State of Maryland

A Comptroller Field Enforcement Agent Lead is the lead level of enforcement and regulatory work in the Regulatory Enforcement Division of the Comptroller of Maryland.  Employees in this classification are responsible for assessing and enforcing compliance with the revenue laws and regulations pertaining to alcoholic beverages, cigarettes, motor fuels, transient vendors, sales, and other taxes administered by the Comptroller of Maryland.  Employees in this classification are required to develop and implement strategies for investigations and surveillances as well as operational plans for arrests, search warrant executions and enforcement activities.  Employees are responsible for performing office administrative functions including review and approval of all reports and documents relating to the activities of Field Enforcement Agents, coordinating with outside administrative and regulatory agencies, state’s attorneys’ offices and the courts,  training police officers both within the Office of the Comptroller of Maryland and other police agencies throughout the State, attending professional conferences and addressing related professional organizations at such conferences and may also be required to attend meetings of the General Assembly of the State of Maryland and/or legislative committee meetings to monitor activities relative to matters of interest to the Comptroller of Maryland and reporting findings or making recommendations to the Division Director or the Deputy Director.  Employees in this classification lead lower-level Comptroller Field Enforcement Agents.

Employees in this classification receive managerial supervision from a Comptroller Field Enforcement Agent Chief, Revenue Administrator or other higher level administrators in the office of the Comptroller of Maryland.  Employees are on call 24 hours a day and travel to designated areas throughout the State and outside the State.  Employees in this classification may be assigned to day, evening, or night shifts, which may include weekends and holidays.  Employees frequently perform duties outdoors in all types of weather where conditions may be hazardous, dirty and/or uncomfortable.  The work may require lifting heavy objects such as cases of alcoholic beverages and cigarettes, restraining violent individuals and climbing, running, stooping and bending.

Positions in this classification are evaluated using the classification job evaluation methodology.  The use of this method involves comparing the assigned duties and responsibilities of a position to the job criteria found in the Nature of Work and Examples of Work sections of the class specification.

The Comptroller Field Enforcement Agent Supervisor is differentiated from the Comptroller Field Enforcement Agent in that the Comptroller Field Enforcement Agent Supervisor has supervisory responsibility for lower-level Comptroller Field Enforcement Agents while Comptroller Field Enforcement Agents perform the full range of duties and responsibilities under general supervision.  The Comptroller Field Enforcement Agent Supervisor is differentiated from the Comptroller Field Enforcement Agent Chief in that the Comptroller Field Enforcement Agent Chief directs all activities of the Investigative Services Unit in the Field Enforcement Division and has supervisory responsibility for Comptroller Field Enforcement Agent Supervisors.

leads the work of lower-level Comptroller Field Enforcement Agents;

Reviews investigation reports from lower-level Comptroller Field Enforcement Agents and determines the merits of arrest and prosecution;

Evaluates all completed case reports for content and accuracy for presentation to administrative bodies such as local liquor control boards, and local, State, and federal prosecutors to be used in court and administrative proceedings;

Keeps statistical data for annual reports and F.B.I. required reporting data;

Provides supervision and administrative direction in the investigations of criminal and regulatory activities involving alcohol, cigarettes, motor fuels, transient vendors and taxes administered by the Comptroller of Maryland;

Reviews intelligence reports submitted by field enforcement agents and makes recommendations as to the continued status of ongoing investigations;

Supervises and participates in undercover and surveillance operations directing the agents and activities during the operations and arrests of felony suspects;

Supervises the collection of evidence, chain of custody, arrests, and interviews and interrogations of suspects;

Makes recommendations to the Assistant Director, Deputy Director or the Division Director on trends for future enforcement efforts based on review and evaluation of data gathered by field operatives;

Participates and maintains supervisory control of traffic stops of violators and their subsequent arrest as well as searches of persons and vehicles incident to that action;

Acts as liaison to the district court and state’s attorneys offices to ensure proper coordination of case prosecution including appearances by agents for preliminary and trial proceedings;

Prepares schedules for daily operations, special operations and long-term investigations including court and vacation schedules;

Updates daily work schedule occasionally to accommodate changes necessitated by manpower requirements for specialized investigations, circuit and district court appearances and responses to citizen complaints and those generated by allied agencies;

Provides direction in the inspections of alcoholic beverages, cigarettes, tax records, licenses, petroleum products, invoices and other documents for the purpose of detecting fraud and assessing compliance with State and federal laws and regulations;

Interacts with violators and purchases contraband for use in criminal prosecutions;

Prepares and reviews search and seizure warrants and participates in raids and arrest of violators;

Testifies at criminal court, liquor board and administrative hearings;

Assists in the coordination of enforcement activities with federal, State, and local law enforcement officers;

Participates in task forces with federal, State, and local law enforcement officers;

Ensures proper collection and submission of Uniform Crime Reports to the agency coordinator;

Assists in accounting for and properly documenting the storage of all confiscated property to include evidence, motor vehicles, and currency and ensures proper written notification of owners of such seizures;

Reviews for accuracy and coordinates dissemination of State and F.B.I. fingerprint records to the State central repository within the prescribed time frames;

Monitors sales and use tax collections assigned to field enforcement agents;

Assigns and tracks the status of routine complaints handles by field agents;

Conducts in-service training;

Prepares comprehensive reports and works within various computer software programs and criminal history software, i.e. CJIS, N.C.I.C, METERS, Courts, M.V.A., Faces of the Nation, along with working software such as Microsoft Word;

Issues stop sales orders and warnings to transient vendors, retailers and distributors who are not in compliance with inspection criteria;

Issues citations to transient vendors and licensees who are not in compliance with State laws and regulations;

Advises transient vendors, retailers and distributors regarding the interpretation and application of applicable taxes, licensing and inspection laws, rules and regulations;

Performs visual and chemical tests of alcoholic beverages and petroleum products to detect unlawful practices;

Knowledge of the principles and techniques of criminal investigation;

Knowledge of revenue laws pertaining to alcoholic beverages, cigarettes, motor fuels, transient vendors and other taxes administered by the Comptroller of Maryland;

Knowledge of court procedures;

Knowledge of basic management and supervisory techniques;

Skill in the use of firearms, vehicles, technical equipment, communication devices, and police related tools and equipment;

Skill in calculating and collecting tax receipts and related records;

Ability to evaluate intelligence data and formulate plans for enhanced enforcement efficiency;

Ability to plan and supervise criminal investigations and enforcement activities;

Ability to develop and maintain good working relationships with other law enforcement agencies;

Ability to prepare detailed reports;

Ability to train new employees in criminal investigation techniques and pertinent enforcement activities;

Ability to evaluate evidence for legal sufficiency;

Ability to present testimony in courts and administrative hearings on behalf of the State;

Ability to communicate effectively with representatives of the industry, owners, managers and licensees;

Ability to evaluate information presented in legislative committee meetings and make recommendations based on those evaluations to the Assistant Director, Deputy Director or the Division Director;

Ability to address meetings of related professional organizations on the status of enforcement efforts and investigative activities in the State of Maryland;

Ability to train other police officers both within the Comptroller’s Office and those of allied agencies on laws and regulations enforced by the Comptroller;

Ability to effectively manage, communicate with, and supervise agents under the prescribed span of responsibility.

Education: Graduation from an accredited high school or possession of a high school equivalency certificate as described in the Maryland Police Training Commission regulation.

Experience: Five years of experience as a police officer investigating crimes including motor vehicle accidents and responding to emergency calls for police services or as a field enforcement agent responsible for assessing and enforcing compliance with revenue laws and regulations.

Notes:

1. The above education requirement is set by the Maryland Police Training Commission in accordance with Public Safety Article, Section 3-209.

2. Applicants may substitute additional education in criminal justice or law enforcement, at an accredited college or university, at a rate of 30 credit hours for each six months of the required experience for a maximum of two years of the required experience.

3. Candidates may substitute U.S. Armed Forces military service experience as a non-commissioned officer in general inspection, investigation, enforcement, and compliance classification or general inspection, investigation, enforcement, and compliance specialty codes in the logistics field of work on a year-for-year basis for the required experience. 

1. Employees in this classification may be assigned duties which require the operation of a motor vehicle. Employees assigned such duties will be required to possess a motor vehicle operator’s license valid in the State of Maryland.

2. Employees in this classification must have successfully completed the Entrance Level Police Training Course and hold a current certification by the Maryland Police Training Commission.

3. After training, employees in this classification will be required to maintain periodic certification of essential marksmanship in the firing of a handgun or other firearms that may be necessary to carry out assignments.

1. Selection standards for police officer certification are established by the Maryland Police  Training Commission in accordance with Public Safety Article, Section 3-209 of the Annotated Code of Maryland. These selection criteria are listed in detail in the Code of Maryland Regulations Title 12, Subtitle 04, Chapter 01 and include the following:

Appointment as a police officer;
U.S. Citizenship;
A complete background investigation;
Oral interview;
Physical examination;
Possession of a driver’s license valid in the State of Maryland.

2. Employees in this classification are subject to call 24 hours a day and must provide the agency with a telephone number where they can be reached.

3. Employees in this classification are subject to substance abuse testing in accordance with Code of Maryland Regulations 17.04.09, Testing for Illegal Use of Drugs.

4. Employees in this classification may be required to bear firearms and to demonstrate practical knowledge and proficiency in the safe use and care of firearms on a periodic basis.

5. Employees in this classification may be subject to assignment in any area of the State.

6. Employees in this classification may be subject to long hours of driving to out of State locations.

7. Employees in this classification may be subject to extended workdays on a regular basis.

Class specifications are broad descriptions covering groups of positions used by various State departments and agencies. Position descriptions maintained by the using department or agency specifically address the essential job functions of each position.

This is a Skilled Service classification in the State Personnel Management System.  All positions in this classification are Skilled Service positions.  Some positions in Skilled Service classifications may be designated Special Appointment in accordance with the State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 6-405, Annotated Code of Maryland.

This classification is not assigned to a bargaining unit, as indicated by the designation of S (Supervisor), M (Manager), T (Agency Head), U (Board or Commission Member), W (Student), X (Used by Agency or Excluded by Executive Order), or Z (Confidential).  As provided by State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 3-102, special appointment, temporary, contractual, supervisory, managerial and confidential employees are excluded collective bargaining.  Additionally, certain executive branch agencies are exempt from collective bargaining and all positions in those agencies are excluded from collective bargaining.

Employees in this classification are eligible to receive overtime compensation.  An employee who works more than the normal workweek is entitled to be compensated for that overtime, as provided by the State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 8-305.