Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI Crime News
Women Serving as FBI Special Agents and FBI Police
For many years, far too many in the FBI’s early history, women did not have the opportunity to be special agents. And not for lack of interest. We know girls and women wrote the FBI back then to learn how they could become special agents.
One teenager, Nancy McRae, wrote Director J. Edgar Hoover such a letter in April 1971. And he sent a letter back to her, writing, in part—and I’m quoting here for historical accuracy—“Because of the nature of the duties our special agents are called upon to perform, we do not employ women in this position…We must have agents who are qualified to cope with any situation they may face.”
I don’t think any speaker ever hopes to get booed by an audience, but I wouldn’t really mind it there.
What I know, what all of you know, and what Hoover either did not know or did not acknowledge, is that women are absolutely essential to effective law enforcement. And just a year later, Susan and Joanne proved not just that they could do the job, but that they could—and would—excel.
Fortunately, the numbers of women at the FBI who are special agents and FBI Police officers are steadily increasing. Ten years ago, women made up only 20 percent of our special agent ranks and only 16 percent of our FBI Police officers. These are officers who protect our employees and facilities and have to meet the same rigorous fitness and firearms standards as our special agents. Today, 22 percent of our FBI police officers are women, and women now make up 24 percent of our special agent cadre.
And we’re doing better every year. On average, women now comprise 37 percent of our new agent trainees. And at one of our agent graduations just a few months ago, women made up almost half the class.
Now, of course, gun-toters aren’t the only women we have in the Bureau. More than 14 thousand women serve as intelligence analysts, professional staff, and more. From our newest employees at the line level to our career folks that serve on our executive team, women are an integral part of the FBI.
Take one of our newer special agents, who’s made high-caliber contributions to the Bureau as a new agent in our Shreveport Resident Agency. Special Agent Raquel Mobley investigated the kidnapping, rape, and brutal beatings of a Louisiana woman from two years earlier. The case hadn’t received much attention, and through her diligent work, Special Agent Mobley discovered seven others, including three children, who’d been victimized by the same subject.
Thanks to Special Agent Mobley’s determination, that monster ultimately received three life sentences. Now that’s a lot for any agent to accomplish right out of Quantico. But for Special Agent Mobley, that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
In her brief time in Louisiana so far, she’s also secured two civil rights indictments, including one that led to a guilty verdict in a particularly disturbing civil rights case. She’s headed up a sensitive public corruption investigation that sent two to prison for embezzling from the local police union. And she’s accomplished all of this while also working every single one of her office’s investigations into child exploitation and human trafficking.
Oh, and in her spare time, Special Agent Mobley’s become a crisis negotiator and earned her EMT certification.
We need women like Raquel because the threats we’re up against today are more complex than we’ve ever seen. To stay ahead of them, we need everybody’s experience, everybody’s knowledge, everybody’s specialized expertise. We’ve all got to bring our very best ideas to the table and have our best leaders in the room. The more diverse our teams are, the better the solutions we’ll come up with, and the greater impact we’ll make on the threats and the problems we’re all facing.
Diversity is important for so many reasons, not least of which because everything about who we are shapes the way we think. And in law enforcement, diversity of experience, background, and thought makes for stronger, smarter teams. And more women in law enforcement means better outcomes for us all—those we do the work with and those we do the work for.
30×30 Initiative
Those we do the work with include our partners at law enforcement agencies nationwide. And along with many of those partners, the FBI signed the 30×30 initiative pledge in March 2023—an important commitment to demonstrate our support to recruiting more outstanding women to law enforcement, including the Bureau.
Our goal is to keep building a world-class workforce. The best of the best. And to make that a reality, we need to keep expanding the pool, making sure people from all backgrounds know they have an opportunity to compete, and encouraging them to throw their hats in the ring. That’s how we’ll continue to bring the best of the best to the fight.
We’re proud of the progress we’ve made at the FBI on this front, but there’s always room for growth and improvement. That’s why we’re hosting events to recruit women at college campuses, career fairs, and athletic events across the country.
And women are not just essential members of our teams today—women like Special Agent Mobley, for example, who are making a real impact in the communities they serve. Recruiting women now also pays dividends down the road, as women grow into leadership roles throughout the Bureau .
Today, women lead something like 17 of our 37 Headquarters divisions, including our Information and Technology Branch, our Weapons of Mass Destruction Directorate, the Directorate of Intelligence, and our Training Division, among others. And 12 women are special agents in charge of our 56 field offices.
But I’d like to see us do better, and I know we can. So we’re going to continue to examine how we can make our culture—our policies, our procedures, and our best practices—better than ever to support women in law enforcement.
We know this kind of institutional improvement is more of a marathon than a sprint, and we’re in it for the long haul.
Conclusion
I’m optimistic about our progress and our future. And when I think about where we were 52 years ago—back when Director Hoover wrote his letter to Nancy McRae—and then I think about where we are today, I can’t help but be proud of how far we’ve come. At the Bureau and across law enforcement.
And that is due in no small part to all of you. So thank you for everything you do to support women in law enforcement. I look forward to seeing what we can achieve together in the future.
Thanks.
And now it’s my pleasure to introduce our next speaker—my friend, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco.
As the 39th Deputy Attorney General of the United States, Lisa has devoted her life to national security and public safety. An accomplished federal prosecutor, advisor, and leader, she’s held many positions throughout DOJ and the U.S. government over the years, including counsel to Attorney General Janet Reno; Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia; Assistant Attorney General for National Security, as the first woman to hold that position; and Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Advisor to President Obama.
But I’d like to think some of her fondest professional memories might come from the years she spent at the FBI, where she served as special counsel and then chief of staff to Director Mueller.
Throughout her career, Lisa has been a staunch advocate of safe communities for all Americans, and she has a long history of fighting for women’s rights. At the FBI, we’re fortunate to benefit from her partnership, and it’s great to see her here today.
Please join me in welcoming Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco.