addeCommunity Outreach 

The 2018 Orlando Citizens Academy class participated in Range Day at the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office Practical Training Site. The class received an opportunity to see first-hand the training special agents conduct to serve and protect their communities. Civic and business leaders in the class received a hands-on look into FBI Tampa's SWAT, Bomb Tech, and HAZMAT programs.

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 Specialists

Mary Abouljoud | Will Council

For information regarding FBI Detroit's outreach and community events, including speaker requests:

Social Media Outreach

Detroit Field Office Facebook
@FBIDetroit (Twitter)
@FBI (Instagram)

Citizens Academy 

The Citizens Academy is an engaging six-to-eight-week program that gives business, religious, civic, and community leaders an inside look at the FBI. Classes meet in the evening at the FBI field office. The mission of the FBI Citizens Academy is to foster a greater understanding of the role of federal law enforcement in the community through frank discussion and education.

Candidates are nominated by FBI employees, former Citizens Academy graduates, and community leaders. Participants are selected by the special agent in charge of the local FBI field office.

Director's Community Leadership Award 

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.

Teen Academy 

A member of the FBI Las Vegas Evidence Response Team instructs participants in the 2014 Teen Academy on evidence collection techniques.
The FBI Detroit Teen Academy program allows students ages 13-18 a unique opportunity for students considering a career in law enforcement to gain insights on FBI careers, FBI hiring requirements, the FBI honors internship program, and the FBI collegiate hiring initiative. Student participants will have direct interaction with FBI special agents, intelligence analysts, and professional support staff throughout the program.

To Apply

The Detroit Field Office is now accepting applications for its 2024 Teen Academy Program. The program will be hosted on Thursday, July 25, 2024 from 8:00-4:30, and will be held at 477 Michigan Avenue, Detroit, MI 48226.

Applications will be accepted by students ages 13-18 who live in Michigan. Students are required to digitally submit a PDF application packet that includes the required signatures and completion of the Teen Academy Application, Consent to Photograph, a recent copy of school transcripts and the required application essay. The Teen Academy Program is competitive; acceptance is not guaranteed.  

The completed application, supporting essay, consent to photograph, and recent school transcripts must be received by email (PDF format only) or mail by June 7, 2024. Hand delivered applications will not be accepted because of security policies. Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted.  

Questions regarding the FBI Teen Academy or the application process can be directed to mjabouljoud@fbi.gov.

Junior Special Agents  

The Junior Special Agent Program aims to provide elementary school students the information, skills, and discipline necessary to stay away from gangs, drugs, and crime. Students also take a course in civics and learn about the FBI and the ways in which law enforcement helps to serve and protect their communities.

Child ID App 

Transcript / Visit Video Source

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.

Chasing the Dragon 

Transcript / Visit Video Source

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 

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.

Think Before You Post 

Informational graphic depicting a cell phone texting conversation that states the fact that making hoax threats against schools and other public places is a serious federal crime.

The FBI has an awareness campaign to educate the public about the consequences of making hoax threats of violence to schools, events, and other public places. The Think Before You Post campaign serves to remind everyone that any threat is taken with the utmost seriousness and will be quickly and thoroughly addressed by law enforcement. Hoax threats are not a joke; they are a crime.

In the aftermath of tragic shootings like the ones at Santa Fe High School in Texas and Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, the FBI and law enforcement agencies around the country often see an increase in threats made to schools, events, and other public buildings. Issuing a threat—even over social media, via text message, or through email—is a federal crime (threatening interstate communications). Those who post or send these threats can receive up to five years in federal prison, or they can face state or local charges.

Community Engagement Council 

The Community Engagement Council (CEC) is composed of community ethnic, religious, and minority leaders who help the FBI better understand the cultures and committees they represent. The mission of the CEC is to provide a trusting environment that allows council members to discuss issues and concerns within their communities and collaborate with the FBI to identify solutions. The CEC helps build strong relationships between communities and the Bureau.

BRIDGES

Building Respect in Diverse Groups to Enhance Sensitivity (BRIDGES) brings together members of diverse communities and state, local, and federal law enforcement agencies to discuss issues and concerns within their communities.

Speaker Requests 

The Detroit FBI offers public speakers on a limited basis on a variety of topics pertaining to the Bureau’s investigative mission. All requests for speakers must be submitted online a minimum six weeks prior to your presentation date. Requests are subject to availability.