FBI pushing for more diverse special agents with recruiting event

BROOKFIELD, Wis. (CBS 58) -- The FBI's Milwaukee field office is trying to recruit new special agents to better represent the communities they serve.

Wednesday night, on Sept. 7, the Bureau held a diversity recruitment event to share more information about how the process works.

Presenters were open about the sacrifices required, but added the reward of serving their country is worth it.

Michael Hensle is the Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Milwaukee Field Office. He said, "Any type of person that's interested, who has the aptitude and desire to protect the American people, that's who we're looking for."

More than 50 people attended the event, interested in becoming the FBI's next special agents.

For three hours, current special agents talked to applicants about how to best position themselves to succeed, what the job entails and what's required of them.

It's part of a bureau-wide effort to broaden diversity within the ranks.

Jennifer Moore is the Executive Assistant Director of the FBI's Human Resources Branch. She told the potential applicants, "We are not the Bureau that we want to be. We want to be more diverse in gender, race, and in our cultural differences."

Moore is one of the highest-ranking women in the Bureau. She flew in from Washington D.C. to speak at the recruiting event.

She said, "We're looking for real people, to come fill real positions, and talk to the real people of our country. And we have to have that diversity to be successful."

Applicants will need to pass aptitude tests, face-to-face reviews, physical fitness tests and background checks, all before making it to the 20-week basic field training course at Quantico, Virginia.

But the recruitment efforts come amid a major uptick in threats against federal authorities, particularly after the FBI's search of Mar-a-Lago.

But Special Agent in Charge Hensle says special agents won't be deterred from focusing on their mission. "We're always concerned when there's potential threats to FBI employees, and we do a great job of mitigating them by understanding those threats and working with our local law enforcement partners. As well as use intelligence we have to make sure those type of threats don't impact our people."

Anyone interested in applying did not have to attend the Wednesday evening session; the recruitment process is open year-round.

More information can be found here.