Report: Women Trainees Faced Extra Obstacles in FBI Training
Women recruits faced more obstacles and a more hostile training environment than men at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Training Center in Quantico, Virginia, according to a new report from the Department of Justice (DOJ) Inspector General.
The report studied gender equity at the Basic Field Training Center (BFTC) from 2015 to 2020 for both New Agent Trainees (NAT) and New Intelligence Analyst Trainees (NIAT). It found that while graduation rates were “generally equitable,” female New Agent Trainees received a “disproportionate number of dismissals and negative tactical training evaluations.”
In fact, women accounted for 46 percent of NATs dismissed, although they represented just 25 percent of the training class.
In addition, 50 percent of female survey respondents said, “instructors told sexist stories or jokes,” while just 20 percent of male respondents reported hearing such remarks.
“Creating and maintaining a training environment free from bias is critical to ensuring equal opportunities for all new FBI Agents and Intelligence Analysts,” said DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz.
Female respondents also spoke of inconsistent instruction, particularly in tactical training. Nearly 45 percent of female survey respondents say they were evaluated differently because of their gender.
The report also pointed out that women are “substantially underrepresented as tactical and defensive tactics instructors.”
The Practical Applications Unit had one female out of 34 instructors and the Physical Training Unit had one female out of 13 instructors.
The report says, “Having more female instructors would have a positive effect on training for men and women by creating an environment in which [new agent trainees] feel more comfortable approaching and receiving instruction and feedback from a variety of instructors.”
The Inspector General (IG) gave seven recommendations to the FBI, which the FBI says it agrees with.
The report was prompted by lawmakers of both parties after the FBI was sued in 2019 for gender discrimination at the training academy. That lawsuit is still pending in a district court. The lawsuit was not reviewed as part of the IG’s report.