Albuquerque Community Outreach

In Your Community

Albuquerque, like each of the FBI’s local field offices, has a community outreach program that complements and strengthens our many efforts to protect you, your businesses, and your families in concrete ways through a range of activities and initiatives. The outreach programs are designed to build bridges and encourage dialogue among the diverse communities we serve.

FBI Citizens’ Academy Program

The Citizens’ Academy is an eight-week outreach program for business, religious, civic, and community leaders that provides an inside look at the FBI’s mission, goals, and objectives. Presentations and hands-on exercises are designed to demystify the organization and create new channels for working together and sharing information. Two Citizens’ Academy courses are hosted annually: one in the spring at the Albuquerque Field Office, and one hosted by the Las Cruces Resident Agency. Candidates may be nominated by FBI employees, members of the FBI Citizens’ Academy Alumni Association, community partners, or via self-nomination. Participants are chosen by the Special Agent in Charge of the local FBI office.  For more information, please contact Community Outreach Specialist Tammy Peter at tammy.peter@ic.fbi.gov.

Citizens’ Academy student takes target practice

Director’s Community Leadership Award

Each of the FBI’s field offices has the opportunity to select one winner annually, recognizing achievements in preventing and/or educating the public on crimes like terrorism, cyber fraud, illegal drugs, gangs, and violence.

On November 30, Special Agent in Charge, Carol K.O. Lee, presented the 2011 Director’s Community Leadership Award to Thomas O. Craig, the security manager and fraud investigator for New Mexico Educators Federal Credit Union. Mr. Craig has been a co-chair of the Financial Institution Security Officers Association for more than 10 years. The organization informs local financial institutions, law enforcement agencies, and consumers of financial fraud and identity theft trends and developments.

SAC Carol K. Lee pictured with Thomas O. Craig

Among our other ongoing efforts:

• Meeting with minority groups and civic organizations to talk about what the FBI can do with them and for them and hosting town hall meetings as needed to dialogue on key issues;
• Providing Community Relations Executive Seminar Training (CREST) for civic and community groups. The FBI CREST is a shorter, more focused version of the Citizens’ Academy where sessions are customized to meet the needs of each organization;
• Supporting the graduates of our Citizens’ Academies, who organize together in local alumni chapters to create crime awareness/prevention programs and other initiatives that benefit communities;
• Serving on committees and boards for businesses, schools, community groups, and social and health services and launching drives to bring food, gifts, and toys to the less fortunate during the holidays and other times of the year;
• Promoting the FBI’s Safe Online Surfing Program. The non-profit Internet safety program—based on an initiative begun in Florida—brings together NOVA Southeastern University and the FBI to help students, parents, and teachers better understand the potential dangers associated with the Internet, e-mail, chat rooms, and social networking sites. Participating students sign in, take a pre-quiz, conduct an online scavenger hunt through specific sites that detail safety information, and then take a final quiz;
• Encouraging citizens to step forward to report crime and serve as witnesses in court;
  Hosting a yearly Teen Academy to provide an inside look at the FBI for students between the ages of 13-18;
• Partnering with the American Football Coaches Association and its National Child Identification Program to distribute Child ID kits at football games and other events; and
• Hosting Adopt-A-School programs that place FBI volunteers inside schools to support curriculum requirements. The program consists of school activities, classroom demonstrations, and special events.
  
  

  An Albuquerque Adopt-A-School event

Contact

To learn more about the community efforts above or to become involved in our outreach initiatives, please contact:

• Tammy Peter, Community Outreach Specialist
  E-mail: Tammy.Peter@ic.fbi.gov

Town halls, CREST academies, and community events (i.e. meetings, festivals, awareness fairs, etc.) are also coordinated through Tammy Peter and can be requested via her e-mail address listed above.

Tours & Speakers

To request a speaker for FBI topics related to your business, organization, or law enforcement agency, please contact:

• Maria Grossetete, Training and Civil Liaison Specialist
  E-mail: Maria.Grossetete@ic.fbi.gov

In addition, please submit requests for office tours to Maria Grossetete. Please note: tours are limited to youth groups and available resources. We request that you give us at least 21 days advance notice and that groups be kept to a 25-person maximum. Prior to the tour, participants 18 years of age or older must complete a comprehensive visitor form.

For More Information

Visit our national In Your Community website for more information about our overall outreach efforts and our work in other local FBI offices.