Press Release
☷What I See A Message from the Assistant Director of the FBI s Training Division
Federal Bureau of Investigation ( By Press Release office)
Feb 04,2024
| 7| 1
Does the FBI look different? You bet . The standards to be an FBI special agent are crazy high . And the chances of becoming one are crazy low because we ' re super picky . So , how do we respond to recent criticism that unfairly bashed the FBI for hiring unqualified candidates just to meet diversity goals? Well , here ' s what I see as the head of the FBI Training Academy in Virginia: I see these new agent trainees who went through a crazy tough application process . I see them studying , training , learning , and growing to become a crucial part of the FBI . Our new agents are top - notch . Last year , we graduated almost 900 agents , and in 2022 , we graduated about 1 , 000 . Over those two years , we got over 48 , 000 applications . If we were just a college , we ' d be one of the most selective ones out there . But we ' re more than that . We ' re the training center for the world ' s best law enforcement and intelligence agency . Contrary to what some anonymous critics say , every new agent has to pass our high fitness standards at the academy . They ' re also tested on a bunch of other skills and knowledge , like legal stuff and firearms proficiency . It ' s also interesting to look at the data from our recent classes . In 2023 , we had five new agent classes . On average , over 50% of the new agents came from a military or law enforcement background , about 48% had advanced degrees , and the average age was 29 . These numbers show that we ' re still attracting experienced , smart , and mature individuals . Have things changed in our classes and training? Definitely , but for the better . We can ' t just stay still , that would be a huge mistake . We constantly update our training to face new threats and challenges . Our facilities are up to date , our tactics are based on science and research , and we ' re more diverse than ever . Diversity in all forms makes us better at tackling the issues the Bureau faces today . Actually , the last special agent class that graduated from Quantico was almost half women . We also have more people of color and people from different educational and experiential backgrounds . I ' ve also heard critics complain that our new special agents aren ' t willing to put in the long hours required for this job . From my own experience , that ' s nonsense . Last year , when I led the FBI ' s Philadelphia Division , I witnessed new agents working alongside more experienced personnel on a major counterterrorism investigation . They ended up arresting a 17 - year - old who had been in contact with a terrorist group and had bought components for an improvised explosive device . Did these new agents work nights and weekends? Absolutely . Did they complain about the hours? Not once . Did they protect the public from a potentially catastrophic attack? Absolutely . And I know that same determination and dedication is seen in our work every day across the country and around the world . Yes , our classes are smaller this year compared to previous years . But that shows that we are still as selective as ever . It would be easy to fill larger classes if that was our goal . But because we have strict standards , we only accept the best , not the most . Plus , we ' re competing against private sector salaries in a work - from - home world to attract qualified applicants . Yet , we still manage to enroll exceptional candidates who prioritize their country over a corporation and their mission over money . Some people , including some within our organization , find change unsettling . But just because something is different from when they graduated from Quantico doesn ' t mean those changes are bad or wrong . Does the FBI look different now compared to 1970? Absolutely . Back then , women weren ' t even allowed to be special agents . Adapting to the times is smart and necessary . Diversity doesn ' t mean it ' s less important; it means having a variety , which is crucial for us to operate in different places , with different populations , and to address various threats . Did we lower our standards to admit and graduate more women in our recent class? Absolutely not . If you want to see the physical fitness standards that new agents must meet to graduate from Quantico , you can check them out here . Want to give it a shot? I ' m just guessing , but I doubt many of our critics could meet our standards . Our training is tough , and for good reason . Only a few people even make it to Quantico , and once they ' re here , they have to work incredibly hard to graduate . However , some things haven ' t changed , and never will , like the exceptional quality of the men and women who pledge to do challenging and dangerous work as FBI special agents .
PLAY the NEWS
* May be useful for visually impaired persons .
Press release information:
Direct link to press release:
Click here .
