Army Enlisted Job Descriptions & Qualification Factors

Within the military occupational specialty of military police (MP),there are many law enforcement jobs you can consider. From investigations, dog handler, to special reaction teams (SWAT), and instructor, your MOS 31 can be a diverse career with many opportunities in federal, state, or local law enforcement as well. 

Below are the Army MOS's that fall into the enlisted Law Enforcement Field: (MOS 31). Take your pick when enlisting or advance in the ranks and diversify your skills in new and exciting jobs within the Law Enforcement MOS:

31B - Military Police - The Army's Military Police play an integral role is securing other military personnel and property at home, foreign bases and in forward bases in war zones. The Military Police, or MPs, also are trained in corrections and confining of inmates, prisoners of war, investigations and mobility security support around the world. Their main job is to protect and preserve the rule of law.

The Army categorizes this job as military occupational specialty (MOS) 31B.

Job Duties of Army MPs

Military police protect lives and property on Army installations by enforcing military laws and regulations, as well as controlling traffic, preventing crime, and responding to emergencies.

They provide support to the battlefield by conducting force protection, anti-terrorism, area security, and police intelligence operations and crime prevention programs. 

Army MPs also lead military police squads and sections, operate police desks, plan crime prevention measures, operate evidence rooms and prepare operations plans and orders in military police detachment.

31D - Criminal Investigation Special Agent (CID) - Criminal investigations special agents (CIDs) are responsible for investigating or supervising investigations of felony-level criminal allegations or offenses against Army personnel or property. CID special agents can expect to investigate such criminal activity as espionage, treason, and terrorism. Like a police detective, they will interview witnesses, question suspects and collect and analyze both forensic evidence and criminal intelligence. They are also responsible for maintaining Army criminal records. 

Training and Skills

Job training for a CID special agent requires 20 weeks of a resident course, where recruits will learn about civil and military laws, investigation procedures and techniques, how to process a crime scene, and how to present testimonial evidence.

Prior to being accepted into CID special agent training, recruits should have an interest in law enforcement. Recruits who want to become a CID special agent should be able to make quick decisions and remain calm under heavy duress.

31E - Internment/Resettlement Specialist - There are even corrections officers, or prison guards, in the military who work at the various military corrections facilities. These are MPs that specialize in the detention and transportation of prisoners. These professionals are primarily responsible for day-to-day operations in a military confinement/correctional facility or detention/internment facility. The MOS 31E are assigned to duty stations with military prisons, such as Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, Fort Leavenworth, and Camp Humphreys in Korea.

Military corrections officers deal with two types of prisoners: military members who have committed crimes while serving in the military, and foreign prisoners who were captured during combat situations or who were involved in harming Americans through terrorist activities. If you are a 31E MOS in the Army, you will likely be working with both types, either in established military prisons or temporary confinement areas in foreign countries. 

31K- Working Dog Handler - Army Military Working Dog (MWD) handlers are responsible for the care and training of his or her service dog, which contributes to combat operations abroad and installation security at home by providing target odor detection (explosive/drug). Service dogs, generally seen as a non-lethal option for neutralizing a threat, also serve as a psychological deterrent during law enforcement operations.  

Training Information

Job training for Military Working Dog handlers requires 18 weeks of Advanced Individual Training (AIT) on how to care for, handle and train a Military Working Dog (MWD). The training is in two phases. The first seven-week phase covers on-the-job instruction and teaches police methods and techniques for dog handling. The second phase of instruction is an 11-week course that provides basic instructions on the application of Military Working Dog utilization and employment capabilities. Phase II instructs in basic obedience, controlled aggression, first aid, principles of conditioning, building searches, scouting, detection, and daily care and grooming of assigned MWD.