LUBBOCK, Texas– The Federal Bureau of Investigation wants to know if you have what it takes to be a special agent. FBI agents will join the Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office, the Lubbock Police Department and the Texas Department of Public Safety at a recruiting event at Texas Tech.
“There’s television, and then there’s reality,” said Special Agent Patricia Ortiz. “It’s the same as TV or movies, except it doesn’t work quite as quickly. For example our investigations are long term. It could take a year or two. We don’t solve crimes in an hour. We make arrests, we do testify, but there is a lot of paperwork and going through evidence, so it’s not all glamorous.”
Agent Ortiz has been in the Bureau for 22 years working all kinds of cases, from white collar crime to intelligence cases.
She says they are hiring about 900 special agents this year to do the same.
“But on top of that we are also hiring about 1,600 professional staff,” Agent Ortiz said. “We’re talking about attorneys, accountant, engineers, nurses, but also mechanics, electrical technicians, a lot of different opportunities.”
The FBI requires a minimum of 2 years work experience and a bachelor’s degree to be considered for a special agent role. However, they are hiring recent college graduates for entry-level jobs and offering an Honors Internship Program.
“That gives full-time college students the opportunity to work with the FBI and see if it’s something they want to do,” Ortiz said.
Ortiz said they work closely with local law enforcement.
”If someone doesn’t meet the FBI criteria at this point in their career, we say we would love for them to get some law enforcement experience and come back.”
LSO Captain Kathleen Finley said they have similar opportunities for young people.
“Most people think you can’t get into law enforcement until you are a certain age: 21 for licensing requirements for officer positions. However, at 18 years old, we do hire clerks. That position is a wonderful position for someone coming out of high school,” Captain Finley said. “It allows them to learn a lot of foundational information.”
She said being weapon-certified is not a requirement for all positions because they offer most of that training.
Finley and Ortiz both encouraged women to consider a law enforcement career.
“Women are very good at investigations, looking at things analytically, breaking apart evidence,” Finley said. “Women are also very good at defusing situations.”
She added, “We are expected to do the same things. We are given the same training and the same opportunities.”
Anyone interested can come to the Student Union Building on 2625 15th Street on Wednesday, June 5, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
For more information on the recruiting event, CLICK HERE.
For more information on opportunities at the FBI, CLICK HERE.
For more information on opportunities at the Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office, CLICK HERE.