The United States Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID or DACID), 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 United States Department of Defense. The DA is the Federal government of the United States, federal government agency within which the United St ...

. 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 r ...

crimes and serious violations of

military law Military justice (or military law) is the body of laws and procedures governing members of the armed forces. Many nation-states have separate and distinct bodies of law that govern the conduct of members of their armed forces. Some states us ...

and the United States Code within the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

. The division is an independent federal law enforcement agency with investigative autonomy; CID

special agents In the United States, a special agent is an official title used to refer to certain detective, investigators or detectives of federal, military, tribal, or state agencies who primarily serve in criminal investigation, criminal investigatory posi ...

, 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. Military chain of command In a military context, the chain of command is the line of authority and responsibility along which orders ...

to the CID Director, who reports directly to the Under Secretary of the Army and the

Secretary of the Army The secretary of the Army (SA or SECARMY) is a senior civilian official within the United States Department of Defense, with statutory responsibility for all matters relating to the United States Army: manpower, personnel, reserve affairs, insta ...

. Unlike their counterparts at OSI and NCIS, Army CID does not have primary counterintelligence responsibilities, as this jurisdiction resides with United States Army Counterintelligence Command (ACI).

Overview

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

Uniform Code of Military Justice The Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) is the foundation of the system of military justice of the armed forces of the United States. The UCMJ was established by the United States Congress in accordance with their constitutional authority ...

, as well as civilian personnel when there is

probable cause In United States criminal law, probable cause is the legal standard by which police authorities have reason to obtain a warrant for the arrest of a suspected criminal and for a court's issuing of a search warrant. One definition of the standar ...

to believe the person has committed an offense under the criminal laws of the United States with a nexus to the Department of Defense. CID Special Agents may be military personnel ( NCOs or

Warrant Officers Warrant officer (WO) is a Military rank, 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 ...

), or sworn civilian personnel. Within the United States Army, DACID has exclusive jurisdiction in the investigation of all serious, felony level crimes, and assist with the investigation 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,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

. 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 or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. 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 The American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) was a formation of the United States Armed Forces on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front during World War I, composed mostly of units from the United States Army, U.S. Army. The AEF was establis ...

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 (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

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 The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and supervising the six U.S. armed services: the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Space Force, ...

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 directed the

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 Guillén at

Fort Hood Fort Cavazos is a United States Army post located near Killeen, Texas. The post is currently named after Gen. Richard E. Cavazos, a native Texan and the US Army’s first Hispanic four-star general. The post is located halfway between Austi ...

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 United States Army, U.S. Army training installation located in the Missouri The Ozarks, Ozarks. The main gate is located on the southern boundary of the city of St. Robert, Missouri, St. Robert. The post was created in De ...

.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. 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 to a civilian director reporting to the under secretary of the Army. 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 investigative law enforcement agency of the United States Department of the Navy. Its primary function is to investigate major criminal activities involving the Nav ...

, 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 to allow agents more time to hone their skills. 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

CID is not accepting any military applications as of 2022. The only hiring path is through federal civil service and their job postings are advertised via USAjobs.gov. In the past, 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 rarely employed Commissioned Officers as Special Agents. For decades standard Commissioned Officers in the 31A MOS (Military Police Officer) served as Commanders of CID Battalions and Groups, but due to the recent restructuring of the agency these positions have evolved. Criminal investigations are conducted by field Special Agents and are typically supervised by senior Special Agents. 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 (Title 10 U.S.C. Section 7377) 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. All civilian CID special agents ar trained at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) in Glynco, GA. First attending the Criminal Investigator Training Program (CITP) along with their fellow 1811 partners from participating federal agencies and then a 2 month CID specific training course to familiarize themselves with agency policy and procedure. Following the completion of CID Basic Special Agent Course, 1811 Special Agents will return to their duty station for a Field Agent Training program. The Field Agent Training program will immerse the newly appointed 1811 to military criminal investigations and how to apply lessons learned at FLETC to the job. Military Special Agent candidates initially receive training at the US Army Military Police School (USAMPS) at

where they attend the 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, and 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

CID Special Agents do not wear uniforms for anything other than official military training. 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 Shoulder sleeve insignia (SSI) are distinctive cloth patches worn on the left sleeve of the United States Army uniform just below the shoulder seam by soldiers assigned to divisions, corps, armies, and other specifically authorized orga ...

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 A distinctive unit insignia (DUI) is a metallic Heraldry, heraldic badge or device worn by soldiers in the United States Army. The DUI design is derived from the coat of arms authorized for a unit. DUIs may also be called "distinctive insignia" (D ...

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. In the case of active-duty agents, they wear

Army Combat Uniform The Army Combat Uniform (ACU) is the current combat uniform worn by the United States Army, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Space Force and some elements of the U.S. Coast Guard. Within the Air Force and Space Force, it is referred to as the OCP ( Op ...

s (ACUs) as the regular combat and field uniform, along with the Army Green Service Uniform (AGSU) as the in-garrison uniform, and the

Army Service Uniform The Army Service Uniform (ASU) is a military uniform for wear by United States Army personnel in garrison posts and at most public functions where the Army Combat Uniform is inappropriate. As of 2021, the Army has two service uniforms for use by ...

(ASU) for formal occasions. For the ACU, agents sometimes wear "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. For wear with the ASU and AGSU, Military Police branch insignia pins and distinctive unit insignia are worn, representing the CID's origins in and relationship with the Military Police Corps.

Firearms

Some CID Special Agents carry an alternate duty weapon, which can be a variety of double action semi-automatic pistols chambered in 9 mm, .40 caliber, or .45 caliber. CID Special Agents are issued the M18 in 9mm. It is similar to a SIG Sauer P320 Carry sidearm. The M11 or SIG Sauer P228 is no longer issued. Agents are also issued the M4A1 Carbine or shortened version, MK18, for protection missions and routine carry during enforcement related duties including when deployed overseas to war zones. Agents also have the B&T APC9K sub-machine gun.

Commanders

The following is a list of former and current CID commanders:

Badges and insignia

File:United States Army Criminal Investigation Division Seal.png, Seal of the current Criminal Investigation Division File:United States Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division Logo.jpg, Current logo of CID File:Cid patch color.jpg, CID

Shoulder Sleeve Insignia Shoulder sleeve insignia (SSI) are distinctive cloth patches worn on the left sleeve of the United States Army uniform just below the shoulder seam by soldiers assigned to divisions, corps, armies, and other specifically authorized orga ...

File:CID DUI.png, CID

Distinctive unit insignia A distinctive unit insignia (DUI) is a metallic Heraldry, heraldic badge or device worn by soldiers in the United States Army. The DUI design is derived from the coat of arms authorized for a unit. DUIs may also be called "distinctive insignia" (D ...

File:United States Army Criminal Investigation Division Special Agent Badge.png, Current badge of a CID Special Agent File:CID seal.gif, Seal of the former Criminal Investigation Command File:USA - Army CID Badge.png, Former badge of a Criminal Investigation Command CID 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 (genre), thriller novels, and is best known for his ''Jack Reacher (book series), Jack Reacher'' novel series. The boo ...

tell the story of

Jack Reacher Jack Reacher is the protagonist of a series of crime thriller novels by British author Lee Child, a 2012 film adaptation, its 2016 sequel, and a television series on Amazon Prime Video. In the stories, Jack Reacher was a major in the U.S. ...

, a former U.S. Army military police major who commanded CID special agents. **One of the novels, '' Never Go Back'', was adapted into a 2016 theatrical film of the same name, starring

Tom Cruise Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (born July 3, 1962) is an American actor and film producer. Regarded as a Cinema of the United States, Hollywood icon, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Tom Cruise, various accolades, includ ...

and

Cobie Smulders Jacoba Francisca Maria "Cobie" Smulders (born April 3, 1982) is a Canadian actress. She is known for her starring role as Robin Scherbatsky in the CBS series ''How I Met Your Mother'' (2005–2014) and as S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Maria Hill in th ...

in the main roles. *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 United States Armed Forces, U.S. armed forces with the Act ...

'' character

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

is an Army CID Special Agent - Criminal Investigator. *The 1992 novel by

Nelson DeMille Nelson Richard DeMille (August 23, 1943 – September 17, 2024) was an American author of Adventure fiction, action adventure and Thriller (genre), suspense novels. His novels include ''Plum Island (novel), Plum Island'', ''The Charm School (nov ...

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 John Joseph Travolta (born February 18, 1954) is an American actor. He began acting in television before transitioning into a leading man in films. List of awards and nominations received by John Travolta, His accolades include a Primetime Em ...

in the role of Brenner. *The 2003 film ''

Basic Basic or BASIC may refer to: Science and technology * BASIC, a computer programming language * Basic (chemistry), having the properties of a base * Basic access authentication, in HTTP Entertainment * Basic (film), ''Basic'' (film), a 2003 film ...

'' 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 films ''Gladiator'' (2000) and ''Gladiator II'' (2024) and as Queen Hippolyta in the DC Extended Universe. She has also starred in films such as ...

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

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

military action 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

features Army CID Special Agent Scott Brodie as its main character. He also appears in the subsequent novels '' Bloodlines '' (2023) and ''Tin Men'' (2025). *

Willem Dafoe William James "Willem" Dafoe ( ; born July 22, 1955) is an American actor. Known for his prolific career portraying diverse roles in both mainstream and arthouse films, he is the recipient of various accolades including a Volpi Cup Award for ...

and

Gregory Hines Gregory Oliver Hines (February 14, 1946 – August 9, 2003) was an American dancer, actor, choreographer, and singer. He is one of the most celebrated tap dancers of all time. As an actor, he is best known for '' Wolfen'' (1981), '' The Cotton C ...

played U.S. Army CID Special Agents investigating a murder in Saigon in the 1988 action thriller film '' Off Limits''. *John Puller is the main character of several novels written by

David Baldacci David Baldacci (born August 5, 1960) is an American novelist. An attorney by education, Baldacci writes mainly suspense novels and legal thrillers. His novels are published in over 45 languages and published in over 80 countries, having sold ove ...

. Puller is a former Army Ranger and veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars who presently works as an Army CID Special Agent. He appears in the novels '' Zero Day'' (2011), '' The Forgotten'' (2012), '' The Escape'' (2014), '' No Man's Land'' (2016), and ''Daylight'' (2020).

References

External links

Official website of the CID Agents Association (for Active Duty and Retired Army CID Agents), retrieved 2008-09-23.
{{Authority control Army Criminal Investigation Division Army Criminal Investigation Division Criminal Investigation Command Criminal Investigation Command Military history articles needing expert attention