 |  |  |  |  |  |  |
COMMERCIAL INVESTIGATIONS LLC
By Michelle Pyan, President,
Commercial Investigations LLC
This fall I had the opportunity to participate in the FBI’s Citizens’ Academy. I was very excited to have been nominated and chosen to
attend the Academy.
“Participants of the Citizens’ Academy are chosen by the Special Agent in Charge of the local FBI field office. Candidates may be
nominated by FBI employees or members of the National Citizens’ Academy Alumni Association.”
“What is the FBI Citizens’ Academy? The Citizens’ Academy is a stimulating eight-week (10-session) program that gives business,
religious, civic and community leaders an inside look at the FBI.”
“The goals and objectives of the Citizens’ Academy are:
(Quotes from the FBI Citizens’ Academy brochure.)
It was one of the most interesting educational experiences I’ve had. The Academy met one night a week for three hours. The FBI
packed a lot of information into those sessions.
Some highlights included:
Here are some interesting things I learned while attending the Academy:
Polygraph
The polygraph session covered the three possible outcomes of a polygraph exam:
1. No Deception Indicated
2. Inconclusive
3. Deception Indicated
The outcome is determined by reading the five lines on the report. The five lines are measures of:
1. Sweat gland activity
2. Blood pressure
3. Breathing (line one – Note: two lines measure breathing)
4. Breathing (line two)
5. Movement (which is gauged through a “butt pad”)
The polygraph is a tool used to determine if it supports other evidence collected in a case.
Hogan’s Alley
Hogan’s Alley is the name of the FBI’s training complex at Quantico (their training headquarters). Citizens’ Academy Alumni are offered
the opportunity to tour Quantico and see Hogan’s Alley. Here’s an interesting fact, the “Bank of Hogan” is the most robbed bank in the
US.
K9 Program
The K9 program is fairly new to the FBI. They utilize a Scent Transfer Unit (which is basically a dust buster vacuum with a porcelain
attachment). The unit vacuums the scent into a gauze pad. This preserves the evidence for other testing and provides a means to
transfer the scent to other locations and to the dogs.
The program utilizes bloodhounds and chocolate labs. The bloodhounds are trained to follow scent. The chocolate labs can tell if the
particular odor was ever in a particular location. This is referred to as scent discrimination. Therefore, there are distinct uses for each
breed of dog and most of the time both breeds are used to develop evidence in a case.
Evidence Response Team
The evidence response team showed us that various light sources reveal evidence by using a bedspread from a hotel that revealed
body fluids. They also showed us how they make print molds (e.g. tire prints and footprints) and reveal fingerprints using superglue in
an airtight container (yes, just like the lab in CSI).
Crimes Against Children
Probably the most engrossing session for the majority of attendees was Crimes Against Children. We watched a live demonstration
where a Rensselaer County Sheriffs Deputy went online undercover as a 14 year old female. It took less than four minutes of
conversation with a much older man for it to be revealed that the man was interested in having sex with the “14 year old girl.” I was
awestruck at how quickly and boldly the man indicated what he wanted.
Weapons of Mass Destruction
A weapon of mass destruction can be any of the following:
A destructive device
Toxic or poisonous chemicals
A disease organism
Radiation or radioactivity
To actually be considered a weapon of mass destruction the intent of use is crucial. A threat assessment is necessary to determine if
one of the above is in fact a weapon of mass destruction.
The threat assessment looks at the following three items:
Technical Feasibility
Behavioral Resolve
Operational Practicality
Defensive Tactics
One of the four main areas of concentration for an agent attending FBI training classes at Quantico is defensive tactics. These are
essentially self defense maneuvers. At the Citizens’ Academy we observed a defensive tactics demonstration. Some of my Academy
colleagues were unfortunate enough to be chosen to participate.
It was amazing to have the opportunity to spend so much time with FBI Agents and FBI Civilian Employees. They are amazing
individuals who are extremely passionate about what they do. I look forward to participating in the National FBI Citizens’ Academy
Alumni Association and my visit to Quantico.
***
Tips learned at the FBI Citizens’ Academy
www.netlingo.com is a useful site to learn the meaning of today’s popular acronyms, especially those used in text messaging (parents
may wish to check out the Top 50 Internet Acronyms Every Parent Should Know).
www.limewire.com is a file sharing site that is used heavily by kids (parents may wish to check their child’s computer for the free
software which is required to file share).
***
Interesting Facts from the FBI Citizens’ Academy
A drop email account is when two or more users know the account access information and they compose emails to share information
with other account users and save them as drafts, thus, no emails are ever sent, the other users simply access the drafts.
There is no legal jurisdiction for “sexual orientation” in Civil Rights cases. Civil Rights cases are motivated by bias which is based on
race, religion, ethnicity/national origin or disability.
Commercial Investigations LLC
This fall I had the opportunity to participate in the FBI’s Citizens’ Academy. I was very excited to have been nominated and chosen to
attend the Academy.
“Participants of the Citizens’ Academy are chosen by the Special Agent in Charge of the local FBI field office. Candidates may be
nominated by FBI employees or members of the National Citizens’ Academy Alumni Association.”
“What is the FBI Citizens’ Academy? The Citizens’ Academy is a stimulating eight-week (10-session) program that gives business,
religious, civic and community leaders an inside look at the FBI.”
“The goals and objectives of the Citizens’ Academy are:
- To increase pubic awareness about the FBI, its mission, its activities, and its people;
- To provide an avenue for the FBI to hear and respond to community issues and concerns; and
- To strengthen relationships and improve understanding between the FBI and the communities it serves.
(Quotes from the FBI Citizens’ Academy brochure.)
It was one of the most interesting educational experiences I’ve had. The Academy met one night a week for three hours. The FBI
packed a lot of information into those sessions.
Some highlights included:
- a tour of the FBI’s Albany Office
- viewing the gun vault and hands-on inspection of weapons
- a polygraph demonstration
- participation in firearms training exercises
- evidence response team demonstrations
- crimes against children demonstration
- weapons of mass destruction presentation
- defensive tactics
- and much more.
Here are some interesting things I learned while attending the Academy:
Polygraph
The polygraph session covered the three possible outcomes of a polygraph exam:
1. No Deception Indicated
2. Inconclusive
3. Deception Indicated
The outcome is determined by reading the five lines on the report. The five lines are measures of:
1. Sweat gland activity
2. Blood pressure
3. Breathing (line one – Note: two lines measure breathing)
4. Breathing (line two)
5. Movement (which is gauged through a “butt pad”)
The polygraph is a tool used to determine if it supports other evidence collected in a case.
Hogan’s Alley
Hogan’s Alley is the name of the FBI’s training complex at Quantico (their training headquarters). Citizens’ Academy Alumni are offered
the opportunity to tour Quantico and see Hogan’s Alley. Here’s an interesting fact, the “Bank of Hogan” is the most robbed bank in the
US.
K9 Program
The K9 program is fairly new to the FBI. They utilize a Scent Transfer Unit (which is basically a dust buster vacuum with a porcelain
attachment). The unit vacuums the scent into a gauze pad. This preserves the evidence for other testing and provides a means to
transfer the scent to other locations and to the dogs.
The program utilizes bloodhounds and chocolate labs. The bloodhounds are trained to follow scent. The chocolate labs can tell if the
particular odor was ever in a particular location. This is referred to as scent discrimination. Therefore, there are distinct uses for each
breed of dog and most of the time both breeds are used to develop evidence in a case.
Evidence Response Team
The evidence response team showed us that various light sources reveal evidence by using a bedspread from a hotel that revealed
body fluids. They also showed us how they make print molds (e.g. tire prints and footprints) and reveal fingerprints using superglue in
an airtight container (yes, just like the lab in CSI).
Crimes Against Children
Probably the most engrossing session for the majority of attendees was Crimes Against Children. We watched a live demonstration
where a Rensselaer County Sheriffs Deputy went online undercover as a 14 year old female. It took less than four minutes of
conversation with a much older man for it to be revealed that the man was interested in having sex with the “14 year old girl.” I was
awestruck at how quickly and boldly the man indicated what he wanted.
Weapons of Mass Destruction
A weapon of mass destruction can be any of the following:
A destructive device
Toxic or poisonous chemicals
A disease organism
Radiation or radioactivity
To actually be considered a weapon of mass destruction the intent of use is crucial. A threat assessment is necessary to determine if
one of the above is in fact a weapon of mass destruction.
The threat assessment looks at the following three items:
Technical Feasibility
Behavioral Resolve
Operational Practicality
Defensive Tactics
One of the four main areas of concentration for an agent attending FBI training classes at Quantico is defensive tactics. These are
essentially self defense maneuvers. At the Citizens’ Academy we observed a defensive tactics demonstration. Some of my Academy
colleagues were unfortunate enough to be chosen to participate.
It was amazing to have the opportunity to spend so much time with FBI Agents and FBI Civilian Employees. They are amazing
individuals who are extremely passionate about what they do. I look forward to participating in the National FBI Citizens’ Academy
Alumni Association and my visit to Quantico.
***
Tips learned at the FBI Citizens’ Academy
www.netlingo.com is a useful site to learn the meaning of today’s popular acronyms, especially those used in text messaging (parents
may wish to check out the Top 50 Internet Acronyms Every Parent Should Know).
www.limewire.com is a file sharing site that is used heavily by kids (parents may wish to check their child’s computer for the free
software which is required to file share).
***
Interesting Facts from the FBI Citizens’ Academy
A drop email account is when two or more users know the account access information and they compose emails to share information
with other account users and save them as drafts, thus, no emails are ever sent, the other users simply access the drafts.
There is no legal jurisdiction for “sexual orientation” in Civil Rights cases. Civil Rights cases are motivated by bias which is based on
race, religion, ethnicity/national origin or disability.
News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Michelle Pyan, Commercial Investigations LLC President
518-271-7546
michellepyan@commercialinvestigationsllc.com
Michelle Pyan, Commercial Investigations LLC President
518-271-7546
michellepyan@commercialinvestigationsllc.com
| THE FBI CITIZENS' ACADEMY |
COMMERCIAL INVESTIGATIONS LLC (CI), a full service licensed private investigative agency, offers thorough
and affordable employment BACKGROUND INVESTIGATIONS. CI provides accurate, timely, cost effective and
fully compliant reports supported by high standards of customer service. CI also offers consulting services to
assist organizations with reviewing and auditing their BACKGROUND INVESTIGATIONS processes for compliance,
effectiveness and efficiency. CI provides the PROACTIVE TRUTHTM regarding applicants, thereby reducing
turnover and limiting exposure to civil liability.
and affordable employment BACKGROUND INVESTIGATIONS. CI provides accurate, timely, cost effective and
fully compliant reports supported by high standards of customer service. CI also offers consulting services to
assist organizations with reviewing and auditing their BACKGROUND INVESTIGATIONS processes for compliance,
effectiveness and efficiency. CI provides the PROACTIVE TRUTHTM regarding applicants, thereby reducing
turnover and limiting exposure to civil liability.
DATE: DECEMBER 2007