The FBI plans to make it easier for existing employees to become agents, removing two long-standing steps in vetting applicants as the bureau faces a staffing crunch under President Donald Trump’s administration, according to two people familiar with the move.
FBI Director Kash Patel is expected to eliminate a requirement that support staff already working in the FBI who apply to become special agents sit for an interview and complete a writing assessment.
Instead, existing employees who pass a written exam through an online portal will be able to go directly to the FBI academy in Quantico, Virginia for new agent training, according to Jeff Crocker, a retired FBI supervisory special agent and another person briefed on the changes, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter.
Crocker and the other person said the moves would lower the FBI’s recruiting standards, given that they will eliminate vetting steps during which applicants are assessed on their life experiences, public speaking abilities and critical thinking skills. The applicants are questioned by a panel of three agents who undergo training on how to screen candidates, according to Crocker, who vetted special agent applicants during his more than 20-year career in the FBI.
The previously unreported changes have not yet been announced widely within the FBI, said this person and Crocker.
An FBI spokesperson, Ben Williamson, did not dispute the process would be changed but denied that the bureau is “lowering standards or removing qualifications in any way.” Williamson said existing personnel will still need a recommendation from an FBI division leader and pass the “rigorous training program at Quantico” to become special agents.