About the author

Paul Eberle is currently retired after 24 years in law enforcement. Before the Border Patrol, he worked in nightclubs, in construction, and as a security guard, after an enlistment in the Marines.

He entered on duty with the Border Patrol in November of 1997, arriving at the El Cajon Station in April of 1998. The next few years were spent learning the ropes as a field agent, working the hills of East San Diego County.

After the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, he applied for the Federal Air Marshal Program, taking a position with the FAMs, who were under the Department of Transportation at the time. After a little over a year with the FAMs, he returned to the Border Patrol in El Cajon as a field agent, later serving as a firearms instructor.

When the Border Patrol enabled agents to move laterally between stations, Eberle transferred to Sonoita, Arizona. It was a small, active station, with a large and beautiful area. He served on the ATV unit and eventually as the Primary Firearms Instructor for the station as it doubled in size.

In December of 2007, Eberle was selected as a Supervisory Border Patrol Agent at the Tucson Station. This was his first big station, and it took some getting used to, being co-located with Sector Headquarters. After a probationary period in the field, he was selected as the supervisor for the swing shift ATV unit.

From November 2011 until November 2021, the Casa Grande Station was his second home. Like those in many professions, agents spend more waking hours with each other than with their families. Almost all of Eberle’s time was spent as a first-line supervisor, in the field. A brief detail as an Acting Watch Commander, although under the guidance of people who were fully supportive and encouraging, nonetheless cured him of any further ambitions to promote.