Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI Crime News (b)
Panel participants discuss the FBI’s Civil Rights Cold Case Initiative at the Beacon regional event.
The Beacon Project embodies an understanding that recruiting efforts alone can’t address that gap; greater trust and creating strong and consistent connections are essential elements of drawing a more diverse pool of applicants into the FBI. And greater diversity isn’t a goal in and of itself, but something that is key to the FBI’s current and continued success. “The FBI’s intentional efforts to diversify are crucial to creating an inclusive workforce and to being increasingly effective and efficient in our investigations and keeping the American public safe,” said FBI Chief Diversity Officer Scott McMillion.
There have been some encouraging signs in recent years as special agent applicants have grown increasingly diverse. The Jackson Field Office event brings a more local focus to that work. By bringing together the heads of FBI field offices in Birmingham, Cincinnati, Dallas, Houston, Jackson, Little Rock, Memphis, Mobile, and New Orleans with executives from colleges and universities in those same regions, relationship-building and engagement can continue in shared cities, towns, and neighborhoods.
The FBI’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion plans to work closely with the Office of Public Affairs’ Community Relations Unit to plan other regionally focused Beacon events. This summer, the FBI will be hosting additional HBCU presidents as well as the leaders of other minority-serving institutions in Washington, D.C., to continue building these relationships.