Photo By Thomas B. Hamilton III | As a part of the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division’s...... read more read more
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As a part of the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division’s transformation, a Special Agent-in-Charge is being appointed to the 15 Field Offices worldwide to increase CID’s ability to effectively investigate and deter felony level crimes across the U.S. Army.
Shane Watts, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Carolinas Field Office, is one of the first to be appointed.
Hailing from San Antonio, Texas, Watts knew when he was young that he wanted to be in law enforcement. He started his journey as a deputy sheriff in his hometown and after two years decided to begin a federal service career. He served with the U.S. Border Control for eight years and then U.S. Customs/Homeland Security Investigations for 18 years.
The attacks on September 11, 2001, brought about a restructuring and combining of the U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Customs, and other agencies. Combined, these agencies now form the Department of Homeland Security. When this restructuring happened, he became a Special Agent for Homeland Security Investigations, the principal investigative arm of the DHS.
Watts became the Special Agent-in-Charge of the Carolinas Field Office in May 2022. As the Special Agent-in-Charge, Watts brought his experience and knowledge of the civilian and federal legal systems to help meet the Army CID director’s intent of expanding the field offices’ footprint of jurisdiction and integration with local and federal entities.
Watts has spent a lot of time in this new position building relationships with state, local, and federal agencies. “As CID expands its civilian footprint, we maximize our jurisdiction. This gives CID the ability to investigate a crime and follow leads anywhere in the world,” Watts said.
An important relationship that Watts has built is with the local U.S. Attorney’s office. The Carolinas Field Office assists the U.S. Attorney, Eastern District of North Carolina, by assigning a military attorney when appropriate as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, so they may assist in prosecuting in a civilian court. After assisting the U.S. Attorney, they return and if necessary, work as a trial attorney in the military court.
This partnership not only helps the U.S. Attorney’s office by providing it with a military subject matter expert, it also gives that participating Army Attorney opportunities, experience and resources they would otherwise not be afforded. This partnership as an added benefit, gives the Army a more rounded, more experienced attorney.
With over 28 years of experience, Watts knows the importance of knowing the differences between the Uniform Code of Military Justice and civilian/federal statutes. “[Special agents and attorneys] need to know both systems equally as well and to understand that application of them can happen simultaneously. You can do a criminal prosecution in civilian court and apply a separation from service at the same time as a courts-martial and being able to navigate both worlds. Investigators have the ability to provide the same evidence in both courts.”
Since he has been in this position, and with the restructuring and increase in personnel and resources, Watts has seen that agents are now able to respond quicker to incidents and be more proactive with investigations. They now have greater ability and capability to proactively perform operations that can expose and deter criminal activity, which in turn keeps our Soldiers, Civilians and Family members safe in our military communities worldwide.
The Department of the Army CID transformation is ongoing, and Shane Watts knows this transformation can affect the career progression and retirement of those in the organization.
Despite this, Watts says: “Everyone here is all rowing in the same direction, were all working to make it a better agency. [The] work ethic and the cooperation from agents on the ground has been phenomenal, there is no way we could be as successful without all their support. It is a complete honor and privilege [working at the Carolinas Field Office,] I am working with true American heroes, and I feel like I’m a part of something really special.”
| Date Taken: | 01.18.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 01.19.2023 09:52 |
| Story ID: | 436875 |
| Location: | QUANTICO, VA, US |
| Web Views: | 208 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Spotlight: Army CID Carolinas Field Office Special Agent-in-Charge, by Thomas B. Hamilton III, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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