criminal, cyber, response and services branch
post-9/11 FBI is a significantly different agency from what it had been in the 20th century, leading to another major change in both recruiting and training. “We have some core requirements that align with our priorities,” Tidwell said of the CCRSB. “Right now we need Agents with certain language skills. Because cyber crime is [the Bureau’s] No. 3 priority, we need folks with computer and programming skills and electrical engineers. We’ve always been an intel-driven organization, but we’ve had to adjust that to our new reality, so we’re looking to
both former military and private sector intelligence experience. So while we still hire lawyers, accountants, and cops, the recruiting pipelines have been adjusted to first reflect those skill sets that match our top-most priorities. “Training also has changed. When I first went through 25 years ago, it was 16 weeks – now we’re up to 21 weeks. Again, we’ve been able to adjust training to our new priorities. We also now have career paths similar to the military MOSes [Military Occupational Specialties]. So how we get folks on board has changed, the priorities have changed, and how we train has radically changed.” The same applies to the technological advances being utilized by the FBI today. “Like everybody else in public safety and the military, we’re taking big leaps in utilizing and keeping up with the technologies available. That is most prominent in the CIRG, particularly the tactical missions – HRT [Hostage Rescue Team] and SWAT. We also have the surveillance and aviation elements of the Bureau there,” Tidwell said. “Some of the leaps we have taken, such as our capacity with surveillance and aviation, match what is happening in the military. “It’s just amazing what we can do now. With the support CIRG has to give to counterterrorism and the GWOT in
AP Photo/Suzanne Plunkett
An FBI Agent escorts Gariat Iousoupbekov from the Federal Building in New York. Iousoupbekov was one of seven suspects arrested by authorities in connection with an alleged Russian mob group, which authorities say terrorized Russian communities in New York. The men were charged with hostage-taking and extortion. Today, the ability of such organizations to cross geographic and political boundaries, and the fact that their profits sometimes fund terrorist groups, mean that the FBI must continually evolve to combat them.
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