Howard Oberst
Howard Oberst, Supervisory Agent
Drug Enforcement Administration (Retired)
Career Highlights
- DEA Exceptional Performance X 2
- DEA Excellence of Performance
- DEA International Narcotics Training Program Appreciation
- U.S. Department of Justice Award
- United States Attorney's Award
- U.S. Customs Award
- Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Award
Howard Oberst
is a retired DEA Special Agent with over 30 years of combined local and federal law enforcement experience. During his 22 years with the DEA, Howard served 15 years as a street agent in the Indianapolis, Indiana district office. While assigned to the IDO, he was involved in and initiated numerous complex drug conspiracy investigations that required extensive domestic and foreign travel to reach the source of supply.
During his career, he has worked undercover, conducted surveillance, prepared affidavit(s), executed warrants, planned raids, managed informants, seized evidence, and testified in federal and state courts. Also, he was designated as a Technical Agent, providing advanced technical support to other agents. He was a Certified Field Training Agent for DEA and taught drug-related courses at the Indiana State Police Academy.
In 2000, Howard was transferred to DEA headquarters, Office of Investigative Technology in Lorton, Virginia. While completing his headquarters assignment, Howard was promoted to grade 14 Supervisory Special Agent and took charge of the DEA Tracking/Sensor Unit. In that capacity, Howard was responsible for developing and deploying all of DEA's GPS tracking and Remote Sensor-based equipment and devices for foreign operations. During his tenure, Howard coordinated a complete overhaul of DEA's global satellite tracking capabilities, which resulted in the centralization and mapping display of all DEA's tracked targets and assets.
In 2005, Howard was transferred from headquarters to the Chicago Field Division, Chicago, Illinois. There he served as a Group Supervisor over the Technical Operations group and was responsible for matters concerning covert audio, video, tracking, polygraph, radio communications, safety, and security.
Howard retired in 2007 and over the next 12 years he was vetted by the state Department to teach the following courses: Interdicting Terrorist Activities (ITA), Investigating Terrorist Incidents (ITI), Surveillance Detection (SD), Surveillance for Law Enforcement (SLEC), Vital infrastructure Security (VIS) and Instructor Development Course (IDC). During the last 12 years, Howard has taught those courses in over 12 countries to foreign law enforcement elements, most of which were charged with anti-terrorism responsibilities.