FBI C.A. Weeks 2 & 3
So, I haven’t been keeping up to date, but here’s the low down on what we did during weeks 2 and 3 of the FBI Citizens’ Academy.
Week 2: We had a tour of the office…the coolest part was seeing the gun vault. We got to see several different types of guns, including a tommy gun…just like in the old gangster movies.
Inside the evidence room, we were able to see the rifle that James Kopp used to assassinate Dr. Barnett Slepian. It was eerie because it was a piece of WNY history…tragic history, of course.
The most interesting part of the evening was learning about the case against Robert Hanssen. You remember him…he was the government agent who sold spies to the Russians. He was ultimately caught and convicted. We also heard about Dr. Wenho Lee, another traitor who worked at one of the most top secret facilities the government runs…and he sold secrets…
Week 3: Two big cases. Local 91 Investigation. Operation Greenback. Fascinating stuff.
Local 91 involved said union in Niagara County and how they prevented construction from happening if builders and contractors would not utilize their union workers. As a former Niagara County resident, it explains why nothing was built in Lockport, including a planned Wegmans. It also explains why Niagara Falls has so many rundown buildings. With the absence of power in the union, hopefully Niagara Falls will see the resurgence that Lockport has seen the past few years.
Operation Greenback was the Buffalo Police Dept corruption case. Narcotics detectives buying and selling drugs. That’s the long and short of it. Seasoned detectives that had been on the force for at least 15 years each. Needless to say, it is not representative of the BPD in its entirety.
