UW-Madison alum Jason Salerno is not just an Ali G fan—as he proclaimed Tuesday at a lecture in the Social Science Building. He also works for the United States government. Salerno has been a special agent for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for nine years now.
The Legal Studies Association and Criminal Justice and Juvenile Student Association invited Salerno to speak to legal studies students about how to get a job working for organizations like the ATF.
Salerno not only has a unique profession, but he also said he understands UW-Madison students.
""Ten years ago I was sitting in the same seats that you guys are in today when I was a senior here at the university,"" Salerno said.
He said a special agent from Chicago came to talk to students that year, and that got him interested in a career as a special agent.
Tom Verhagen, president of UW-Madison's Legal Studies Association, said Salerno's talk should help people interested in getting into criminal justice by giving them an idea of the job opportunities in the field.
Salerno, who specializes in firearms and explosives, said he is on the criminal enforcement side of the job.
However, he said it is a long process to obtain such a job with the ATF. One must obtain a Bachelor of Arts degree, be at least 37 years old, have at least 20/100 vision and complete a thorough application, according to Salerno.
""You should be honest with that application, because if we find out you were lying, you're done,"" Salerno said. ""They'll find out on that polygraph. If you've done anything else other than marijuana, then you are out. That's experimental—once, maybe twice, but after that, then you're done.""
""Hey, I'm going to be honest, did I do it in college? Hell yeah. But I [only] did it twice,"" he continued.
Salerno said the polygraph test for the application lasts about four to six hours, and the whole application process generally takes one to two years.
Part of the reason for the lengthy process is the extensive background check of the applicant, as the ATF asks everyone from old co-workers to neighbors to previous teachers about the applicant's qualifications, characteristics and behaviors.
""I would like to do some ATF type stuff, but I'm still undecided as to what I'd like to do,"" said UW-Madison junior Chris Teschke, a legal studies major who attended the event. ""This gave me an idea of where to get started.""
