
Community Outreach
The FBI’s Community Outreach Program supports the Bureau’s investigative mission by working to address multiple interrelated societal problems—including crime, drugs, gangs, terrorism, and violence.
Linking community service, prevention, and law enforcement is a national trend spurred by grass roots efforts around the country, and FBI employees have joined this movement, volunteering in a wide variety of community-related efforts.
Outreach Specialist
Veronica Flores
(505) 889-1330 (desk)
(505) 464-0677 (cell)
AQ.Outreach@fbi.gov
Social Media Outreach
FBI Albuquerque (Facebook)
@FBIAlbuquerque (X)
@FBI.Albuquerque (Instagram)
Citizens Academy is an engaging six- to eight-week program (followed by a graduation ceremony) that gives business, religious, civic, and community leaders an inside look at the FBI. Classes meet in the evening at the Albuquerque FBI Field Office. The mission of Citizens Academy is to foster a greater understanding of the role of federal law enforcement in our community through discussion and education.
Candidates are nominated by FBI employees, former Citizens Academy graduates, and community leaders. Self-nominations are also accepted. Nominees are selected for the class by the special agent in charge of the Albuquerque Field Office.
To Apply
FBI Albuquerque is not accepting Citizens Academy nominations at this time.
Since 1990, the Director’s Community Leadership Awards has been the principal means for the FBI to publicly recognize achievements of individuals and organizations that make extraordinary contributions to education and the prevention of crime and violence in their communities. Each field office nominates an individual or organization for the award, and, once selected, the recipients are invited to a ceremony and reception at FBI Headquarters.

The FBI’s Teen Academy program in Albuquerque and Las Cruces allows high school students the opportunity to develop leadership skills and to investigate the world of law enforcement. Active explorations of fitness and forensic science grow students’ minds and bodies while age-appropriate lessons on topics such as violence prevention, sextortion, and hoax threats teach them how to stay safe. FBI staff, including special agents, intelligence analysts, and professional staff, lead discussions and interactive sessions focused on the work we do, how we do it, and, most importantly, why we choose this work in service of all Americans.
Any student with an interest in leadership and service is welcome to apply for this free opportunity. An interest in a law enforcement career is not a pre-requisite.
Requirements
Las Cruces: Students who will be rising juniors or seniors in the 2025/26 school year are eligible to apply.
Albuquerque: Students who will be in high school in the 2025/26 school year are eligible to apply.
Students who are 18 or older may be subject to a simple background check process, and they must provide their Social Security number for that purpose. Students 16 and older are also required to show Real ID-compliant photo identification when entering FBI space.
The selection process is competitive, and all students should give their best effort in completing this application. A selection committee will evaluate each application based on a review of the information provided, and no single element (GPA, school/community service, or essay) is disqualifying. Applications that are incomplete, illegible, or late will not be accepted.
Students are expected to advocate for themselves to throughout this process, including asking for further information about the program or the application process, if necessary. Students may request information by contacting aq.outreach@fbi.gov at any time.
2025 Teen Academy
There will be two separate Teen Academy programs held:
- Las Cruces: Monday, June 23 to Tuesday June 24, 2025 at the Las Cruces FBI Office located at 2509 N Telshor Blvd. The academy will run from 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m (each day)
- Albuquerque: Monday, July 7 to Friday, July 11, 2025, at the Albuquerque FBI Field Office located at 4200 Luecking Park Ave NE. The academy will run from 9:00 am – 1:00 pm (each day).
Apply
Students should submit either the Las Cruces application or the Albuquerque application by email no later than 5:00 p.m. on Friday, May 16, 2025. We will notify students of their application status by email no later than Friday, May 30th, 2025. Students selected to participate in the FBI Teen Academy will be given additional information about the program and will be required to confirm their acceptance into this program. If selected students do not respond to the acceptance email by the deadline given, the student’s application will be discontinued.
The Child ID app—the first mobile application created by the FBI—provides a convenient place to electronically store photos and vital information about your children on your smartphone (note: no information is stored or collected by the FBI). In the event your child goes missing, users can show the pictures and provide physical identifiers such as height and weight to security or police officers on the spot. Using a special tab on the app, users can also quickly and easily e-mail the information to authorities.
The app also includes tips on keeping children safe, as well as specific guidance on what to do in those first few crucial hours after a child goes missing.
The FBI, in partnership with the DEA, created a short documentary focusing on the crisis of prescription drug and opioid abuse. The film, Chasing the Dragon: The Life of an Opiate Addict, outlines the dangerous cycle of opioid and prescription drug abuse—how the problem starts, how the addiction takes hold, and how that addiction damages one’s life and body. High school students and all ages above are the target audience for this video and the curriculum/facilitated discussion that accompanies it.
FBI-SOS is a free, fun, and informative program that promotes cyber citizenship by educating students in third to eighth grades on the essentials of online security. For teachers, the site provides a ready-made curriculum that meets state and federal Internet safety mandates, complete with online testing and a national competition to encourage learning and participation. A secure online system enables teachers to register their schools, manage their classes, automatically grade their students’ exams, and request the test scores.
Anyone—young or old, in the U.S. or worldwide—can complete the activities on the FBI-SOS website. The testing and competition, however, are only open to students in grades 3-8 at public, private, or home schools in the U.S. or its territories.
