Special Agents have many different responsibilities, including community outreach, investigation, and continuous training. For example, Agents spend large parts of their days outside the office, “in the field,” working on cases. However, Agents may also spend an entire day in the office completing paperwork related to investigations. These varied tasks usually mean that a day in the life of a Special Agent will differ from the one before!
Join us to learn what one particular day in the life of an Agent in Washington, D.C., may be...
The Day Starts at 7:00 a.m. ...
Special Agent Sydney Becker (fictional name) explains a day in the life of an Agent...
An Agent’s day begins early. Today, I woke up to begin firearms training at 7:00 a.m. Assigned to the Washington Field Office, Agents may practice at an indoor range at FBI Headquarters or at an outdoor range at the FBI Training Academy in Quantico, Virginia. Training is an ongoing process for Special Agents in order to maintain their law enforcement skills at FBI Headquarters. Today, while training outdoors, I joined other Agents to practice firing at moving targets and targets that were at close range. We need to be prepared for any situation that may develop during an arrest. After firearms training I cleaned my weapon.
I received a call over my radio...
While cleaning my weapon, I received a call over my radio about a bank robbery suspect being located. Since I had already helped in the beginning of this investigation, I left to meet other agents. Meanwhile, these other agents were also contacted to meet at a location near the suspect’s hideout. Here, we were briefed on the situation, looked at a map, and determined who would do what during the arrest.
Conditions were right for an arrest...
Having determined that conditions were right for an arrest—keeping in mind the safety of the public as well as the Agents—Agents moved in to arrest the suspect of the bank robbery. Agents drove close to the scene and safely approached the trailer where the suspect had been hiding. I remained closed behind with other Agents to cover those Agents making the arrest. The suspect was taken into custody without incident.
I returned home to rest before another day...
The suspect was brought back to the Washington Field Office for processing, which included completing the necessary paperwork. After a busy day of training, investigating, and paperwork, I returned home to rest before another day in the life of an Agent.