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
Jessica Lynn Franklin
jlfranklin2@fbi.govSocial Media Outreach
Community Relations (Facebook)
@FBILittleRock (Twitter)
@FBI (Instagram)
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.
To Apply:
We are now accepting applications for the 2025 Little Rock Citizens Academy Program.
- Location: Little Rock, AR
- Dates and Times: Tuesday April 1, April 8, April 15, April 22, April 29, May 6, and Graduation/Range Day will be Saturday, May 10.
To apply or learn more, please email LRCommunityoutreach@fbi.gov.
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.
Congratulations to our 2023 DCLA Recipient, Dr. Mehmet Ulupinar. Press release
The FBI Little Rock Field Office is pleased to welcome your college students to our FBI Collegiate Academy for the 2024-2025 school year.
This program provides students with an inside look at the FBI. Through presentations, demonstrations, and discussions, students will learn about the FBI’s investigative programs, evidence collection, and the role of the special weapons and tactical teams. Students will also have an opportunity to explore internship and career opportunities and develop real-world resume and interview skills.
The FBI Collegiate Academy is not exclusive to students interested in or studying criminal justice. Due to the vast diversity in our workforce, any student with an interest in the FBI, what we do, and how the FBI addresses the concerns of the community is encouraged to apply.
Event Details
- Date: Thursday, September 12, 2024
- Time: 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
- Location: Arkansas Baptist College, 1600 Doctor M.L.K Jr Dr., Little Rock, AR 72202
- Additional Details: Punctuality, professional behavior, and appropriate dress will be required of all students attending this program.
Minimal Requirements
- Be a U.S. citizen.
- Attend a college or university full time as an undergraduate (sophomore, junior or senior), graduate or post-doctoral student or a recent graduate (within the last 2 years).
- Have a 3.0 cumulative grade point average (GPA) or better at the time of application.
- Consent and pass a limited FBI background screening.
- Be in good standing with the college or university.
To Apply
Submit an application and your resume (to include your GPA) to LRCommunityOutreach@fbi.gov no later than Friday, September 6, 2024. Questions? Please email LRCommunityOutreach@fbi.gov.
Future Agents in Training
Our Future Agents in Training program allows students an opportunity to get a comprehensive look into today’s FBI.
Students are provided with several presentations on topics, including terrorism, cybercrime, public corruption, evidence response, SWAT, and the day-to-day operations of a typical FBI office. Students also learn from special agents, intelligence analysts, and professional staff about investigative tactics that include gathering evidence, interviewing witnesses, and assisting with cases. Additionally, students will learn about future career opportunities.
To Apply
FBI Little Rock is currently accepting applications for its spring 2025 Future Agents in Training program. The program will welcome high school students between the ages of 15 and 18 to join us on Friday, March 7, March 14, and March 21 in Fayetteville, AR.
Email your applications to LRCommunityOutreach@fbi.gov by February 7, 2025.
Teen Academy
Our Teen Academy program allows students an opportunity to get a comprehensive look into today’s FBI.
Students are provided with several presentations on topics, including terrorism, cybercrime, public corruption, evidence response, SWAT, and the day-to-day operations of a typical FBI office. Students also learn from special agents, intelligence analysts, and professional staff about investigative tactics that include gathering evidence, interviewing witnesses, and assisting with cases. Additionally, students will learn about future career opportunities.
To Apply
FBI Little Rock is currently accepting applications for its spring 2025 Teen Academy program. The program will welcome high school students between the ages of 15 and 18 to join us on Friday, April 4, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Little Rock Field Office.
Email your applications to LRCommunityOutreach@fbi.gov by March 7, 2025.
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.
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.
The Community Awareness Presentation (CAP) is a shorter, more focused version of the FBI Citizens Academy program and is conducted in partnership with a specific community group, generally at an offsite location. The program is designed to build trust and strengthen relationships between the FBI and the communities we serve.
Community groups are encouraged to identify topics that are of concern or relevant to their group or organization for the FBI to discuss. Classes are taught by FBI subject matter experts. Generally the participants are selected by members of their organizations or community and there is no restriction on audience size.
To request a presentation, please contact the FBI Little Rock Field Office at 501-221-9100.
