First Office Agents

At the FBI Academy, there was a class called F-O-A-C which stands Field Office Administrative Codes (at least I think that what it stands for).   It is like learning a foreign language.  And when most new agents hear BuSpeak, they are confronted with hundreds of acronyms and combined words that they must learn to be able to function in their jobs.  In every FOAC class, there are two distinct level...

A baby agent is a playful, yet derisive term often used to describe a Special Agent Trainee at the FBI Academy. A blue flamer is a reference to the blue flame that comes out the back of a fighter jet. Upon leaving the Academy, newly minted FBI Agents are said to have a 3 foot blue flame of enthusiasm coming out of their butts.  And rightly so.  Shortly after arriving at the FBI Academy, I remember...

Good informants are a critically important part of the law enforcement universe. They are double-edged swords though and sources can end a promising law enforcement career very quickly. Given their importance, the FBI and other law enforcement agencies evaluate their investigators in part on how many sources they have developed and how productive they have been. The steps that precede someone beco...

FBI field offices serve and are apart of the communities where they are located, what most people don't realize is there is an open communication channel between the FBI and members of the community. Phone calls and walk-ins take place everyday, all day. And when members of the public report suspected crimes, acts of terrorism, or espionage, it's a critically important function and they direct eme...

The FBI has jurisdiction when felons cross state lines to evade prosecution, referred to as Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecution or UFAP. Arrests require careful planning.  And yet the Yiddish proverb: “people plan, God laughs” often fits. Working civil rights cases against sworn police officers and deputy sheriffs was stressful and challenging especially since in a small FBI field office like Mem...

Today’s episode is the continuation of a new series in which my former FBI Colleague Kevin Cearlock and I explore the funnier side of the FBI based on our own experiences and our friends. Law enforcement is full of great story tellers. Hard to say whether storytellers tend to become law enforcement officers in disproportionate numbers or, perhaps more likely, it’s the fact that ridiculous things s...

Today’s episode is the introduction of a new series in which my former FBI Colleague Kevin Cearlock and I explore the funnier side of the FBI based on our own experiences and our friends.