Training for the Next Generation of G-Men

FBI Brings In Teens to Learn the Ropes

A couple of agents spilled out of the stairwell and crouched below the window of hotel room No. 125 with their guns drawn. When everyone was in place, their leader gave the signal.

"FBI! We have a search warrant!" Russell Carter, 17, of the District bellowed as he pounded on the door.

A few seconds later, he twisted the doorknob and his comrades darted into the room.

It didn't take long before the crew triumphantly brought out an alleged bank robber in handcuffs.

They might not be FBI agents yet, but the 27 Washington area students participating in a week-long summer camp sponsored by the FBI looked ready. This was the first year for the camp, and if it is deemed a success, it will be expanded to all 56 FBI offices nationwide.

The drill was at Hogan's Alley, a mock town used for training investigators at the FBI Academy on the Marine Corps base in Quantico. The town is complete with a movie theater, coin laundry, used-car dealership and pharmacy.

On Aug. 15, the bank was robbed of $10,000, and the students learned what the FBI has to do before breaking down doors to arrest a suspect.

"I wasn't exactly sure what to expect," Manpreet Bhogal, 16, of Manassas said of the camp. Maybe "all the secret-agent things you see on the videos."

After three days, she had learned "whatever you see in the movies is just fiction."

One of the camp goals is to educate high school students about occupations at the FBI that they might have overlooked, such as being an accountant or working with the gang and K-9 units. Students with foreign language skills are also in demand. With so many career opportunities, the camp directors hope to show students how the FBI differs from what is popularized by media.

"They are TV-driven," said FBI human relations specialist Ashley Watson, who took part in the mock bank robbery. The camp is "really an eye-opener."

The camp also stresses lessons on issues that affect teens, such as safety on the Internet, working as a team and understanding cultural differences.

Before the drill, the campers were taught how to collect evidence, interview witnesses and set up surveillance around the scene of the crime. They even played a game of hide-and-seek with the SWAT team before working on their arrest techniques.

After an afternoon wrapping the block in police tape, interviewing witnesses and working on surveillance, the campers had one more (less exciting) lesson: how to file an arrest warrant.

"We're going in, guys," said Carter with a sigh of relief after his arrest warrant was approved by Supervisory Special Agent André Williams, who served as the judge.

"Here you go, young champion. Be safe," Williams said as he handed the document to Carter.

Some campers were surprised that a day in the life of an FBI agent wasn't all excitement.

"You break into a room and bring justice to the world. It seems like that is what the FBI is all about," said 17-year-old Francisco Pinillos of Alexandria. But "you find that there is a lot of paperwork."