SgtJ,
Okay here goes. As a retired local law enforcement officer I can tell you that among the real ground pounders, there really is not alot of respect for the FBI. Now don't believe for a second that I or any of my brothers or sisters wouldn't back them up if they were in trouble, but when it comes to police work they really aren't glamorous. Local officers respond to Bank Robberies (which is a federal offense) do all the investigation, forensics then the FBI shows up and takes the work from them and doesn't give them a thank you. There legal powers are so bogged down in red tape and politics they quickly sink in the muck of the job. Unless it's a class A or B felony being committed in front of them they can't take action to stop it or face disciplinary action. It takes an act of God to arrest then prosecute anyone. Look at what happened to the female FBI agent who had the skill to figure out that something was up with Z. Massaoui training how to fly a plane but not how to land or take off. She was rebuked at the highest levels and you see what happened. If you really want a federal L/E job look at the U.S. Marshals, DEA or my favorite is State Department Diplomatic Security Service (DSS). You can either get into passport/visa fraud or into the Regional Security Officer (RSO) field and be the civilian boss of Marine Security Guard Detachments at U.S. Embassies and Consulates. They are really involved now with investigations on the counter-terrorism front. Let me know if you have any questions.