Volume 15
weapon , or driven a car at high speeds . But to ensure that agents can safely do their jobs , instructors must push every trainee to their limits “ When we first got into the tactical training scenarios , it was a steep learning curve ,” comments David , a new agent trainee .
“ You really get to see how difficult it is to learn the special agent tradecraft .”
August 2017 Edition
Academy that has not changed over the decades ,” says M . A . Myers of the Training Division .
“ The joke is that we have someone throw darts at a map and that ’ s how we pick where trainees go , but the reality is that we put people where they ’ re needed most .”
“ Wherever the agents and analysts end up — whether in sunny Miami or chilly Anchorage — it ’ s their job to convince their families that it ’ s the best place on earth .”
Fulfilling a Dream On a cold Friday afternoon behind the FBI Academy field house , new agent trainees are shivering in a single-file line waiting to get blasted in the face with oleoresin capsicum — a substance more commonly known as pepper spray .
When it ’ s Liz ’ s turn , she waits with her eyes closed before the instructor asks if she ’ s ready . There ’ s no count to three or warning noise .
New agents and intelligence analysts find out their first-office assignments on Orders Night , which occurs midway through their time at the FBI Academy .
Orders Night Orders Night — one of the most highly anticipated events of the FBI ’ s Basic Field Training Course — is when new agents and intelligence analysts find out where they ’ re going to start their careers .
Prior to the evening , students are asked to complete a “ wish list ” of field offices where they ’ d preferred to be assigned .
While some receive their top choices , others are sent to areas that are a complete surprise . There are no appeals .
Throughout the night , each trainee stands up in front of the class , opens their envelope , and shares the result .
Before doing so , they discuss their top selections . There is a lot of laughter — and nervous excitement .
“ Orders Night is a longstanding tradition at the
Before she knows it , her face is burning .
To pass this test , Liz has to open at least one eye , attack a punching bag , and defend herself from an assailant who ’ s trying to take her pistol out of its holster .
Amidst the chaos , Liz manages to subdue her subject , and the excruciating exercise is over .
It ’ s one of the final tests at the Academy . Up to this point , more than 800 hours have been spent in and out of classroom learning what it takes to become a special agent .
Trainees have worked together , studied together , and sweated together to complete one of the most challenging experiences of their lives . Now , it comes down to one last event : receiving their FBI badge and credentials on graduation day .
In one of their final tests before they graduate from the FBI Academy , new agent trainees are pepper sprayed to learn how to carry out their duties under a variety of challenging scenarios in the field .
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