Special
Agents have many different responsibilities, including community outreach,
investigation, and continuous training. For example, Agents spend
large parts of their days outside of the office, "in the field," working
on cases. However, Agents may also spend an entire day in the office
completing paperwork related to investigations. These varied tasks
usually mean that a day in the life of a Special Agent will differ
from the one before!
Join
us to learn what one particular day in the life of an Agent in Washington,
D.C., may be . . .
Special
Agent Sydney Becker (fictional name) explains a day in the life of
an Agent . . .
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Video #1
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An
Agent's day begins early. Today, I woke up to begin firearms training
at 7:00 a.m. Assigned to the Washington Field Office, Agents may
practice at an indoor range in FBI Headquarters, or at an outdoor
range at the FBI Training Academy in Quantico, Virginia. Training
is an ongoing process for Special Agents in order to maintain their
law enforcement skills. Today, while training outdoors, I joined
other Agents to practice firing at moving targets and targets that
were at close range. We need to be prepared for any situation that
may develop during an arrest. After firearms training I cleaned
my weapon -- all Agents are responsible for the cleaning and maintenance
of their weapons. |
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Video #2
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While
cleaning my weapon, I received a call over my radio, "suspect located,
need assistance with arrest, meet at briefing location." Since I
had already helped in the beginning of this investigation, a federal
bank robbery case, I was familiar with the predetermined location.
Meanwhile, other Agents were also contacted to meet at a location
near the suspect's hideout -- close, but not close enough to alert
the suspect. Here, we were briefed on the situation, looked at a
map, and determined who would do what during the arrest. |
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Video #3
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Having
determined that conditions were right for an arrest -- keeping in
mind the safety of the public as well as the Agents -- Agents moved
in to arrest the suspect of the bank robbery. Agents drove close
to the scene and safely approached the trailer where the suspect
had been hiding. I remained behind with other Agents to cover those
Agents making the arrest. The suspect was taken into custody without
incident. |
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Video #4
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The
suspect was brought back to the Washington Field Office for processing.
Processing usually includes fingerprinting and, if the suspect waives
his rights to an attorney, questioning about the crime. The suspect
was fingerprinted, questioned, and sent to a Federal Detention Center
while Agents continued the investigation, which included interviewing
witnesses and acquaintances, gathering evidence through the use
of search warrants, and completing the necessary paperwork. After
a busy day of training, investigating, and paperwork, I returned
home to rest before another day in the life of an Agent. |
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FBI Youth 6th - 12th |
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