Recently UNM Career Services toured the FBI Headquarters in Albuquerque. The building is non-descript – many people fail to notice it sitting to the east of I-25, just south of the Montaño exit, yet it houses some of the most interesting law enforcement cases and people in the state.
If you are a fan of movies or television crime dramas, chances are you have seen a show where the FBI comes swooping in, guns blazing and exercising total authority. The reality is a little less dramatic but none the less interesting. The FBI is involved in a wide variety of areas that include public corruption, computer forensics, evidence recovery and processing, hazardous material screening, victim assistance, missing persons, civil rights violations, white collar crime, violent crime, and preventing terrorist attacks on US soil. While on the tour, we got to visit the armory and learn about the FBI’s history from their head firearm trainer. The weapons the FBI uses has evolved with the needs of the agents in order to keep pace with weapons available to the public. We also visited the evidence room and learned about chain of custody, a crucial step in getting convictable evidence. We then saw the motor pool and met with the head of the FBI SWAT team and Forensics Gathering Unit.
Each person we spoke with gave wonderful insight into their jobs – what they liked and what drew them to the FBI in the first place. And while each person seemed genuinely pleased with their roles and duties, there was also a heavy feeling when hearing about some instances of their work. One of the agents we met with stated that the FBI is there to deal with the worst of the worst. These were the hard cases that involved children, ultra-violent offenders, and serial killers. Listening to the agents speak about the hard cases gave me a new insight into what the FBI does – it was difficult for coworkers and I to listen to some of the stories. Sometimes the agents have to deal with humanity at its worst. But in being willing to engage in this, we got to see people who genuinely wanted to help and were willing to confront instances that many people would shy away from. A career with the FBI may not be for everyone. But for those who are interested, the FBI offers many different opportunities in an ever changing field. For more information about the FBI, stop by our office and visit with one of our Career Development Facilitators.
Marty Apodaca, LMHC, NCC, GCDF
Career Development Facilitator 2
UNM Career Blog 