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Philadelphia Community Outreach


Special Agents explain aspects of a career as an FBI special agent to students.Philadelphia, like each of the FBI’s local field offices, has a community outreach program that complements and strengthens our many efforts to protect you, your businesses, and your families in concrete ways through a range of activities and initiatives.



Our recent activities include:

  • We recently awarded our annual Director's Community Leadership Award to Barbara Bridge, Vice President of Real Estate and Public Affairs, Clear Channel Outdoor. Our work with Ms. Bridge led to the creation of the FBI Digital Billboard Campaign, which has since become a national partnership between the FBI and Clear Channel Outdoor. We also awarded the Citizens’ Crime Commission with the Director’s Community Leadership Award for its commitment to the FBI’s Step Up, Speak Up campaign, which strengthens our partnerships in addressing violent crime in the area.

  • On March 11, 2008, we welcomed our latest Citizens' Academy, bringing together a cross section of 25 community leaders to learn firsthand about our operations and programs, not only demystifying our work but creating new contacts and channels for working together and sharing information. We plan to begin our next Citizens’ Academy in March 2009.

  • In 1995, the Philadelphia Division became the second major office to host a Citizens' Academy. Each year we select a variety of community, civic, faith-based, media, and religious leaders to participate in this eight-week program. Participants receive hands-on presentations on field investigations and on the FBI's mission, policies, programs, and procedures, along with other demonstrations. If you would like to nominate an individual for participation in next year's class, please contact Community Outreach Specialists Natosha R. Gale or Tanya L. Jeter at (215) 418-4381 or (215) 418-4382, respectively.

  • The Philadelphia Division recently hosted its first Multi-Cultural Advisory Committee for area ethnic, religious, and cultural leaders. The purpose of the advisory committee is to open a dialogue with these leaders on key issues so that FBI Philadelphia leadership and FBI Headquarters community relations experts better understand local communities. Committee members meet quarterly to discuss topics of interest and to learn about our mission, protocol, and procedures.

Among our other ongoing efforts:

  • Hosting town hall meetings with various members of the community as needed to dialogue on key issues;

  • Working with our area’s youth to share important life skills and hosting a Youth Academy Program for young people each year;

  • Holding Community Relations Executive Seminar Training (CREST) sessions for community groups to improve the flow of information so that local crime problems and issues can be better addressed together;

  • Sending our special agents and outreach specialists into schools, businesses, and civic meetings to explain emerging crime and security threats and to provide specific advice on how to prevent being victimized by these threats;

  • Supporting the graduates of our Citizens’ Academies, who often band together in local alumni chapters to create crime prevention programs and other initiatives that benefit communities;

  • Serving on committees and boards for businesses, schools, community groups, and social and health services and launching drives to bring food, gifts, and toys to the less fortunate during the holidays and other times of the year;

  • Encouraging students to become more aware of cyber safety through FBI Safe Online Surfing (SOS) contests;

  • Partnering with the American Football Coaches Association and its National Child Identification Program to distribute Child ID kits at football games and other events.

Visit our national In Your Community website for more information about our overall outreach efforts and our work in other local FBI offices.