Samone Brown
Special Agent
Atlanta Field Office
I was a police officer and had been working narcotics cases for approximately five years. I had also worked in an undercover capacity and knew that, while I was doing great work, I also wanted to work other violations. With the FBI being the premier law enforcement agency in the country, I was focused on getting there. I applied for the FBI and entered Quantico in 2015. After graduation, I was assigned to violent crimes for a year. I’m currently assigned to the public corruption squad and serve as the Civil Rights coordinator in Atlanta. This role is one of the most important and gratifying positions that I have ever held.
Who made a difference in your career? How?
The assistant special agent in charge of the Atlanta office has been an extraordinary mentor to me. She is also a black woman and a mother, so I turned to her on how to juggle being an agent and a mom. Her advice was to always take care of my family first, and she showed me how to do that through both her words and her actions. When my daughter was hospitalized, she showed up to support me—both as my supervisor and as someone who cared about me and my family. As I continue with my career, I hope to share with others what she has given to me.
Describe your most memorable case or investigative success.
I serve as the Civil Rights coordinator in Atlanta. We were recently able to successfully prosecute a case against a man who was calling people all over the country making violent threats and using racial slurs. He would repeat the person’s address to them and then say he planned to show up at their homes to hurt them or their family members.
For years, he threatened state legislators and police officers and business owners. Some people even had to move to end the harassment. You have a right to free speech in this country, but you do not have the right to threaten and terrorize people. It felt good to be able to identify the person responsible for these threats and bring him into court.
What does it mean to make room at the table? Why does it matter?
Diversity matters in organizations—especially in organizations like the FBI. Several years ago on a search in a crimes against children case, we needed the mother and child to leave the home so we could carry out the warrant. The mother was understandably distraught and unwilling to cooperate. I was able to recognize her fear and speak with her mother to mother. She needed to know that she would be given enough time to pack up what she needed for herself and her child. I was also able to explain to her what was going to happen next. By seeing the why behind her reaction, I was able to de-escalate a tense situation.
