Citizens' Academy Fact Sheet

FBI Citizens’ Academy: Portland Division

The Portland Division of the FBI offers two to three sessions of the Citizens’ Academy program each year. The Citizens’ Academy is designed to bring together business and community leaders and members of the media to learn about the FBI’s work in Oregon and around the world. Each session generally runs 5-6 evenings, one evening a week. During these classroom sessions, participants will hear from FBI employees about a variety of topics, including terrorism, counterintelligence/espionage, violent crimes, white-collar crimes, civil rights/hate crimes, cyber crimes, evidence response, and more. The class ends with a daytime session at our regional training facility where participants have a chance to experience some of the firearms training that our agents receive.

The number of slots for each class is limited by size and resources. For that reason, the application process is competitive, and applicants are asked to certify that they will attend all sessions. Most people who receive applications have been nominated either by a former graduate or by an FBI employee; however, citizens may nominate themselves. Successful applicants tend to be those who provide details on their business and/or community leadership positions; clear details on their references and contact information; and an explanation of how they will use the information they learn.