Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News

Today marks the 14th anniversary of the abduction of Robert A. “Bob” Levinson from Kish Island, Iran. Bob Levinson was abducted by Iranian intelligence officers on March 9, 2007 and is the longest-held hostage in U.S. history. Tomorrow, Mr. Levinson will turn 73 years old. Bob served his country for 28 years, including 22 years as an FBI special agent. We call on the government of Iran to immediately return Bob home to his family.

“For 14 years the Iranian government has denied the U.S. government, the FBI, and most importantly, the Levinson family any answers about the circumstances surrounding Bob’s abduction,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “The FBI continues to mourn the loss of our beloved friend and colleague, and the Levinson family continues to grieve the loss of their husband, father, and grandfather. It’s appalling that the Iranian government has yet to cooperate, and we, along with our interagency partners, remain resolute in our efforts to investigate and seek the truth of what happened to Bob.”

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News

The FBI Violent Crimes Task Force is seeking the public’s assistance to help identify the “Back Again Bandit” who is suspected of five bank robberies. The bank robberies took place at the same two banks, which is what earned him the nickname, “Back Again Bandit”.

The bank robberies occurred in Phoenix and Tempe. No one was physically injured.

Photos of the suspect and details of the bank robberies can be found here (click on the photos to enlarge): https://bankrobbers.fbi.gov/robbers-container/2021-01-04.5859034353

Anyone with information regarding the identity of the suspect should contact the FBI Phoenix Field Office at 623-466-1999, or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov. You may also contact Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS (480-948-6377).

The FBI Violent Crimes Task Force is comprised of the Phoenix Police Department, Peoria Police Department, Scottsdale Police Department, Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office FATE team, Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, and the FBI.

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News

The FBI, Philadelphia Police Department, New Jersey State Police, Mount Laurel Police Department, and Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office are seeking the public’s assistance as we continue to investigate the disappearance, 16 years ago today, of Danielle (Ottobre) Imbo and Richard Petrone, Jr.

They were last seen in the late evening hours of Saturday, February 19, 2005, leaving a bar on Philadelphia’s South Street for Rich’s black 2001 Dodge Dakota pickup truck. An extensive investigation to date has generated some promising leads; however, neither they nor the vehicle have ever been located.

The investigation into Danielle and Rich’s disappearance remains open and active, with additional personnel currently assisting the case team in reviewing intelligence and interviewing individuals who may be able to help advance this case.

There is still a $50,000 reward for information on the couple’s whereabouts, or for information leading to the arrest of those responsible for their disappearance.

The reward is being administered by the Philadelphia Citizens Crime Commission. Anyone with information that may assist investigators is urged to call the Citizens Crime Commission tip line at 215-546-TIPS (215-546-8477). Tipsters can remain anonymous.

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI Crime News

Q. What were some of the early challenges to establishing the Office of Diversity and Inclusion?

Odom: One of the first things I did was to lobby to have diversity as a core value. Existing core values included respect, integrity, fairness, and compassion, among others. Initially, there was a little pushback, because some people thought diversity was encompassed in all the other values. Making diversity a core value elevated the office and made it relevant. Before, diversity was not thought of as mission-critical or really helping us to do better as an organization. We were able to demonstrate that diversity enhanced our ability to connect with the communities we protect and serve.

Q. The FBI has struggled to improve diversity, particularly among special agents, where 83.4% are white, 4.4% are Black, and 67% are men. The figures are slightly better for intelligence analysts and professional staff. How do you interpret that?  

Odom: It is frustrating. Our workforce is not that diverse. But we’ve also got to think about how we measure progress. And one of our big projects is a barrier analysis that looks at the entire employee lifecycle—from recruiting to promotion—to understand where we have roadblocks. There are barriers where individuals, based on their race or gender or ethnicity, are not going through those gates at the same rate. Our recruitment of women and minorities special agents has gone up significantly, but they don’t all show up at new agent training. We’ve got to look at where we’re losing people and then see what we can do to improve that process.