Anchorage holds inaugural Citizens' Academy
What do the President and CEO of a telephone company, the Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce, the Dean of the university's College of Business and Public Policy, and the owner of a famous local restaurant have in common? They and a dozen other community leaders participated in the Anchorage Division's first Citizens' Academy. During March and April of 2005, the Anchorage Division held its' inaugural Academy and invited Alaskans representing the Congressional delegations, the business and minority communities, and academia.
The enthusiasm of the involved Anchorage SAs and support employees became infectious with the attendees who quickly became active participants in their own education of FBI operations and jurisdiction. In addition to informative lectures, students were provided "hands-on" activities in the area of evidence recovery, deadly force policy, bomb tech program, and the polygraph.
Attendees were sad to see the Academy end with graduation on April 21st. However, a final outdoor firearms shoot and cookout are planned for warmer days in late May.
Critiques from the students included comments such as "fabulous", "great - realistic", and "enthusiastic presentations". One attendee summed up the overall feelings of the students by saying:
"Overall, the academy cast a completely new light on your agency in my mind. It was very impressive. The individual and collective 'family' of the FBI is a fine one for all of us to move towards as a goal".