Today’s teens must learn to lead in a world often filled with divisiveness and distrust.

Fortunately, their energy and their passion for a better tomorrow can help create safer communities for all of us.

The FBI’s field office in Buffalo, New York, worked with a special cadre of students to do just that. In August, FBI employees teamed up with the National Federation for Just Communities of Western New York to guide 25 high school students in the “Agents of Change” leadership camp. Over the course of a week, the camp engaged kids in team-building sessions while developing leadership skills; increased awareness of diversity and inclusion initiatives; and worked on finding trust through transparency. The goal: to empower the students to affect meaningful and lasting change in the world around them.

FBI Buffalo – one of two law enforcement agencies involved – worked with the teens to develop skills of both mind and body. After talking through how FBI special agents can become “agents of change” in our shared communities, the students tested themselves with portions of the FBI’s fitness challenge. They also explored the world of STEM careers with a deep dive into forensic science by creating cast impressions of their shoes in the sand and investigating a mock crime scene.

Preparing teens to be leaders among their peers – and into the future – requires all of us to work together. In this case, FBI Buffalo partnered with the local NFJC President, Rene Petties-Jones, who is an FBI Citizens Academy graduate and a member of the FBI Buffalo Community Engagement Council. The event itself was hosted at an inclusive summer camp, Cradle Beach, where the CEO is also a Citizens Academy graduate.

"Our community partnership with our local FBI has been invaluable. Because of our great working relationship, we were able to create this unique opportunity for our area youth. Students from rural, urban, and suburban regions representing over 15 different school districts now know so much more about what the FBI does in support of our area.  As a result of this very unique and interactive experience, some of the students are considering a career in law enforcement. We're truly building community with this Agents of Change Camp one student at a time, and we can't thank our FBI enough for being such an important partner in this work!" said Rene Petties-Jones, President of the NFJC of Western New York.

The FBI knows that connecting with kids today will allow us to plant the seeds of success for tomorrow. We are grateful to be given this opportunity, and we look forward to many more such opportunities in the future!

For more information about the FBI’s Community Outreach work, go to FBI.gov/Outreach.

New Delhi's New ALAT Takes on Illegal Call Centers

George’s was the first case Curran worked as a permanent ALAT, and it offered a way to assess the progress she’d made over the course of her TDY, building relationships with India’s law enforcement. Curran took the evidence package she received from the Washington Field Office, which included the IP address and interviews of George’s wife and daughters, to her contacts at the Kolkata Police Department. What she showed them immediately resonated.

“It had a huge impact because it’s upsetting,” Curran said. “Indian citizens sitting in their backyard have forced a 91-year-old to commit suicide.”

Kolkata Police took the IP address and identified and arrested the subject and his two associates within a month. The police are continuing the investigation and have recently added an additional charge — abatement to suicide.

“This story has an impact on us on a very basic human level,” Curran said. “But also, the police here understand the impact it’s having all over the world.”

That understanding is largely the result of Curran’s hard work. Every relationship needs reciprocity; Curran’s approach is to show Indian law enforcement that “we’re in it every step of the way,” she said, and that means working other cases they may need help with, like crimes against children or kidnappings.

The FBI, for example, recently helped the CBI catch its number-one fugitive. “We’re helping them in their priority investigations — building camaraderie and rapport, and then we can move forward on other cases together,” Curran said.

Curran’s partnership efforts have paid off on bigger elder fraud cases, too. A recent FBI Newark investigation revealed 20,000 victims and a loss of about $10 million. Legat New Delhi secured the cooperation of Indian law enforcement, which arrested several subjects. The New Delhi team includes Curran, Daud and Dawn Rizzo — an intelligence ALAT whose role is also part of the Legat’s expansion. They travel all over India to liaise with local partners and remind them that the FBI is in country, ready to share expertise and resources.

Curran’s background is a crucial ingredient. She was born and raised in California and is fluent in Punjabi, one of the 398 languages spoken in India; her parents and grandparents immigrated to the United States in the 1970s. Working in India has given Curran a chance to reconnect with her roots and to use her background as a professional strength.

“When we meet with our partners, it’s this connection that I have,” she said.

She appreciates the culture of India, too. “The people here are so amazing,” she said. “You will see the poorest of the poor, and they’re just content with what they have, and it puts things into perspective, because we always want more.”

Curran’s successes didn’t happen overnight, however. Every state in India is different in terms of what’s needed to initiate, build and prosecute a case. Extradition and arrest requirements can also differ among jurisdictions.

“The policing can be frustrating,” Curran said. “We don’t get instant results here. You just have to adapt and work with what you have.” She credits her ability to persevere to her previous undercover work and her family’s encouragement to constantly venture outside her comfort zone. A logistical challenge is that victim identification and evidence gathering must all take place stateside, where the victims reside. It’s part of the distance issue.

“We’re not operating in our own backyard,” said Curran. “So, what may be a priority for us isn’t necessarily a priority for Indian police.”

The Legat New Delhi team must also keep agents engaged stateside. “This is a big deal for us, but it may not be the biggest deal to everybody else,” said Daud. “We have to keep everyone involved and update the agents so they’ll know what’s going on — that’s why we need the sweat equity involved, we need boots on the ground.”

With Curran’s arrival, more and more agents are sending leads to New Delhi, leading to more raids of fraudulent call centers and more chances for victims to have their day in court. “I give a lot of credit to the agents in the field who are going out and talking to these victims,” Curran said. “They’re able to provide confidence, [and] let them know we have someone in India who can help get the criminals arrested and prosecuted.”

Everyone at WFO and the IC3 shares Curran’s passion for getting justice for victims. While gathering materials in support of George’s case, Miller was with George’s wife and daughters during video teleconferences in which they testified before the Indian magistrate judge. He became a trusted sounding board for the family, and he reassured them — and even moved furniture for a film crew — during the filming of an upcoming Amazon Prime documentary.

“I wasn’t going to let anyone around the family whom they didn’t trust,” Miller said. “I’m very connected to these people.” “[Miller] wants to do every interview,” Gallagher said. “He would if he could — his heart is big enough, but his time is not.”

To make it manageable, Gallagher gives work to probationary agents looking to get interviewing experience. For Gallagher and his team, Curran’s presence has been game changing. “If your investigation touches India, you now have an advocate there who can make a much more meaningful change,” he said. “If [Curran] says she’s going to do it, she’s going to do it.”

SSA Rebecca Keithley is assigned to CID’s Economic Crimes Unit and is the FBI coordinator for the DOJ’s Elder Justice Initiative. In February 2019, the Department announced that combating transnational elder fraud would be one of its top priorities. Keithley supports Curran’s work, and all the FBI’s efforts under the initiative.

“These scammers are fleecing our older adults out of hundreds of millions of dollars,” she said. “It’s obvious to me that creating [Curran’s] position was the right move.

With Legat New Delhi, WFO and IC3, we have the perfect team in place.”