FBI research for a novel

Sorry, no leads - - but have you tried the X-Files?

Have you checked the internet under criminal investigations, criminal profiling? Lots of info to be found there. Amazon.com has books written by former agents also.

How about the obvious...going to their web site and looking for public information?

http://www.fbi.gov/pressroom.htm

/sarcasm

FBI

The best resource I've found for researching the FBI is the FBI. For look around then internet, then check their website, then get your questions in order.

And then call the FBI. Tell them what you need. I've called the Navy Seals, the FBI, the CIA, and several other places. Maybe I give great phone, but I've never been turned away.

Yep, I agree with Jamesarchie. I called the FBI for my novel. They were totally nice.

Oh, and what else is good is some politics nerd that works for homeland security or the NSC or any DC think tank related to US defense. Its not hard to get crapped on passed over beurocrats to talk about themselves. They love feeling like someone respects their brain.

Oh, really?
Those "crapped on passed over beurocrats" hold the security of this country in their hands. You better respect their brains!
Geez, what a crappy statement to make....

Believe it or not, there's an FBI For Dummies book and it's full of useful information.

?

"Oh, really?
Those "crapped on passed over beurocrats" hold the security of this country in their hands. You better respect their brains!
Geez, what a crappy statement to make...."

Ummm, ok. Do you know anyone that works in DC or in beurocracy?

Seriously, grow up.

Seriously, learn to spell.

Yes, I took your comments personally. I do have immediate family who works in one of the agencies you mentioned.

ok

Saundra Julian said:

Yes, I took your comments personally. I do have immediate family who works in one of the agencies you mentioned.

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So what? Beurocrat jobs arent the most fun, what can you do? Their higher ups are generally a PIA. I have no idea why my comment would offend you since its a comment about the nature of beurocracy not the ineptitude of beurocrats.

And the learn to spell comment, lord, could you be more generic and unoriginal?

OMG, someone said something less than sunny about this organization my immediate family member works for! I'm sooo personally offended! LOL, grow up honey!

Was a user name ever more inaccurate?

The original question was how to get info on the FBI, not a discussion on the work habits of federal employees.

You've claimed to be a Harvard grad, the child of very wealthy people, and now that an immediate family member works for the FBI. I'm skeptical of all those claims.

Jamesaritchie said:

Maybe I give great phone, but I've never been turned away.

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Lol! What a way to put it. But I'll second that. I've a homicide chief in Virginia wrapped around my little finger. I've called zoos, dog breeders, septic and excavation experts, nurseries. Staright to the source - the only way to go.

Jamesaritchie said:

Maybe I give great phone, but I've never been turned away.

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I think the willingness to help is because professionals have an opportunity to be a source of valuable information and see that their profession and/or knowledge base is represented accurately.

On a personal level, nothing spoils a good submission more than an author who hasn't done their research. It sticks out like a sore thumb.

Any chance there's an image online of the main lobby of the FBI HQ? One of my characters works there, and I doubt the FBI will be too keen on sharing floor plans, but describing the lobby well enough would probably suffice for realism.

nicegrrl said:

And the learn to spell comment, lord, could you be more generic and unoriginal?

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I don't believe the comment was intended to be hurtful or sarcastic, Nicegrrl. If you use the term "bureaucrat" several times to make a point, it helps your position if it's spelled correctly. Everyone makes mistakes when writing. Letters are transposed and typos abound, and in my case, I leave words out of sentences altogether.

I've found a simple way to correct most mistakes before posting is to copy and paste my reply to a Word document. Whatever mistakes I find, I correct prior to posting. It only takes an extra minute or so, but it's a habit that's helped me catch hundreds of spelling errors. You'll want to keep this a secret, though, so folks will believe you are the reigning Spelling Bee Queen of all time.

(As a side note, when I ran this post through Word just now, I found only one typo, but it was frightful: I misspelled the word "spelled.")

Nicegrrl, a general sneer thrown for no other reason than to sound superior to "some politics nerd...<snip&> crapped on passed over beurocrats" is likely to draw fire. Lots of people do boring, underappreciated jobs to keep the bills paid. It was a crappy comment laden with bratty attitude, which is fine, if you can take the heat and spell it correctly from the get go. If you can't, it's brattiness and sniveling.

I know a lot of people who work for the government, in both elected and appointed positions, in and out of D.C. The vast majority of them are honest, hard-working, passionate people who care very much about what they're doing.

I've met a couple of presidents, and vice-Presidnets, many senators, FBI agents, on and on. I've even work with the DEA, and once for another, somewhat more clandestine agency. I've even received personal Christmas and birthday cards from one President.

I also know quite a number of people who work for Homeland Security, the NSA, and the CIA, not to mention a couple of governors.

The is such a thing as a crapped on, passed over bureaucrat, but they're the ones you don't want to talk to, and I don't know any of them who work for Homeland Security.

Sounds like you need to actually get out of the house and meet some real people with real jobs.

And teh spelling comment may be generic and unoriginal, but it still applies. It's real difficult to take anyone seriously who can't spell, and who doesn't know when to use "that," and when to use "who."

How can anyone take your comments about bureaucrats and bureaucracy seriously when you can't spell either word?

nicegrrl said:

"Oh, really?
Those "crapped on passed over beurocrats" hold the security of this country in their hands. You better respect their brains!
Geez, what a crappy statement to make...."

Ummm, ok. Do you know anyone that works in DC or in beurocracy?

Seriously, grow up.

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Rhonda ... my writing partner is a good old fashioned retired Washington DC Fed ... If you send me your e mail addy I will ask him to contact you. Since he's a writer himself and has written FBI scenes in his books, he is the guy to talk to. Persi ...