Hollywood myths and FBI realities: A reporter's inside look at El Paso's Citizen's Academy
The FBI Citizens Academy is an inside look at the FBI through frank discussion and education in a six-week course. This is one of six columns which explores Las Cruces Sun-News reporter Lauren Elizabeth Shults' experience as a student in the program to be published in the upcoming Sunday editions.
Before he was named an FBI agent, El Paso's Supervisory Special Agent for the Strikeforce Squad was a college door-to-door salesman.
While walking away from a home where he failed to make a sale, FBI agents swarmed him, asking, "Did you see this man?" Glancing at the photo, he said he didn't, but he took the agents up on their offer of $1,200 to knock again and see if the person in the photo was, in fact, at the residence. He was.
That encounter changed the Strikeforce Squad leader's trajectory. He applied to the FBI, where he now investigates illegal racketeering by organized crime syndicates. Today, much of Strike Force's mission involves detecting and dismantling narcotics smuggling (vastly different from trafficking, an agent noted).
Just as the students attending the FBI Citizens Academy have diverse backgrounds — there are psychologists, real estate and water management executives, a physical therapist, and me, a reporter — FBI agents also come from all areas of knowledge. Each special agent surprised us by sharing their occupation prior to joining the Bureau. We met a CPA, a few with military or law enforcement backgrounds (to be expected) and even a high school teacher and football coach. Each stressed the importance of having everyday people in the FBI because they have to deal with (almost) everyday people.
"I love violent crime," an agent who works in the division said, and the room erupted with laughter. Dispelling the humor, he explained that he enjoys the fast pace of work and attention to detail the FBI requires. He went on to tell us of the gruesome torture and murder of a man who was trafficking drugs and how, using DNA from the victim's toothbrush and his mother, they were able to identify him.
Thursday's El Paso 2025 FBI Citizen's Academy class gave attendees a glimpse into some of the criminal branch divisions — violent crimes, human trafficking, civil rights and public corruption. Those listening to daring tales of chasing criminals and fighting crimes were tempted to fill out an application. Tapping my pen on the table, I considered the logistics of getting to Quantico (the FBI's central training facility in Virginia), imagined myself running drills and eventually flashing an FBI badge like those I glanced in the room full of agents.
The class explores crime and national security, starting with lessons in FBI history and culminating in hands-on simulations — nerve-wracking yet thrilling experiences. It's rare to glimpse the world of special agents, even in an abridged form. While Hollywood inspires many FBI applicants, agents note that Starling and Scully hardly reflect reality.
The first session ended with a dramatic SWAT simulation in which a team member burst into the room, waving a replica gun and shouting threats. Armed with red plastic firearms, students had to decide their next steps. What if the perpetrator aimed at them? Left the room to find others? Stayed silent or announced their intent to fire? "Should I shoot his leg," one psychologist asked, as students shouted commands like "don't move," and "drop your weapon," in their most resounding, most stern voices.
Throughout the course, agents stressed de-escalation and the importance of controlling active situations. One line stuck with me: "What you think doesn't matter. What you know doesn't matter. What you can prove — that's what matters."
Lauren Elizabeth Shults is the public safety reporter at the Las Cruces Sun-News. To reach her email lshults@lcsun-news.com or follow her on X at @laurenshults.
Editor's note: The Las Cruces Sun-News chose to withhold the names of the agents mentioned in this article, referring to them by title or role only, in order to preserve their security.
This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: A reporter's glimpse into El Paso's FBI Citizen's Academy
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