Blog - Community Policing & Neighborhood Watch

The only non-investigative program in the Bureau, our Community Outreach Program helps educate communities on crime, drugs, gangs, and violence, working specifically with community organizations, schools, and the workplace. This program supports the investigative mission of the FBI by providing and developing programs that help reduce societal problems that lead to crime and terrorism. The following are our outreach programs in the Boston Division: Career Days/Career Fairs/Business Presentations The Boston Division is available to make presentations and to attend career days and fairs in the New England area. To request a speaker, please e-mail our Community Outreach Specialist at susan.durkin@ic.fbi.gov. Please keep in mind that we need at least three to six weeks advance notice. Youth Academy Program outreach_dev_day.jpg The FBI Youth Academy Program educates high school students about the mission, goals, and inner workings of the FBI. We detail the policies, procedures, initiatives, and techniques that guide our investigations. We talk about our major investigations and provide a variety of “hands-on” exercises that illustrate the duties and responsibilities of the FBI. Candidates for this program must be between the ages of 13 and 18 and must obtain permission from a parent/guardian and school principal or guidance counselor. Candidates must also complete an application and agree to attend the entire day’s session. The Youth Academy Program is held two times a year. youth_acdmy09.jpg FBI Citizens Academy range_day09.jpg The Citizens Academy on Range Day in May 2009 The Boston Citizens Academy builds lasting relationships with community and business leaders in the New England area through an intensive program that provides an inside look at the FBI over the course of several weeks. The sessions include presentations on our efforts to combat terrorism, violent crime, organized crime and drugs, and white-collar crime. The Academy runs six consecutive Thursday evenings from April through May. A Saturday session includes a SWAT demonstration and hands-on shooting. Citizens Academy Alumni Association Graduates of the Citizens Academy are invited to join the Citizens Academy Alumni Association, a valuable asset to the Boston Division. The association acts as an ambassador for the FBI through outreach efforts and assists with each new Academy class. Alumni receive updates from FBI personnel, participate in the “Alumni Day at the Range,” take a trip to the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia and to FBI Headquarters, and attend events planned by the Alumni Association Board. CREST (Community Relations Executive Seminar Training) The FBI CREST is a shorter, more focused version of the Citizens Academy, conducted in partnership with a community group at an offsite location. Students learn about the mission, goals, history, and internal workings of the FBI, but the sessions are customized to meet the needs of each organization. CREST serves as a means for the FBI and participating communities to exchange information, enabling crime problems to be identified and addressed. The goal of CREST is to foster a greater understanding of the role of the federal law enforcement in the community through frank discussion and education. The program is eight hours long and can be split into two nights (four hours each night). Multi-Cultural Advisory Committee We host meetings for area ethnic, religious, and cultural leaders through our Multi-Cultural Advisory Committee. The committee works to open a dialogue with these leaders on key issues so that Boston Division leadership and FBI Headquarters community relations experts better understand local communities. Committee members meet quarterly to discuss topics and to learn about our mission, protocol, and procedures. Director’s Community Leadership Award Every year, we join with field offices nationwide in honoring compassionate and caring leaders who have made a positive difference in our community. This special award, presented on behalf of the Director of the FBI, was formally created in 1990 as a way to honor individuals and organizations for their efforts in combating crime, terrorism, drugs, and violence in America. The Boston Division presents this award to a deserving individual or organization in an official ceremony held at our office. In addition to our local ceremony, recipients of this award are invited to meet with the Director of the FBI in a formal ceremony in Washington, D.C. In 2012, we honored Chris Sinclair, Mr. Sinclair is president of The Anthem Group, a multi-faceted marketing and consulting firm, catering company, and event production agency headquartered in Boston who is an advocate for assisting youth. In the News shriners.jpg A member of our Boston FBI Citizens Academy Alumni Association, Shahin Shahin (right), has spent the past five years bringing injured Iraqi children to the U.S. for medical treatment—in partnership with Dr. Larry Ronan and our military. Mr. Shahin pays for the youngsters’ flights, local housing, and medicine. They are treated at facilities like the Shriners Burn Hospital for Children in Boston, where FBI Boston employees—inspired by Shahin’s selflessness— volunteer to visit with the kids every week. Recently, former Boston Special Agent in Charge Warren Bamford (left) presented a check to David Faulkner (center) of the Shriners Burn Hospital, proceeds from an FBI-sponsored event. For More Information Contact the Boston Division’s Community Outreach Specialist, at (617) 223-6116

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