July 8, 2014

W. Jay Abbott Named Special Agent in Charge of Indianapolis Division

Director James B. Comey has named W. Jay Abbott special agent in charge of the FBI’s Indianapolis Division. Mr. Abbott most recently served as the acting special agent in charge of the Seattle Division.

Mr. Abbott began his career as a special agent with the FBI in 1987 at the Washington Field Office. While there, he worked a variety of foreign counterintelligence and international terrorism matters. He was also a part of the FBI’s first Cold Case Homicide Task Force, which partnered with the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, D.C., and he served as a member of the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team.

In 1997, Mr. Abbott was assigned to the Counterterrorism Division at FBI Headquarters as a supervisory special agent, where he worked international terrorism matters. That experience led to his appointment in 2000 as an assistant legal attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Paris. In that role, Mr. Abbott was responsible for liaising with French authorities regarding international terrorism matters.

Mr. Abbott transferred to the El Paso Division in 2005 to supervise the public corruption squad. Three years later, he was promoted to assistant special agent in charge over the division’s Criminal and Administrative Programs. While there, he received his FBI Intelligence Officer Certification and an inspector-in-place designation.

In March 2012, Mr. Abbott was appointed chief of the Global Operations Sections in the Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division. He was then selected to serve as acting deputy assistant director of the Information Services Branch of the division. At CJIS, he worked extensively to enhance the FBI’s ability to collect biometrics globally and share them with U.S. Intelligence Community partners. He also created and implemented the division’s Intelligence Program, including the CJIS Intelligence Group, and other units that work to promote public safety, improve law enforcement’s effectiveness, and prevent terrorism.

Mr. Abbott earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Pacific Lutheran University and a Judicial Doctorate at the University of Puget Sound School of Law.