December 1, 2023 • 20 mins
Today's show: Welcoming FBI El Paso Special Agent in Charge, John S. Morales Welcome to "First Fridays with the FBI," the show that offers a community approach to every day citizen and law enforcement interaction.
In this episode, we hear from New Special Agent in Charge of the El Paso Field Office of the FBI, John Morales. In 2022, Mr. Morales was promoted to deputy assistant director of the Weapons of Mass Destruction Directorate. In this role he oversaw FBI Weapons of Mass Destruction related investigations, intelligence, and preventative countermeasures. Mr. Morales earned bachelor’s degrees in bio-medical science and microbiology, as well as master’s degrees in finance, accounting, and industrial management from the Inter-American University of Puerto Rico.
Stay tuned to "First Fridays with the FBI" to stay informed and vigilant.
Subscribe now and join us.
First Fridays with the FBI is a TV program and podcast founded by El Paso citizens encouraging situational awareness to assist the public with being aware about preventing acts of domestic and international violence. Highlighting the need for citizens to remain vigilant while encouraging communities to be advocates in the effort to prevent crime and violence, the goal is to encourage listeners to consider careers in law enforcement and share vital information with family, friends, and the community.
Disclaimer: This podcast/show is not endorsed by the FBI or any governmental entity. It was created and founded by a non-law enforcement citizen for the community, to support the efforts of the nation's leading law enforcement agency to educate the community on how to prevent and report crimes. . Follow on social media @FirstFridaysFBI and @MidlifeMocha
In this episode, we hear from New Special Agent in Charge of the El Paso Field Office of the FBI, John Morales. In 2022, Mr. Morales was promoted to deputy assistant director of the Weapons of Mass Destruction Directorate. In this role he oversaw FBI Weapons of Mass Destruction related investigations, intelligence, and preventative countermeasures. Mr. Morales earned bachelor’s degrees in bio-medical science and microbiology, as well as master’s degrees in finance, accounting, and industrial management from the Inter-American University of Puerto Rico.
Stay tuned to "First Fridays with the FBI" to stay informed and vigilant.
Subscribe now and join us.
First Fridays with the FBI is a TV program and podcast founded by El Paso citizens encouraging situational awareness to assist the public with being aware about preventing acts of domestic and international violence. Highlighting the need for citizens to remain vigilant while encouraging communities to be advocates in the effort to prevent crime and violence, the goal is to encourage listeners to consider careers in law enforcement and share vital information with family, friends, and the community.
Disclaimer: This podcast/show is not endorsed by the FBI or any governmental entity. It was created and founded by a non-law enforcement citizen for the community, to support the efforts of the nation's leading law enforcement agency to educate the community on how to prevent and report crimes. . Follow on social media @FirstFridaysFBI and @MidlifeMocha
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Welcome to First Writings with the FBI, the show that offers a community approach
to everyday citizen and law enforcement interaction. In this episode, we hear from
new Special Agent in Charge of theApasto Field Office of the FBI. It's
welcome. Special Agent in Charge JohnMorales tell us about your experience in the
(00:20):
FBI and what was a big caseor project you worked on. Thank you
very much, so the FBI.Have been in the FBI for about twenty
years, a little over twenty years, and during this time, I worked
in a number of different places,a number of different offices, and I've
had the opportunity to also work iwould say, almost every threat and program
(00:42):
that we have. That being said, when you ask about a big case,
every case that we have we treatedas it's the biggest case. And
that's something that it's ingrained into usfrom the academy because regardless of the tarry
amount, or regardless of the numberof defendents or the size of the scope
(01:03):
of what we're working, every casethat we work, I'm going to treat
it like it's the biggest case inthe bureau. And the amount of investigative
rigor and the effort that we putin for it is the same across the
board. And I would tell youany agent that you ask tell me about
your case, he's going to tellyou it's the biggest case there is in
the bureau right now. That beingsaid, there are cases that stand out
(01:26):
from others because of the impact thatthey have and what they do. And
one of them, for example,that I can tell you that I had
the opportunity to work on and involveda child predator and in this case,
we were the day that we weregoing to affect the arrest on this individual.
We were able to stop him fromgoing out and actually engaging another miner,
(01:49):
which he was preparing to do aswe entered and arrested him. This
individual was able to get to thisminer and coerce them through use of social
media. And have we not beenable to get him at the time that
we did, he was actually physicallygoing to meet up with this person and
that probably would have turned into anothervictim unfortunately. So being able to do
(02:13):
that and being able to have thatimpact on that family and also provide closure
because it turns out that after thearrest was gone was undertaken, we were
able to determine that this individual waslinked to several other missing minors and give
closure to those families. I thinkthat's one of the biggest cases and biggest
(02:35):
impacts that I've had in terms ofthe impact it had on our community at
the time. Well, I definitelylike what you mentioned about the cases and
not how one case is no differentthan the next, but not necessarily saying
that one case or other cases aremore important than the other, but definitely
(02:58):
the cases regarding children. It touchesthe heart of all of us, especially
because their children, and we're helpingwith programs like this and you sharing information
that that will help parents learn howto also protect children too. Absolutely,
(03:19):
and this is one of those casesthat highlights just how important it is for
parents to be involved, very involvedin what their children are seeing and what
their children are doing and who they'reengaging with. We used to be concerned
about children who they're going to meetor run into when they walk out the
door. Now you have to becareful about who they're engaging with or who
(03:39):
they're meeting when they're sitting next toyou and they're online. So parents involvement
and children and their use of socialmedia is extremely important and it's the reason
why we try to provide as muchinformation and as much an instruction as possible
as to the safe use. Andwe have programs in place that we're able
(03:59):
to invite children and parents to participateonline regarding the use and the safe use
of social media. And for youparents who are listening, the FBI l
Paso Field Office is always available tospeak to groups about the best way to
keep our children safe. So absolutelywe have a strong program where we are
(04:21):
more than happy to engage where we'reneeded and where they want us to be
because I think involving our community iskey to keeping our children safe and it's
something we need to do together tobe successful. Right. So you know
here on the border we have adiverse cultural landscape. Can you speak firsthand
about diversity within the FBI and howhas the bureau improved in diversity over your
(04:46):
twenty year career, Like, haveyou ever experienced any difficulties being of Latino
descent in the FBI. So interms of the experiencing any type of difficulty,
I have to say no, Ihaven't. I think in any case
being Puerto Rican has actually helped meand has opened up opportunities for me,
which I think otherwise I might nothave been able to participate in whether it's
(05:11):
through cultural knowledge or just the language. And also it's helped me a lot
in my engagement with the community,being able to go out outreach and let's
just say that I might not havebeen able to reach the number of folks
that I was able to when Iwas working cases and in the way that
(05:32):
I did, and it not beenbecause of my Spanish heritage. So I
think it's actually helped me in anenhancement to what I do. In terms
of diversity in the bureau, diversityis one of the core values of the
FBI. Differences in thought, belief, race, and religion, and orientation
and ability. That's what makes theBureau strong. So it gives us the
(05:54):
ability to engage with our community,connect and maintain the trust of those we
serve. The American people depend largelyon the fact that we have the ability
to represent and reflect our community's varietyof cultures and values. And that's paramount
is. We can't do our jobwithout the community. And in order for
(06:14):
us to have the community's trust andto have them believe in what we do,
we need to be able to representthem well. And here in the
bureau, I have seen changes throughoutmy twenty years, and I've seen how
diversity has grown. One of thethings that I was talking about recently is
how when you look at the landscapeof FBI leadership, how it's changed,
(06:38):
and how when we sit at thetable now you see a good mix of
different races, different colors, differentgenders, different cultures, which is key
and thus when it comes to makingdecisions that benefit our community. Currently,
the FBI has thirteen thousand, ninehundred agents approximately, and approximately nineteen percent
(06:58):
of them identify a minority. Theethnic and racial makeup of special Agent applicants
has been the most diverse in thepast three years. So this year,
forty seven percent of special Agent applicantsidentify themselves as minorities. And here in
the passes specifically, forty four percentof our agent population is identified as minority
(07:20):
and the applicants two hundred and thirtythree of sixty five also identify as minority
applicants. So those numbers demonstrate agreat improvement, and it's it's a result
of the effort that we have inraising awareness and cultural background racial backgrounds.
We have programs such as cross culturalmentoring. We have specific recruiting events and
(07:45):
we do specific outreach to target differentcultures, different races to provide them with
the opportunities to apply, to learnabout and to become a part of the
FBI family. And I think themost important thing is that we have made
advances, we have gotten better,but when it comes to diversity, it's
never enough. And I think thisis something that we will continue to work
(08:07):
on and develop. And I expectto continue engaging and trying to provide as
much opportunity for our community to comeand understand what we do, not just
the what, but the how andthe why and work with us and be
an integral part of what we do. I mean, that's the culture that
we have here. We are strongbecause we're different, all right. I
(08:31):
like that we're strong because we're different. And speaking of giving the significant role
of initiatives like the Black Leaders Roundtablein creating and encouraging relationships between law enforcement
and the community in this region,can you share some of your plans for
continuing the efforts to maintain the FBI'srelationship well strong relationship, trust and cooperation
(08:56):
within our diverse communities here. Absolutely, and one of the things I want
to hidelight is that I plan oncontinuing on growing and participating with the plans
that our predecessors have had. Iknow that there have been community events that
have been put in place, andon top of that, I plan to
grow them. And by that Imean I want to share until it hurts,
(09:20):
and I want the community to feelthat the FBI is not just here,
but is a part of them andis integrated with them. One specific
area that I'm very interested in developingand growing is the outreach to at risk
youth. I think that that iskey in order to be able to safeguard
(09:43):
our future. I mean that iswhere our future is, and I want
to be able to share my experiencewith our teens, with our young adults
so that they understand that where youare and where you go that's a choice
that you make and just because youwere born into a certain environment doesn't mean
that you have to stay there.And there's no limit to what you can
(10:03):
accomplish if you put your mind to, because it's all about making the right
choices. So I'm very interested indeveloping the school outreach. I'm interested in
developing team internships and opportunities for themto come and be a part of us
and learn about us. And I'malso interested in a teen academy, which
is an opportunity for them to comein and learn it and hands on of
what we do, learn about theprogram, learn about the opportunities. The
(10:26):
FBI is so diverse in what itdoes that there is an opportunity for everyone
and anyone to be here. Folksthink about the FBI, and sometimes all
they think about is the agent sideof the house, but they don't understand
that the agents are the ones workingthe case and affecting that. But the
only reason we're able to do whatwe do is because we have a whole
(10:46):
group that stands behind us, helpingus, supporting us, and a lot
of times driving the intelligence that we'reable to use to move our cases forward.
And each one of them has theirstrengths, and each one of them
has a job in a role.And believe me, if you were to
look at the opportunities in the FBI, there is a job for everyone and
(11:09):
anybody who's willing to come in andserve our community. I love that working
with the youth and for the parentswho are listening, like you just heard
them say, some may not beinterested in being an agent, but there
are other areas within the FBI whereyou may be interested. So I'm looking
forward to that, to more engagementwith the youth and especially in law enforcement,
(11:31):
specifically with the FBI. And ifI can give you just a quick
snapshot, we have everything from pilotsto mechanics, to computer specialists to we
have doctors as well. We havenurses, we have intelligence analysts, photographers,
(11:52):
we have media personnel across the board. So when I tell you that
there, if you have an interestin an ability and a design, there
is a job for you here inthe FBI. Right. Wow, that's
great. And I think leading inor segueing into what I wanted to you
know, ask about the media.The media plays a big part in getting
(12:13):
that type of information out too.So how can members of the media and
other outlets like podcasters and shows likeours, you know provided by civilians here,
because we have to remind people thatFirst Fridays with the FBI and our
pastor is not produced by FBI olPastor. This is actually from US civilians
(12:33):
who just wanted to share information.But how can members of the media and
podcasters and others in the community assistwith your vision. That's a great that's
a great question, and thank youfor getting the opportunity, because I think
the the best way is by helpingus reach the community with truths and facts
(12:56):
and avoiding rumors and conjecture. Andthat is key right there. If you
have questions, if you have doubtsthat the community reaches out and they want
to know something or need clarification,come to us directly. And as I
said before, I want to shareuntil it hurts, and I mean it
when I say that, because Iunderstand that the problem is not in giving
(13:20):
too much information, is when youcreate a vacuum by not providing enough.
That's the and I think that's thebiggest help that you can provide to us
in the media is helping us getthat message out and providing a forum so
that the community can reach us andwe can't talk to them. And with
that being said, I also wouldlike for our community to understand that there
(13:41):
will be times where I won't beable to provide all the details that they
may want on X investigation or Xsituation or circumstances going on. But however,
even during those times, I'm goingto make sure I work with my
team to provide as much information aspossible at that moment, and then provide
follow up so that we're able toavoid having the rumors take over or to
(14:05):
avoid folks coming to their own conclusionsthat may or may not be accurate and
when they do that. So thebest way to the best way that to
help is to be open to helpus reach our public and to also be
a venue through which the public isable to reach us with questions or concerns
(14:26):
they may have. Right, thankyou for sharing that, and thank you
for letting some of our viewers knowbecause I do ask the questions that some
people ask me to ask you all, and of course, because I might
be a little nosy, I knoweverything, but you can't share everything,
so you hear it from him yourself. They can't tell me everything that we
will that we think we need toknow. So can you share an instance
(14:50):
from your career where community engagement effortsdirectly contributed to solving a case or diffusing
a potentially volatile situation. Well,absolutely so, I would have to say
I think most of the cases thatI've worked have been successful because of the
community's involvement, and I think that'ssomething that maybe the community is not aware
(15:13):
of. Is that a lot ofthe investigations, I could say almost most
of the investigations that we take onstart off with information from the community either
coming to us in any number ofways that it made. But I can
tell you specifically of one case whereit also had to do with a child
(15:33):
with a minor and which we wereable to locate them because of community engagement
and folks that were able to reachus, come to us and provide us
location whereabouts, identification, vehicle numbers, and till the point we were able
to reach the child, find themand take them out of the situation that
(15:54):
they were in, specifically because ofcommunity engagement, and that was key because
that was one of those times wherehad it not been because of the assistance
of community provided, that would havetaken a lot more and put that minor
at a greater risk. So Ithink that one stands out as being one
of those success stories where thanks tothe community involvement, we were able to
(16:15):
act quickly, and when I sayquickly, I mean within less than twelve
hours we were able to locate thechild and get them out of harm's way.
I appreciate you sharing so much ofthis information, and just to give
our viewers a look into what ournew sac here in this area will be
doing before we go, I'd liketo know a little bit. Like I
(16:37):
said, I'm nelsy, but outsideof your professional life, what hobbies or
activities do you enjoy that help youkind of unline from the demands of your
role. Well, there's two thingsthat I really enjoy doing that take my
mind off of everything and I'm ableto lose myself in. I like going
out in nature. I like walkingon trails, but I like taking that
(17:02):
unbeaten path. So usually I'll takeoff in another direction, which takes me
to also engage in my other passionand hobbywhich is photography. I love taking
pictures of nature. I love takingpictures of animals, anything I come across.
Sometimes it's just a rock that hasparticular shape, and that really helps
me unwind while I'm doing that.Sometimes work creeps in and I start thinking
(17:25):
about work. But also it clearsyour mind and it also shows you the
beauty that you have around you.Because sometimes we see some we see some
of the greatest things in humanity,we also see some of the darkest side
of the humanity being in nature.It's all wonderful and it just helps you
get back intoune with yourself and withnature. So that's one of my passions.
(17:45):
I love doing that. And photographyis the other one which comes along
with I'm not saying I'm a greatphotographer. I just like taking a lot
of pictures. Oh. I wasjust about to say, we get to
see your whole display of pictures,but okay, I understand. And speaking
of that, and I asked thisof everyone who visits with us. Since
you've been here in our passo,has there been somewhere that you visited that
(18:08):
you've enjoyed or that you think everyoneshould try or take a look at any
path. Yes, there's there's transmountain scene like outlook. Everybody has to
go see the elephant rock. Thatis amazing. And the interesting is that
you can take as many pictures asyou want from different angles, different times
of the day. It's going tolook different and it's always beautiful. And
(18:30):
that's one of those places where youcan just go up there and lose yourself
when you when you're when you're lookingout the value and you're seeing all the
formations and just spending time there onyour own really allows you to center yourself.
That would be one of my favoritespots, if not the favorite spot.
Okay, it is a beautiful spot. And I know I said that
with the last question. But sincewe're we're talking a little bit about,
(18:52):
you know, diversity and culture.What from your culture, whether it's food
or time of year that you wouldlike every want to know or to maybe
even find out more about or try. I will tell you that one of
the greatest things about my culture thatI like is something that I think we
share with the Passo. It's thewarm, welcoming nature of the people of
(19:17):
our culture. And I've heard thisfrom folks who have visited for the first
time. I've heard this from folksthat have visited ten times to Puerto Rico,
and it's that we're kind, we'rehappy, we love, we enjoy
life, and we live it tothe fullest. And if you see the
hardships that the that the island hasbeen through recently, you would think it
(19:37):
would surprise some folks that when theyget there they see that every morning greet
you with a smile. We're stillhappy. And also the fact that we're
warm, we like helping others,and it's something that's just in our nature.
And yes there's a lot of infighting, and yes, I think every
place has problems, but as acommunity, when it's time to get down
(19:59):
and help each other, were thefirst ones to jump in and do so.
So I have found that same typeof warmth and endearing nature here in
Opasso, and that's why I've goneto love it in the short time that
I've been here. Well, thankyou so much. I appreciate you for
coming on and letting our viewers knowthat you're here for them and for this
whole entire community. So I appreciateyou for sharing everything that you've shared today.
(20:23):
Thank you very much.
Welcome to First Writings with the FBI, the show that offers a community approach
to everyday citizen and law enforcement interaction. In this episode, we hear from
new Special Agent in Charge of theApasto Field Office of the FBI. It's
welcome. Special Agent in Charge JohnMorales tell us about your experience in the
(00:20):
FBI and what was a big caseor project you worked on. Thank you
very much, so the FBI.Have been in the FBI for about twenty
years, a little over twenty years, and during this time, I worked
in a number of different places,a number of different offices, and I've
had the opportunity to also work iwould say, almost every threat and program
(00:42):
that we have. That being said, when you ask about a big case,
every case that we have we treatedas it's the biggest case. And
that's something that it's ingrained into usfrom the academy because regardless of the tarry
amount, or regardless of the numberof defendents or the size of the scope
(01:03):
of what we're working, every casethat we work, I'm going to treat
it like it's the biggest case inthe bureau. And the amount of investigative
rigor and the effort that we putin for it is the same across the
board. And I would tell youany agent that you ask tell me about
your case, he's going to tellyou it's the biggest case there is in
the bureau right now. That beingsaid, there are cases that stand out
(01:26):
from others because of the impact thatthey have and what they do. And
one of them, for example,that I can tell you that I had
the opportunity to work on and involveda child predator and in this case,
we were the day that we weregoing to affect the arrest on this individual.
We were able to stop him fromgoing out and actually engaging another miner,
(01:49):
which he was preparing to do aswe entered and arrested him. This
individual was able to get to thisminer and coerce them through use of social
media. And have we not beenable to get him at the time that
we did, he was actually physicallygoing to meet up with this person and
that probably would have turned into anothervictim unfortunately. So being able to do
(02:13):
that and being able to have thatimpact on that family and also provide closure
because it turns out that after thearrest was gone was undertaken, we were
able to determine that this individual waslinked to several other missing minors and give
closure to those families. I thinkthat's one of the biggest cases and biggest
(02:35):
impacts that I've had in terms ofthe impact it had on our community at
the time. Well, I definitelylike what you mentioned about the cases and
not how one case is no differentthan the next, but not necessarily saying
that one case or other cases aremore important than the other, but definitely
(02:58):
the cases regarding children. It touchesthe heart of all of us, especially
because their children, and we're helpingwith programs like this and you sharing information
that that will help parents learn howto also protect children too. Absolutely,
(03:19):
and this is one of those casesthat highlights just how important it is for
parents to be involved, very involvedin what their children are seeing and what
their children are doing and who they'reengaging with. We used to be concerned
about children who they're going to meetor run into when they walk out the
door. Now you have to becareful about who they're engaging with or who
(03:39):
they're meeting when they're sitting next toyou and they're online. So parents involvement
and children and their use of socialmedia is extremely important and it's the reason
why we try to provide as muchinformation and as much an instruction as possible
as to the safe use. Andwe have programs in place that we're able
(03:59):
to invite children and parents to participateonline regarding the use and the safe use
of social media. And for youparents who are listening, the FBI l
Paso Field Office is always available tospeak to groups about the best way to
keep our children safe. So absolutelywe have a strong program where we are
(04:21):
more than happy to engage where we'reneeded and where they want us to be
because I think involving our community iskey to keeping our children safe and it's
something we need to do together tobe successful. Right. So you know
here on the border we have adiverse cultural landscape. Can you speak firsthand
about diversity within the FBI and howhas the bureau improved in diversity over your
(04:46):
twenty year career, Like, haveyou ever experienced any difficulties being of Latino
descent in the FBI. So interms of the experiencing any type of difficulty,
I have to say no, Ihaven't. I think in any case
being Puerto Rican has actually helped meand has opened up opportunities for me,
which I think otherwise I might nothave been able to participate in whether it's
(05:11):
through cultural knowledge or just the language. And also it's helped me a lot
in my engagement with the community,being able to go out outreach and let's
just say that I might not havebeen able to reach the number of folks
that I was able to when Iwas working cases and in the way that
(05:32):
I did, and it not beenbecause of my Spanish heritage. So I
think it's actually helped me in anenhancement to what I do. In terms
of diversity in the bureau, diversityis one of the core values of the
FBI. Differences in thought, belief, race, and religion, and orientation
and ability. That's what makes theBureau strong. So it gives us the
(05:54):
ability to engage with our community,connect and maintain the trust of those we
serve. The American people depend largelyon the fact that we have the ability
to represent and reflect our community's varietyof cultures and values. And that's paramount
is. We can't do our jobwithout the community. And in order for
(06:14):
us to have the community's trust andto have them believe in what we do,
we need to be able to representthem well. And here in the
bureau, I have seen changes throughoutmy twenty years, and I've seen how
diversity has grown. One of thethings that I was talking about recently is
how when you look at the landscapeof FBI leadership, how it's changed,
(06:38):
and how when we sit at thetable now you see a good mix of
different races, different colors, differentgenders, different cultures, which is key
and thus when it comes to makingdecisions that benefit our community. Currently,
the FBI has thirteen thousand, ninehundred agents approximately, and approximately nineteen percent
(06:58):
of them identify a minority. Theethnic and racial makeup of special Agent applicants
has been the most diverse in thepast three years. So this year,
forty seven percent of special Agent applicantsidentify themselves as minorities. And here in
the passes specifically, forty four percentof our agent population is identified as minority
(07:20):
and the applicants two hundred and thirtythree of sixty five also identify as minority
applicants. So those numbers demonstrate agreat improvement, and it's it's a result
of the effort that we have inraising awareness and cultural background racial backgrounds.
We have programs such as cross culturalmentoring. We have specific recruiting events and
(07:45):
we do specific outreach to target differentcultures, different races to provide them with
the opportunities to apply, to learnabout and to become a part of the
FBI family. And I think themost important thing is that we have made
advances, we have gotten better,but when it comes to diversity, it's
never enough. And I think thisis something that we will continue to work
(08:07):
on and develop. And I expectto continue engaging and trying to provide as
much opportunity for our community to comeand understand what we do, not just
the what, but the how andthe why and work with us and be
an integral part of what we do. I mean, that's the culture that
we have here. We are strongbecause we're different, all right. I
(08:31):
like that we're strong because we're different. And speaking of giving the significant role
of initiatives like the Black Leaders Roundtablein creating and encouraging relationships between law enforcement
and the community in this region,can you share some of your plans for
continuing the efforts to maintain the FBI'srelationship well strong relationship, trust and cooperation
(08:56):
within our diverse communities here. Absolutely, and one of the things I want
to hidelight is that I plan oncontinuing on growing and participating with the plans
that our predecessors have had. Iknow that there have been community events that
have been put in place, andon top of that, I plan to
grow them. And by that Imean I want to share until it hurts,
(09:20):
and I want the community to feelthat the FBI is not just here,
but is a part of them andis integrated with them. One specific
area that I'm very interested in developingand growing is the outreach to at risk
youth. I think that that iskey in order to be able to safeguard
(09:43):
our future. I mean that iswhere our future is, and I want
to be able to share my experiencewith our teens, with our young adults
so that they understand that where youare and where you go that's a choice
that you make and just because youwere born into a certain environment doesn't mean
that you have to stay there.And there's no limit to what you can
(10:03):
accomplish if you put your mind to, because it's all about making the right
choices. So I'm very interested indeveloping the school outreach. I'm interested in
developing team internships and opportunities for themto come and be a part of us
and learn about us. And I'malso interested in a teen academy, which
is an opportunity for them to comein and learn it and hands on of
what we do, learn about theprogram, learn about the opportunities. The
(10:26):
FBI is so diverse in what itdoes that there is an opportunity for everyone
and anyone to be here. Folksthink about the FBI, and sometimes all
they think about is the agent sideof the house, but they don't understand
that the agents are the ones workingthe case and affecting that. But the
only reason we're able to do whatwe do is because we have a whole
(10:46):
group that stands behind us, helpingus, supporting us, and a lot
of times driving the intelligence that we'reable to use to move our cases forward.
And each one of them has theirstrengths, and each one of them
has a job in a role.And believe me, if you were to
look at the opportunities in the FBI, there is a job for everyone and
(11:09):
anybody who's willing to come in andserve our community. I love that working
with the youth and for the parentswho are listening, like you just heard
them say, some may not beinterested in being an agent, but there
are other areas within the FBI whereyou may be interested. So I'm looking
forward to that, to more engagementwith the youth and especially in law enforcement,
(11:31):
specifically with the FBI. And ifI can give you just a quick
snapshot, we have everything from pilotsto mechanics, to computer specialists to we
have doctors as well. We havenurses, we have intelligence analysts, photographers,
(11:52):
we have media personnel across the board. So when I tell you that
there, if you have an interestin an ability and a design, there
is a job for you here inthe FBI. Right. Wow, that's
great. And I think leading inor segueing into what I wanted to you
know, ask about the media.The media plays a big part in getting
(12:13):
that type of information out too.So how can members of the media and
other outlets like podcasters and shows likeours, you know provided by civilians here,
because we have to remind people thatFirst Fridays with the FBI and our
pastor is not produced by FBI olPastor. This is actually from US civilians
(12:33):
who just wanted to share information.But how can members of the media and
podcasters and others in the community assistwith your vision. That's a great that's
a great question, and thank youfor getting the opportunity, because I think
the the best way is by helpingus reach the community with truths and facts
(12:56):
and avoiding rumors and conjecture. Andthat is key right there. If you
have questions, if you have doubtsthat the community reaches out and they want
to know something or need clarification,come to us directly. And as I
said before, I want to shareuntil it hurts, and I mean it
when I say that, because Iunderstand that the problem is not in giving
(13:20):
too much information, is when youcreate a vacuum by not providing enough.
That's the and I think that's thebiggest help that you can provide to us
in the media is helping us getthat message out and providing a forum so
that the community can reach us andwe can't talk to them. And with
that being said, I also wouldlike for our community to understand that there
(13:41):
will be times where I won't beable to provide all the details that they
may want on X investigation or Xsituation or circumstances going on. But however,
even during those times, I'm goingto make sure I work with my
team to provide as much information aspossible at that moment, and then provide
follow up so that we're able toavoid having the rumors take over or to
(14:05):
avoid folks coming to their own conclusionsthat may or may not be accurate and
when they do that. So thebest way to the best way that to
help is to be open to helpus reach our public and to also be
a venue through which the public isable to reach us with questions or concerns
(14:26):
they may have. Right, thankyou for sharing that, and thank you
for letting some of our viewers knowbecause I do ask the questions that some
people ask me to ask you all, and of course, because I might
be a little nosy, I knoweverything, but you can't share everything,
so you hear it from him yourself. They can't tell me everything that we
will that we think we need toknow. So can you share an instance
(14:50):
from your career where community engagement effortsdirectly contributed to solving a case or diffusing
a potentially volatile situation. Well,absolutely so, I would have to say
I think most of the cases thatI've worked have been successful because of the
community's involvement, and I think that'ssomething that maybe the community is not aware
(15:13):
of. Is that a lot ofthe investigations, I could say almost most
of the investigations that we take onstart off with information from the community either
coming to us in any number ofways that it made. But I can
tell you specifically of one case whereit also had to do with a child
(15:33):
with a minor and which we wereable to locate them because of community engagement
and folks that were able to reachus, come to us and provide us
location whereabouts, identification, vehicle numbers, and till the point we were able
to reach the child, find themand take them out of the situation that
(15:54):
they were in, specifically because ofcommunity engagement, and that was key because
that was one of those times wherehad it not been because of the assistance
of community provided, that would havetaken a lot more and put that minor
at a greater risk. So Ithink that one stands out as being one
of those success stories where thanks tothe community involvement, we were able to
(16:15):
act quickly, and when I sayquickly, I mean within less than twelve
hours we were able to locate thechild and get them out of harm's way.
I appreciate you sharing so much ofthis information, and just to give
our viewers a look into what ournew sac here in this area will be
doing before we go, I'd liketo know a little bit. Like I
(16:37):
said, I'm nelsy, but outsideof your professional life, what hobbies or
activities do you enjoy that help youkind of unline from the demands of your
role. Well, there's two thingsthat I really enjoy doing that take my
mind off of everything and I'm ableto lose myself in. I like going
out in nature. I like walkingon trails, but I like taking that
(17:02):
unbeaten path. So usually I'll takeoff in another direction, which takes me
to also engage in my other passionand hobbywhich is photography. I love taking
pictures of nature. I love takingpictures of animals, anything I come across.
Sometimes it's just a rock that hasparticular shape, and that really helps
me unwind while I'm doing that.Sometimes work creeps in and I start thinking
(17:25):
about work. But also it clearsyour mind and it also shows you the
beauty that you have around you.Because sometimes we see some we see some
of the greatest things in humanity,we also see some of the darkest side
of the humanity being in nature.It's all wonderful and it just helps you
get back intoune with yourself and withnature. So that's one of my passions.
(17:45):
I love doing that. And photographyis the other one which comes along
with I'm not saying I'm a greatphotographer. I just like taking a lot
of pictures. Oh. I wasjust about to say, we get to
see your whole display of pictures,but okay, I understand. And speaking
of that, and I asked thisof everyone who visits with us. Since
you've been here in our passo,has there been somewhere that you visited that
(18:08):
you've enjoyed or that you think everyoneshould try or take a look at any
path. Yes, there's there's transmountain scene like outlook. Everybody has to
go see the elephant rock. Thatis amazing. And the interesting is that
you can take as many pictures asyou want from different angles, different times
of the day. It's going tolook different and it's always beautiful. And
(18:30):
that's one of those places where youcan just go up there and lose yourself
when you when you're when you're lookingout the value and you're seeing all the
formations and just spending time there onyour own really allows you to center yourself.
That would be one of my favoritespots, if not the favorite spot.
Okay, it is a beautiful spot. And I know I said that
with the last question. But sincewe're we're talking a little bit about,
(18:52):
you know, diversity and culture.What from your culture, whether it's food
or time of year that you wouldlike every want to know or to maybe
even find out more about or try. I will tell you that one of
the greatest things about my culture thatI like is something that I think we
share with the Passo. It's thewarm, welcoming nature of the people of
(19:17):
our culture. And I've heard thisfrom folks who have visited for the first
time. I've heard this from folksthat have visited ten times to Puerto Rico,
and it's that we're kind, we'rehappy, we love, we enjoy
life, and we live it tothe fullest. And if you see the
hardships that the that the island hasbeen through recently, you would think it
(19:37):
would surprise some folks that when theyget there they see that every morning greet
you with a smile. We're stillhappy. And also the fact that we're
warm, we like helping others,and it's something that's just in our nature.
And yes there's a lot of infighting, and yes, I think every
place has problems, but as acommunity, when it's time to get down
(19:59):
and help each other, were thefirst ones to jump in and do so.
So I have found that same typeof warmth and endearing nature here in
Opasso, and that's why I've goneto love it in the short time that
I've been here. Well, thankyou so much. I appreciate you for
coming on and letting our viewers knowthat you're here for them and for this
whole entire community. So I appreciateyou for sharing everything that you've shared today.
(20:23):
Thank you very much.
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