Latest news with #FBICitizensAcademy
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Yahoo
'Drop your weapon' FBI simulator demonstrates law enforcement decision-making scenarios
The FBI Citizens Academy is an inside look at the FBI through frank discussion and education in a six-week course. This is the fifth of six columns which explores Las Cruces Sun-News reporter Lauren Elizabeth Shults' experience as a student in the program. After reviewing cases and potential hostage and shooting situations in several of the 2025 FBI El Paso Citizen's Academy classes, the FBI special agents decided to send the students to the firearms training room. My more reserved classmates and I shuddered in unison, while the firearms enthusiasts among us seemed eager for the session. "The whole time, I'm thinking about where this person grew up and what their background is," a fellow student said to me as we waited for our turn to enter the simulation room. She said she'd be less focused on the situation at hand and more concerned with how the perpetrator got to the point that they're threatening her life or the lives of others. Agents told us, though, that we'd be faced with life-and-death scenarios. In the simulation room, a projection on a wall looked like a video game, and agents handed me a plastic, replica gun. The object of the simulation was to shoot the perpetrator before they used lethal force. Essentially, the goal was to stop whatever situation was about to occur. The agents gave me little instruction and left me to act on instinct. In the first simulation, a man was holding a person hostage with a gun in his hand, pointed at the victim's head. We were in a hallway, and I wondered if more people were around the corner. Were they escaping? The man yelled that he was going to shoot the person clutched in his arms and demanded that I not step any closer. "Who is this man, and why was he trying to assert power like that?" I asked myself. I let out a weak "don't shoot." With the plastic pistol in my hand, my eyes were wide, and I froze, thinking only of all the possible reasons that could have led to the situation. Immediately, I began to obey the perpetrator's direction and shifted my stance back, worried about what they'd do if I didn't. The man lunged toward me after no warning, and I pulled the trigger. The brevity of the situation urged prompt decision-making — a learned skill that requires near-constant training. At the moment, questions of your vitality and that of others arise. Not only do you question the lives of the victims, but also the perpetrators. The goal is never to kill anyone, agents repeatedly told the class throughout the prior five weeks. It is to stop a crisis. What constitutes a crisis where lethal force is acceptable is only in situations where there is a risk of death or serious physical injury, according to standards outlined in the 1989 case Graham v. Conner, which both the FBI and the Las Cruces Police Department (LCPD) abide by. Allegations that law enforcement escalates situations unnecessarily and uses deadly force are abundant without question. Officers must adhere to their department's policies when making split-second decisions regarding deadly force. It is for them to remove any social implications and make judgments impartially, considering "facts and circumstances confronting them," as the 1989 case reads. I looked back at the room of agents focused on me and asked, "how many of these do we have?" "One more," the agents said, laughing. It was clear to everyone in the room that I wasn't comfortable having a weapon in my hand, even though it was only an imitation. The agents instructed me to give commands in the following simulation: use de-escalation tactics. Law enforcement must attempt to gain voluntary compliance before escalating force to secure their safety and that of the public. Suddenly, I was seated in a diner booth, according to the screen. My arms were still raised in a shooting position. "Would you have your gun out like that in a restaurant," an agent asked me. I hesitated and lowered my firearm as I watched a man sit at the table across from me — who immediately seemed agitated. He began taunting me, asking if I had a problem with him. "No," my voice quivered. He stood and walked toward me, spitting threats. I had no control over the situation. "FBI, don't shoot," I repeated, words an agent muttered to me. "Hands in the air," and "drop your weapon," they said, and I recited. At that point, I began to raise the gun that my hands were still wrapped around. And just like that, the man shot me. The mere simulation left me shaken. Training like this gives further insight into what law enforcement officers endure. Still, no simulation can predict reality. Every officer-involved shooting and situation of imminent danger of death is a culmination of social challenges and deeply human emotions in one moment. To uphold justice, members of law enforcement must make objectively reasonable decisions, as stated in the policies they abide by. Lauren Elizabeth Shults is the public safety reporter at the Las Cruces Sun-News. To reach her emaillshults@ 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: Simulation training with the FBI
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Yahoo
FBI Citizens Academy graduates first Dothan class
DOTHAN, Ala. (WDHN) — An exciting day for 20 residents in the Wiregrass, as they graduated from Dothan's first-ever FBI Citizens Academy. The seven-week course was held at the Wiregrass Public Safety Center in Dothan. It showed the 20 residents the inner workings of the FBI, which included: history of the bureau, a look at old cases they have investigated in the past, a look at the types of cases they investigate, and a look into what goes into being in the FBI. FBI Citizens Academy classes are held across the country, but this was the first one to be held in Dothan, and following the ceremony, they were given a certificate. 'This is the first year that this can start some collaboration with the community,' Graduate and Dothan City Commissioner, Dr. Aristotle Kirkland said. 'It can get people more involved for the next class, the next year, the next time.' Graduates say it was once in a lifetime experience that gives them a higher appreciation for people in the bureau. 'I think it's going to make us appreciate and notice the things that go on,' Graduate and Chairman of the Dothan Police Foundation, Wayne Palmer said. 'Some of the stories they told us about some events and how they handled them, those things you don't forget.' Following the ceremony, the graduates got to watch a live SWAT team demonstration and practice shooting in the firing range at the public safety center. The FBI Citizens Academy will be held in Dothan around the same time next year, where this year's graduates will get to help recruit the next class. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Yahoo
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@ 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
