Date: Fri 13-Nov-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: MICHEL

Quick Words:

career-FBI-Geddes-high-school

Full Text:

High School Students Hear About A Career With The FBI

(with photos)

BY MICHELE HOGAN

What is it like to be a real FBI agent? Students at Newtown High School heard

a young agent describe his training and his brushes with the uni-bomber while

on duty.

Agent Jack Geddes had wanted to be an FBI agent from the time he was in

seventh or eighth grade, but thought that he needed a law degree to be

eligible to apply. While studying business administration at college, he

learned that a law degree is only one of four areas from which the FBI selects

candidates. Accounting, foreign language or "diversified" (a four year degree

and three years relevant work experience) could also qualify.

He applied and met the basic criteria: a US citizen in excellent physical

condition between the ages of 23 and 36.

With the increase in white collar crime (embezzlement and bank fraud) his

background in business administration was relevant to today's needs in the

FBI.

Much of the daily work of an FBI agent involves interviewing people for

investigations, gathering evidence from crime scenes, writing thorough and

accurate reports and testifying in court, so a thorough and analytical

approach to problems is necessary.

Special skills such as complete fluency in a second language (especially

Spanish) a pilot's license, supervisory experience, or success in the military

are also helpful when applying to become an FBI agent.

There are several more exams during the admission process: math, situational

judgment, polygraph test on security issues and the use of drugs. People who

are selected will receive two years of paid schooling (at $35,000 per year) at

Quantico, Virginia.

At Quantico, students combine classroom learning with improving physical

fitness and learning to handle weapons.

Graduates may be sent to one of 25 offices overseas, but about one third of

them are sent to New York City.

On top of $44,000 starting salary, people stationed in cities in Northeastern

states are also given 16 percent higher pay to cover higher costs of living in

these urban areas.

The salary scale climbs rapidly, with earnings of $62,000 after 2 years

service, and $86,000 after ten years. Agents can retire at age 50, and must

retire by age 57.

Most agents are transferred three to four times during their career, and one

transfer, usually the last, is normally to a location chosen by the agent.

Of the FBI's 11,000 special agents, 9,200 are men (84 percent) and about 1,800

women (16 percent).

In addition to special agents, the FBI also employs 15,000 people in support

positions from mechanics and lab technicians to lawyers and accountants.

Mr Geddes said he appreciated the independence he had with his work. He said

"you don't sit at your desk all day." Sometimes you might work nights if a

case calls for it, but the "cases are yours."

He said, "Violent crimes were fun for a while, bank robberies... each is a

little different, and we usually catch them. They don't stop." He explained

how bank robbers usually repeat their crimes thereby giving the FBI the

opportunity to fully investigate, arrest and successfully prosecute the

criminals.

The Unibomber

When a bomb exploded at Yale University, Mr Geddes and his team went

immediately to secure the scene. They called an evidence response team to take

samples of the bomb from the wall and desk computer science professor David

Gelernter.

An agent was present during surgery on Prof. Gelernter as witness that the

shrapnel extracted from the professor was the shrapnel analyzed at the lab. Mr

Geddes said "The next morning, we knew we had the same bomber -- same package,

same material." It was the Unibomber.

As it turned out, the Unibomber struck a plea bargain and the FBI was not

required to testify.

This career speaker was one of a series organized by Jane McEvoy and Jack

Quinlan at the Newtown High School to help students consider a variety of

career options.