Navy Enlisted Job Descriptions & Qualification Factors

The duties and responsibilities of the Master of Arms, MA3(E-4) in the U.S. Navy are quite varied and include:

MA3(E-4) Legal Duties

• Read and explain Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) Article 31 to military suspects
• Inform accused of charges
• Inform personnel of captain's masts/courts-martial (time, location, uniform) et
• Testify at official proceedings
• Enforce disciplinary actions awarded at courts-martial or captain's masts
• Determine probable cause for command authorized searches
• Inform commands of personnel detained in custody

Law Enforcement and Investigations

• Recommend individual sources of information (informers)
• Conduct authorized searches
• Conduct surveillance
• Identify narcotics and dangerous drugs
• Apprehend suspects
• Issue weapons and ammunition
• Conduct field sobriety tests
• Administer Breathalyzer tests

Evidence

• Secure crime/accident scenes
• Inspect crime/accident scenes
• Preserve evidence at crime scenes
• Seize evidence/contraband
• Mark and tag evidence/contraband
• Maintain chain of custody forms
• Preserve evidence chain of custody

Physical Security

• Control access points to security areas
• Stow weapons
• Safeguard keys
• Monitor alarm systems
• Test alarm systems
• Respond to alarms
• Monitor Master-at-Arms (MAA) communications systems
• Respond to bomb threats
• Transmit and receive with two-way radios
• Dispatch security personnel
• Conduct quarterdeck inspections
• Conduct gate inspections
• Conduct building checks
• Conduct security lighting checks
• Conduct perimeter checks

Vehicles

• Drive emergency vehicles
• Issue temporary vehicle passes
• Control official use of government vehicles
• Investigate abandoned vehicles
• Direct traffic (vehicle/pedestrian)
• Issue traffic citations
• Investigate vehicle accidents
• Determine vehicle speed with radar systems
• Inventory emergency vehicle equipment

General Duties of Master at Arms

• Monitor daily muster report for unauthorized absentees (UA)
• Control personnel lines (ship's store, pay, etc.)
• Monitor liberty parties
• Issue uniform deficiency slips
• Muster restricted personnel
• Restrain personnel
• Engrave personal property
• Conduct inspections to ensure sweepers, taps, and reveille are held
• Conduct security inspections
• Provide security escort services
• Provide assistance on crime control or prevention programs
• Shipboard brig security and support
• Process prisoners upon receipt
• Escort and guard prisoners
• Shakedown and frisk personnel
• Collect uniforms/government property from personnel discharged for disciplinary reasons

Technical Administration

• Prepare incident/complaint reports
• Prepare traffic accident reports
• Prepare voluntary statements (witness)
• Prepare civilian suspects acknowledgement and waiver of rights
• Prepare and process permissive authorization for search and seizure
• Fill out and process military suspects' acknowledgement and waiver of rights forms
• Fill out telephonic threat/complaints forms
• Fill out evidence tags (index or adhesive)
• Maintain and process desk journals
• Fill out and process field interview cards
• Prepare and process evidence/property custody documents
• Maintain and process law enforcement communications logs
• Prepare fingerprint cards (major case prints)
• Prepare and process non-government vehicle registrations
• Prepare armed forces traffic reports
• Process violation reports
• Prepare alcohol influence reports
• Prepare disposition of offenses reports
• Prepare complaint of stolen motor vehicle reports
• Prepare vehicle reports
• Fill out line-up acknowledgement and waiver of rights forms
• Prepare and process investigative notes
• Maintain and process interview/interrogation logs
• Fill out and process command authorization for search and seizure forms
• Fill out and process customer consent and authorization for access to financial information forms
• Process authorization to release medical information and records
• Inventory personal effects of deceased or deserted personnel

MA2 (E-5) Duties

These include all the duties of the MA3 (E-4) plus:

Legal

• Officiate at executive officer's inquiry (XOI)
• Maintain order at courts-martial and captain's masts
• Brief prosecuting/defense attorneys
• Inform commands of civil sentences awarded to personnel

Law Enforcement and Investigation

• Conduct military customs inspections
• Identify personnel by photographs, drawings, or line-ups
• Conduct and record interrogations and interviews

Evidence

• Safeguard evidence as evidence custodian
• Prepare and submit evidence/contraband for testing
• Dispose of evidence/contraband
• Conduct field tests for drugs
• Prepare field test reports
• Witness chemical tests

Physical Security

• Inventory safe contents
• Conduct physical security surveys
• Brief command on security programs

Vehicles

• Prepare report of abandoned vehicles
• Coordinate towing of vehicles

General Duties

• Implement key control programs
• Coordinate missing, lost, stolen and recovered (MLSR) programs

Technical Administration

• Register personal property
• Process civilian suspects' acknowledgement and waiver of rights
• Process telephonic threat/complaint forms
• Process Armed Forces traffic reports
• Prepare violation reports
• Process alcohol influence reports
• Process complaint of stolen motor vehicle reports
• Process vehicle reports
• Maintain and process evidence logs
• Prepare for disposition of abandoned, recovered, and impounded personal property
• Provide technical assistance in preparing report chits
• Process report chits
• Prepare confinement orders
• Prepare "Hot List" on items reported stolen

MA1 (E-6) Duties

Duties include all the above, plus:

Legal Responsibilities

• Officiate at captain's masts
• Inform accused of appeal rights

Law Enforcement and Investigations

• Investigate cases involving drugs, alcohol and irrational behavior
• Recruit individual sources of information (informers)
• Coordinate detector dog searches
• Monitor U.S. Customs inspections
• Conduct suspect line-ups

Evidence

• Package and mail controlled substances for testing

Physical Security

• Mark items with detection powders
• Inspect safes/repositories for security violations
• Direct riot control
• Review and report results of physical security inspections
• Develop command physical security plans
• Implement command physical security plans
• Develop plan of action and milestones (POA&M) to correct physical security deficiencies

General Duties

• Establish and monitor beach guard
• Monitor security guard force
• Brief shipboard shore patrol personnel
• Develop and monitor a crime prevention program
• Conduct a facility/activity crime prevention program
• Implement loss prevention and analysis programs

Technical Administration

• Prepare authorization to release medical information and records
• Prepare crime lab examination requests
• Prepare forensic examination requests
• Process forensic examination requests
• Prepare and process investigative notes envelopes
• Prepare and process field test results
• Review incident/complaint reports
• Prepare and implement security department standard operating procedures
• Prepare crime statistical reports
• Screen command investigative summaries and complaint reports for accuracy/completeness
• Prepare records for alcohol, narcotics, and drug tests
• Prepare reports/graphs of offenses
• Provide administrative assistance to other law enforcement agencies

MAC (E-7) Duties

The MAC (E-7) supervises/manages personnel performing above duties, plus:

Physical Security

• Brief command on additional security requirements for ships
• Brief command on upgrading threat conditions
• Brief command on employment of auxiliary security force (ASF)

Technical Administration

• Review investigative reports