The FBI Is changing the way it looks from the inside out. The agency is beginning recruitment efforts, putting a major focus on being more inclusive. The group is holding a chance for applicants of all cultures, genders and backgrounds to get an inside look at the organization, in hopes to recruit a force that reflects the community it serves.
The FBI says it has room to grow, and it’s goal is to improve those numbers so it can better serve the community. Photographs of the Special Agents in Charge line the walls of the Albany FBI. All look the same throughout it’s history, except for one.
“There are still a lot of people that don’t understand that there are women in this organization. How that is possible, I don’t know,” says Albany’s Special Agent in Charge, Janeen DiGuiseppi. “But, the more and more we have women promoting up in this organization I think the more visible we are."
DiGuiseppi is the first woman special agent in charge in the Albany field office. It’s the highest ranking criminal investigator in each region
“I never thought I’d be a leader in this organization. I just wanted to work cases but being a special agent in charge is the pinnacle of your career as an agent and to be able to lead the men and women in our office is the greatest accomplishment I could’ve asked for.”
She’s forged her own path to get to this point, starting off with a career in the military, a deployment overseas with the FBI, and eventually taking a leadership role at Quantico training academy. But, even with this accomplished career, Janeen and other women special agents only make up less than a quarter of the force across the board.
“If you don’t reflect the communities you serve how can you really serve them the right way?” she questioned.
It’s a similar statistic for people of color in the organization, as well. The FBI says just over a quarter of it’s representation in the organization is people of color- and minority groups. Supervisory special agent Donald Chu says that representation is important on all levels.
“A witness may be uncomfortable speaking with someone that looks different than them speaks different than them,” explains Chu.
“If our communities don’t see that we reflect and are made up of individuals that look, sound or have the same background as They do, it’s a little harder to trust, especially when you look at what’s happening in this country,“ adds DiGuiseppi.
Chu says he grew up with a dream of working for the FBI, And now he hopes serve as an example for someone else.
“A significant part of our recruiting effort is to demystify the job of an FBI agent and to show some transparency into the hiring process, so that if there’s some out someone out there that has the qualifications and can meet the standard we want to tell them there’s jobs for you,” he said.
Breaking barriers and working towards reflecting the communities to better protect and serve.
“So having a diverse workforce whether it’s a diversity of thought your raise your ethnic background male-female you have to reflect our communities because that’s how you start to build trust in our communities,” added the special agent in charge.
This is an effort happening across the entire FBI organization. The recruitment event will give those who qualify a chance to meet and get an inside look at that process.Albany hasn’t held an event with this kind of access in years, since 2020.
To receive an invite to this event, you must meet their qualifications. Applications end on October 30th. For more information or for the application visit it’s website https://apply.fbijobs.gov and type in Albany DA