-Hey, I'll brief you a little bit on counterterrorism here.
-When this class is in session...
-Domestic terrorism 'cause you see that in a lot of news.
-...the subject is always one of today's top stories.
-But the fact of the matter is,
it's probably the fastest-growing
counterintelligence threat there is.
-And the course material is not always easy to take in.
Welcome to the FBI Citizens Academy
at the Seattle field office.
-I'm going to address that head-on
because I can understand that there might be that perception.
-It's an 8 to 10-week course taught by people
like Assistant Special Agent in Charge Greg Austin.
-I want them to know, I think, our process and who we are.
I think one of the most interesting things
that people will see when they take this course
is they'll see the who that's behind the FBI.
-Greg's career started in finance,
though he'd thought about working for the FBI
in high school.
-I think it might have coincided with "The X-Files."
-But Greg says moving past the media's portrayals of the FBI
and explaining the Bureau's work on everything
from counterintelligence to domestic terrorism,
crimes on Indian reservations, civil rights violations,
and more helps the public see federal agents
as more than just a badge.
-Basically nothing more important to this organization
than being able to connect with the community.
It's the community that are the victims and witnesses
and sometimes subjects
that we need to connect with and understand.
-Administrative Officer Nakia Ray
helped launch the Academy in Seattle in 2004,
modeling it after
the Seattle Police Department's Community Academy,
with a focus on a broad audience.
-We have business leaders. We have civic leaders.
We have religious leaders.
-Candidates for the FBI course are nominated by FBI employees,
former academy graduates, and community leaders,
then selected by the Special Agent in Charge.
A few graduates have even gone on to work
for the FBI themselves.
-We do have some great success stories.
It's not just a way for them to learn about the FBI,
but it's also a way for them to always be a part of it.
-I didn't want to do it initially,
and the reason is because I'm on the front lines,
actually working directly with survivors of human trafficking
on a regular basis,
and I don't have any time.
-That's Christine Gilge,
founder of the Christian nonprofit Compassion Washington,
and she's glad she fit the FBI Academy into her schedule.
-We are so excited that we have expanded the territory.
-She made a connection with an Academy classmate
who's now helping her organization
provide free health care,
and she wants people to know the federal agents she works with.
To fight human trafficking may not always make the headlines,
but they're getting the job done.
-There is hope out there.
So what the FBI, what the agents are doing
are making a huge, significant difference.
They need to hear these stories more.
-But there's a lot more to the story...
-Yes.
-...at the FBI Academy's graduation day.
[ Gunshots ]
-Target red balloon.
-Share one copies.
Red balloon.
-All right, control, countdown.
Five, four,
three...
-Graduates and their families
not only witness the deadly precision of FBI snipers.
[ Gunshot ]
They get hands-on experience
at the Bureau's gun range themselves.
Plus, there's an up-close look
at how the FBI gathers evidence.
-There's a guy at the FBI laboratory,
and his whole entire job is shoes...
-And how the Bureau operates its crowd control units
and bomb squads, too.
-The FBI says it's trying to be as open as possible
about its tactics and techniques,
not only as a way to help people connect with the agency,
but also as a way to help its agents...
to gain some new perspective
and hopefully learn some things in return.
-You're right-handed or left-handed?
-Right. -Okay.
-That's Josh Storm,
an administrative secretary for the State Patrol
who went through the FBI Academy...
-You're ready to go now.
[ Gunshots ]
-Oh!
-...which he thinks all officers could benefit from,
now more than ever.
-I think we live in a time
where people in law enforcement are under the microscope,
so letting the public in
and getting them more familiar with what we're doing
and how we're helping, and that part of it,
I think that's important for people to see.
-It's a challenge for law enforcement nationwide
that the special agent in charge
for the FBI's Seattle field office, Rick Collodi,
takes very seriously.
-We've all heard that trust is the hardest to build
and the easiest to lose.
-He says the academy is a core part
of the Bureau's purpose to respond not just to crime,
but to all the needs of the public it's trying to serve.
-The effort is to build trust through our actions
and through our mission,
and that our community can have confidence
that the FBI and FBI Seattle
are fulfilling that mission to our community.
-It's a mission these academy graduates
are taking aim at themselves,
teaming up with the FBI on a lesson we can all learn from.
-We're all living on the same planet.
We're all community.
You know, they want to do things for the community.
At the end, we're all here to make a better place.
♪♪
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or find us anytime online at SeattleChannel.org.
♪♪