MCB Quantico) is a United States Marine Corps installation located near Triangle, Virginia, covering nearly of southern Prince William County, Virginia, northern Stafford County, and southeaster ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. Worldwide, the organization has slightly fewer than 3,000 soldiers and civilians, of whom approximately 900 are special agents. The initialism "USACIDC" was used to refer to the Army command itself, while criminal investigation personnel and operations are commonly referred to using the shortened initialism "CID", which has its history in the original Criminal Investigation Division formed during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The name restoration to Criminal Investigation Division became official after 2021 reform.

History

During World War I, General John J. Pershing ordered the creation of a separate organization within the Military Police Corps to prevent and detect crime among the American Expeditionary Force in France. The newly created Criminal Investigation Division (CID) was headed by a division chief who served as the advisor to the Provost Marshal General on all matters relating to criminal investigations. However, operational control of CID still remained with individual provost marshals, and there was no central control of investigative efforts within the organization, resulting in limitations. At the end of the war, the United States Army was reduced in size during the transition to peacetime and the size of CID shrank dramatically. With the United States' entry into

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

in December 1941, the armed forces rapidly swelled in size and the Army once again became a force of millions, and the need for a self-policing law enforcement system rematerialized. However, by early 1942, investigations of crimes committed by military personnel were still considered to be a "command function" to be conducted by local military police personnel. The Office of The Provost Marshal General felt that the agents in the Investigations Department were not properly trained for criminal investigations, the only investigations taking place at the time being personnel security background investigations for individuals being considered for employment in defense industries. As the Army had expanded, the crime rate had risen, and local commanders did not have the personnel or resources to conduct adequate investigations. By December 1943, the Provost Marshal General was charged with providing staff supervision over all criminal investigations, and a month later in January 1944, the Criminal Investigation Division was reestablished under the Provost Marshal General's Office. The organization exercised supervision over criminal investigation activities, coordinated investigations between commands, dictated plans and policies, and set standards for criminal investigators. After the war, the CID was once again decentralized, with control of criminal investigations transferred to area commands in the 1950s and further down to the installation level in the 1960s. A

Department of Defense Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to: Current departments of defence * Department of Defence (Australia) * Department of National Defence (Canada) * Department of Defence (Ireland) * Department of National Defense (Philipp ...

study in 1964 entitled ''Project Security Shield'' made clear that complete recentralization of the Army's criminal investigative effort was needed in order to produce a more efficient and responsive worldwide capability. Beginning in 1965, criminal investigative elements were reorganized into CID groups corresponding to geographical areas in the United States. In 1966, the concept was introduced to units in Europe and the Far East. However, this arrangement did not fully resolve all the coordination problems, and in 1969, the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Agency was established to supervise all CID operations worldwide. As the agency did not have command authority, in March 1971, Secretary of Defense

Melvin Laird Melvin Robert Laird Jr. (September 1, 1922 – November 16, 2016) was an American politician, writer and statesman. He was a U.S. congressman from Wisconsin from 1953 to 1969 before serving as Secretary of Defense from 1969 to 1973 under Presi ...

directed the Secretary of the Army to form a CID command with command and control authority over all Army-wide CID assets. On 17 September 1971, the United States Army Criminal Investigation Command was established as a major Army command, vested with command and control of all CID activities and resources worldwide. In 2020, the high profile murder of Vanessa Guillen at

Fort Hood Fort Hood is a United States Army post located near Killeen, Texas. Named after Confederate General John Bell Hood, it is located halfway between Austin and Waco, about from each, within the U.S. state of Texas. The post is the headquarter ...

raised concerns related to the capabilities, experience, and resourcing of the Command. The Fort Hood Independent Review Committee (FHIRC) issued a finding that Fort Hood CID investigators assigned to their cases were hampered by a checklist mentality from their beginnings as junior investigators straight out of initial training in

Fort Leonard Wood Fort Leonard Wood is a U.S. Army training installation located in the Missouri Ozarks. The main gate is located on the southern boundary of The City of St. Robert. The post was created in December 1940 and named in honor of General Leonard W ...

.FHIRC (NOVEMBER 6, 2020) Report of the Fort Hood Independent Review Committee
Redacted The majority of CID investigators were then detailed to protective services for senior Pentagon officials, thereby moving straight to middle management CID positions without the requisite experience in criminal investigation.Kyle Rempfer (15 Dec 2020) Army CID is burned out and mismanaged by military police leadership, special agents say
/ref> The Provost Marshal is using the FHIRC report as a guide for reforming the CID. Army Senior Leaders called for the transformation of the organization and authority over the agency was transferred from the

provost marshal general The provost marshal general (pronounced "provo") is a United States Army staff position that handles investigations of U.S. Army personnel. It is the highest-ranking provost marshal position in the U.S. Army, reporting to the Chief of Staff of ...

to a civilian director reporting to the

under secretary of the Army The United States under secretary of the Army is the second-highest-ranking civilian official of the United States Department of the Army, serving directly under the United States Secretary of the Army. The Secretary and Under Secretary, togethe ...

. On 17 September 2021, the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the agency, Special Agent Gregory D. Ford, formerly the Deputy Director of Operations for the

Naval Criminal Investigative Service The United States Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) is the primary law enforcement agency of the U.S. Department of the Navy. Its primary function is to investigate criminal activities involving the Navy and Marine Corps, though its ...

, assumed responsibility as the first civilian director. Furthermore, it was also announced that the Criminal Investigation Command was being renamed the Criminal Investigation Division, the name which was first associated with the organization in 1918.

Fort Hood Report

An independent review of Fort Hood found that the command climate at Fort Hood is “permissive” of sexual assault and harassment while the Army-wide effort to address the problem is “structurally flawed.” The panel’s report stands as a searing indictment of the Army’s Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention (SHARP) program, both specifically at Fort Hood and broadly across the Army. Following the fallout of the Fort Hood Report, a historical reorganization was announced in 2021, which will result in a civilian director, separation from the Military Police chain of command, credentialed military officers assigned to CID with specialized investigative training and less protective details. The report found that the Army investigators tasked with reviewing complex crimes at Fort Hood were vastly inexperienced, overwhelmed and understaffed, resulting in failures to protect service members and their families.

Selection and training

Military Special Agent candidates must be currently serving in the active Army or Army Reserve. There are no active Army National Guard CID units. Candidates must be enlisted soldiers who are US citizens, at least 21 years of age, and in the ranks of SPC-SGT or SSG with less than 12 months time in grade, and a graduate of the Basic Leader Course (BLC). Candidates must have had at least two years of military service, but not more than 12, at least one year of military police experience or two years of civilian law enforcement experience and a minimum of 60 college credit hours. Other requirements include (but are not limited to) credit checks, no physical limitation, and have the ability to deploy worldwide, normal color vision, the ability to obtain a Top Secret clearance, a drivers license and no history of mental or emotional disorders. Some requirements may be waived. To qualify for Warrant Officer positions, candidates must be at least a Sergeant/E-5, currently serving as a Special Agent, with 2 years of investigative experience with CID, have a Top Secret clearance and a bachelor's degree (waiverable). Candidates must have also demonstrated leadership potential, management abilities and good communication skills. CID does not currently employ Commissioned Officers as Special Agents. Criminal investigations are conducted by field Special Agents and are typically supervised by senior Special Agents. After the 2021 reforms following the Fort Hood Independent Review Committee, CID began implementing a program for commissioned officers to become criminal investigators in an effort to fill the organization's leadership roles with agents rather than MP's. Civilian Special Agents are 1811 federal criminal investigators and sworn federal agents. These agents have both military authority to enforce violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) and federal statutory authority to enforce all federal laws anywhere in the United States. After the 2021 reforms following the Fort Hood Independent Review Committee, CID began to increase its numbers of civilian special agents when compared to military special agents, intended to increase CID's investigative experience and help the command build better partnerships with local and regional law enforcement, as military special agents can be moved between posts after a few years of service, severing all professional contact between the different law enforcement agencies. Military Special Agent candidates initially receive training at the US Army Military Police School (USAMPS) at

where they attend the Apprentice CID Special Agent course. Later, agents may return to USAMPS to attend specialized training in Advanced Crime Scenes, Sexual Assault Investigations, Child Abuse Prevention and Investigative Techniques, Protective Service Training as well as other subjects.

Mission

The primary mission of the CID, according to the organization's website, is to: *Investigate serious felony level crime (murder, rape, kidnapping, child abuse, drug trafficking, weapons smuggling, etc.) *Conduct sensitive and/or serious investigations *Collect, analyze and disseminate criminal intelligence *Conduct protective service operations *Provide forensic laboratory support *Maintain Army criminal records Additionally, CID may perform the following special missions: *Perform logistical security, from manufacturers to soldiers on the battlefield *Develop criminal intelligence to develop countermeasures to combat subversive activities on the battlefield *Criminal investigations to include war crimes and in some cases crimes against coalition forces and host nation personnel *Protective service operations for key personnel on and off the battlefield

Uniform

For official photographs, and certain duty assignments, they wear the uniforms, rank and insignia of any other soldier of their respective ranks. The design of the shoulder sleeve insignia has the central star and the lines of latitude and longitude suggesting a globe. Together with the arrowheads, they mark the points of a compass, symbolizing the basic worldwide mission of the command: To perform and exercise centralized command authority, direction and control of Army criminal investigation activities worldwide. Red, white, and blue are the national colors. The CID distinctive unit insignia has a central star symbolizing centralized command. The grid lines allude to the latitude lines of the globe, thus referring to the worldwide activities of the organization. The grid lines also suggest a stylized web, with eight sides representing the original eight geographical regions of the command. The web, a symbol of criminal apprehension, is the result of methodical construction alluding to the scientific methods of criminal investigations. The outer points of the star further symbolize far-reaching authority. Red, white, and blue, are the national colors and gold is symbolic of achievement. As criminal investigators, CID Special Agents typically dress in civilian clothing which range from professional suits, business/casual attire, or comfortable clothing when appropriate for their daily investigative responsibilities. Due to the nature of their work, undercover assignments dictate further variations of attire to support specific undercover mission requirements. When deployed to certain combat environments, and during other special times and circumstances, CID agents wear

Army Combat Uniform The Army Combat Uniform (ACU) is the current combat uniform worn by the United States Army, U.S. Air Force, and U.S. Space Force. Within U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force, it is referred to as the OCP (Operational Camouflage Pattern) Uniform ...

s, replacing rank insignia with subdued versions of officer "U.S." collar brass and sometimes wearing "CID"

brassard A brassard or armlet is an armband or piece of cloth or other material worn around the upper arm; the term typically refers to an item of uniform worn as part of military uniform or by police or other uniformed persons. Unit, role, rank b ...

s on their upper left arms.

Firearms

CID Special Agents are issued the 9mm

Sig Sauer P320 The SIG Sauer P320 is a modular semi-automatic pistol made by SIG Sauer, Inc., SIG Sauer's American branch. It is a further development of the SIG Sauer P250, utilizing a striker-fired mechanism in lieu of a double action only hammer system. Th ...

sidearm, designated " M18". The

Sig Sauer P228 Sig used as a name may refer to: *Sig (given name) * Sig, Algeria, a city on the banks of the Sig River *Sig Alert, an alert for traffic congestion in California, named after Loyd Sigmon * Sig River, a river of Algeria also known as Mekerra sig ( ...

designated "M11" is no longer issued. Through the personally owned duty weapon program, agents can be authorized to carry their personally procured firearm, with certain restrictions. For combat environments, Agents are also issued the

M4A1 Carbine The M4 carbine (officially Carbine, Caliber 5.56 mm, M4) is a 5.56×45mm NATO, gas-operated, magazine-fed carbine developed in the United States during the 1980s. It is a shortened version of the M16A2 assault rifle. The M4 is extensively ...

or shortened version, MK18, for protection missions.

Commanders

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

Henry H. Tufts, September 1971 - August 1974 *

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

Albert R. Escola, August 1974 - September 1975 *Major General Paul M. Timmerberg, September 1975 - September 1983 *Major General Eugene R. Cromartie, September 1983 - April 1990 *Major General Peter T. Berry, July 1990 - June 1995 *

Brigadier General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

Daniel A. Doherty, July 1995 - September 1998 *Brigadier General David Foley, September 1998 - June 2001 *Major General Donald J. Ryder, June 2001 - July 2006 *Brigadier General Rodney L. Johnson, July 2006 - January 2010 *Brigadier General Colleen L. McGuire, January 2010 - September 2011 *Major General David E. Quantock, September 2011 - September 2014 *Major General Mark S. Inch, September 2014 - 4 May 2017 *Major General David P. Glaser, 4 May 2017 – 24 June 2019 *Major General Kevin Vereen, 24 June 2019 – July 2020 *Major General Donna Martin, July 2020 - August 2021 *Brigadier General Duane Miller, August 2021 - September 2021 *Director Gregory D. Ford, 17 September 2021 – Present http://www.cid.army.mil/history.html

Badges & insignia

File:CID seal.gif, Seal of the former Criminal Investigation Command File:United States Army Criminal Investigation Division Seal.png, Seal of the current Criminal Investigation Division File:USA - Army CID Badge.png, Former badge of a Criminal Investigation Command CID Agent File:United States Army Criminal Investigation Division Special Agent Badge.png, Current badge of a CID Special Agent

In popular culture

*The novels by

Lee Child James Dover Grant (born 29 October 1954), primarily known by his pen name Lee Child, is a British author who writes thriller novels, and is best known for his ''Jack Reacher'' novel series. The books follow the adventures of a former America ...

tells the story of

Jack Reacher Jack Reacher is the protagonist of a series of crime thriller novels by British author Lee Child. In the stories, Jack Reacher was a major in the US Army's military police. Having left the Army at age 36, Reacher roams the United States, tak ...

, a former U.S. Army military police major who commanded CID special agents. *The ''

GI Joe ''G.I. Joe'' is an American media franchise and a line of action figures owned and produced by the toy company Hasbro. The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. armed forces with the Action Soldier ( U.S. Army), Ac ...

'' character

Chuckles Chuckles are jelly candies coated with a light layer of sugar. They come in five flavors: cherry, lemon, lime, orange, and licorice. Each package of Chuckles contains one piece of each flavor. The candies are made with corn syrup, sugar, modi ...

is an Army CID Special Agent - Criminal Investigator. *The 1992 novel by Nelson DeMille titled '' The General's Daughter'' tells the story of Army CID Special Agent Paul Brenner. The book was made into a movie of the same name in 1999 starring John Travolta in the role of Brenner. *The 2003 film '' Basic'' has the character Army Captain Julia Osborne, played by

Connie Nielsen Connie Inge-Lise Nielsen (born 3 July 1965) is a Danish actress. She has starred as Lucilla in the film ''Gladiator'' (2000) and as Hippolyta in the DC Extended Universe, and in the films ''Wonder Woman'' (2017), '' Justice League'' (2017), '' ...

investigating a murder for CID. *Throughout seasons 4 and 5, of the CBS drama '' NCIS'', Army CID Agent Hollis Mann makes six appearances. She was a Lieutenant Colonel. *Stana Katic played Army CID Special Agent Adrian Lane in one episode of the CBS military drama ''

The Unit ''The Unit'' is an American action-drama television series created by David Mamet that aired on CBS from March 7, 2006, to May 10, 2009 with the total of four seasons and 69 episodes. The series focuses on a top-secret military unit modeled ...

'', in the ninth episode of its third season. *The 2019 thriller novel ''The Deserter'' by Nelson DeMille features Army CID Special Agent Scott Brodie as its main character. *Willem Dafoe and Gregory Hines played U.S. Army CID Special Agents in the 1988 action thriller movie '' Off Limits''.

References

External links

*
Official website of the CID Agents Association (for Active Duty and Retired Army CID Agents), retrieved 2008-09-23.
{{Authority control United States intelligence agencies 1971 establishments in the United States Criminal Investigation Command Criminal Investigation Command Military history articles needing expert attention