FBI Citizens’ Academy
Want to find out first hand how the FBI works? Hear how the Bureau tracks down spies and terrorists? Learn how to collect and preserve evidence? See what it is like to fire a weapon and put yourself in the shoes of a Special Agent making a split-second, life-or-death decision?
If you are a leader in your community, you just might be able to do that and more––through an FBI Citizens’ Academy, open for business in all 56 of our field offices.
Who attends? Business, civic, and religious leaders, each nominated by a Bureau employee or a previous Academy graduate. You must be at least 21 years old (with no prior felony convictions) and must live and work in the area covered by the field office sponsoring the academy. Please note: Because classified techniques used in criminal and national security cases are discussed, nominees must undergo a background check and get an interim security clearance.
Who teaches? Special Agents in Charge of that field office, their senior managers and senior agent experts.
For how long? Classes generally meet 10 times (eight on weeknights and two on Saturday) for three hours each session. Each session has around 20-30 students.
The curriculum? Fascinating!
* Practical problems involving evidence collection and preservation.
* FBI jurisdiction and congressional oversight.
* Structure and operation of FBI field offices and satellite agencies.
* Fingerprint, forensic, technology, training, and other services
* Policies and issues: ethics, discipline, communications, drug enforcement, civil rights, and future criminal trends.
* Firearms training.
I get to cool stuff. I count myself very lucky. I was fortunate to be nominated by a previous Academy graduate, accepted and last night I attended my first class.
We learned the history of the FBI and learned all about their recruitment process. As you can see above, each class will be really interesting..learning about local cases, including the James Kopp case.
Check back here every Friday for a recap of the previous night’s class!
