(The following will include several pictures of the academy's learning process, with substantial training-related content.)
After the physical fitness test was over, Jimmy and his fellow new recruits had to be divided into groups, combining prospective agents and intelligence analysts, to undergo the subsequent training together. This was done to enhance inter-role communication and collaboration in their future work.
FBI agents are not all-rounded hexagonal warriors; each has their own strengths. Intelligence analysts generally receive more training related to intelligence analysis, while prospective agents undergo more simulation-based combat training.
When the formal training courses began, Jimmy realized that there were not many trainees in this session. He had learned that typically, each session of FBI trainees numbered from several hundred to a thousand, with about 70-80% successfully graduating and being recruited.
This session, however, had very few trainees, just a few dozen. Compared to the usual numbers, this felt significantly fewer and made the instructors nearly outnumber the trainees.
Over the next five months, Jimmy and his session mates were to learn shooting, combat, tactical training, CQB training, driving, and other skill trainings while also taking professional courses and ethics education, among other things.
FBI agents must learn much more content than police academy students. Just understanding all of these subjects was headache-inducing. Completing all this in just five short months demanded a higher level of memory and concentration from the trainees.
Professional courses included law, ethics, behavioral science, communication and report writing, reconnaissance, intelligence, interrogation, and evidence collection. They also needed to learn practical skills and standard procedures needed for witness protection and informant protection during case handling.
The legal aspect mainly involved federal law, the United States Constitution, and legal procedures. If there were issues with the search procedures, the evidence obtained might be rejected by the court, which would be a serious problem.
Ethics education primarily focused on public protection and preventing the abuse of power. FBI agents wield extensive law enforcement authority, and without ethical limitations, this could have severe consequences for the general public, as they could arbitrarily arrest people and send them to prison.
These topics had been introduced by academy directors and counselors before the studies began to ensure everyone was adequately prepared. With so much content to cover in five months, it was clear that it would not be easy.
This was Jimmy's first time receiving professional course training. He was very diligent, and coupled with his excellent spirits and a proven good memory from his time at community college, he quickly remembered the legal content and case studies. His eagerness to learn made him a favorite among the trainers; they liked him a lot. He frequently asked questions and was hardly ever turned down.
In skill training, Jimmy's advantage wasn't as great. Firstly, in firearms, Jimmy was adept with revolvers, whereas the FBI trained with the semi-automatic Glock 19 pistol, the M4 semi-automatic rifle, and the shotgun, which was only necessary to be proficient with generally but not often used.
The standard-issue FBI weapon was the Glock 19, which honestly, was not good news for Jimmy. As a prospective agent, he had to practice his shooting keenly.
In the first firearms class, held at the indoor range, Jimmy and a dozen other trainees were lined up, with a Special Agent standing in front of them.
"Good morning, trainees. I'm Special Agent Buddy. This is your first firearms class where I'll introduce your future primary weapons and essential shooting techniques. Other agents will then guide you in shooting posture and firearm disassembly. I know many of you come from military or police backgrounds, but to ensure everyone is familiar, we all start from the same baseline.
Be aware, your mindset will inevitably change when you handle deadly weapons. The psychological pressure you feel when you hold a gun is significant and can only be mitigated through extensive training and real-world scenarios. No one else can help; it's up to you to acclimatize."
First was the Glock 19M, a special edition produced exclusively for the FBI, and it is also the standard-issue sidearm for FBI Special Agents. Each of you will receive one upon your graduation from the academy to serve as your personal sidearm.
Our training always begins with the basic safety rules:
1. Treat all firearms as if they are loaded.
2. Keep your finger off the trigger until you intend to press it.
3. Never point your gun at anyone unless there is a justified reason.
For those who have served in the military or police force, you should already be familiar with the use of firearms, but our operations as FBI agents are quite different from your previous experiences.
As FBI agents, we usually have ample time to plan our apprehension strategy, pinpoint the suspect's location, and most of our operations take place in the early morning. If you are going to arrest someone, you can almost guarantee they will be home around 5 a.m.; thus, many times it is very dark, and we use our weapons with very little light available.
In addition to normal firearms training, everyone must learn to aim and shoot with a flashlight, aim and shoot in a flashing police light environment, and learn to reload and chamber a handgun in the dark.
Given the scenarios in which we use firearms, it's very likely that a suspect will appear at a very close range. To counteract this, we sometimes have to shoot from the waist; this is also something you need to train for. After blocking the suspect with your left hand and shooting with your right hand from the waist, then you can adopt a normal shooting stance.
Other agents will subsequently train you on how to use the Glock 19M. Take your positions."
The trainees had already been grouped, and there were only about a dozen people in Jimmy's firearms class. Since previous sessions included hundreds of attendees, the special agents at the academy seemed especially numerous for this session of only a few dozen trainees, allowing these aspiring agents to enjoy one-on-one training with the academy's special agents.
Jimmy had a background in firearms and had always used the Beretta 92F; he had never used the Glock series before. The instructor training him thoroughly explained the key points and operation of the firearm, and then Jimmy began his 20-meter target practice. Thanks to his previous experience, Jimmy caught on quickly.
The trigger safety of the Glock 19M differs in location and operation from the thumb safety of the Beretta 92F. Although it was his first time using it, Jimmy found the operation of the Glock's trigger safety to be very smooth, and after practicing a few rounds, he had already adapted to Glock's two-stage trigger.
The current practice was on a 20-meter torso target; Jimmy's accuracy was decent. Judging from the sound of gunfire from the surrounding lanes, it was clear that most of his batch of trainees had a relatively good foundation. Only three or four seemed to be prospective intelligence agents, who were still familiarizing themselves with the firearms.
The FBI Academy was very generous in that they provided each person with two boxes of ammunition, not minding how much you fired. However, the only issue was that each trainee was given only one gun and one magazine, requiring them to load the ammunition themselves, which greatly limited Jimmy's experience.
The 17+1 high capacity ensured sustained firepower suppression. If there had been multiple magazines pre-loaded with ammunition, the capability for a short burst of intense firepower would definitely have surpassed that of the previously used 92F. The trigger safety also made it convenient for them to draw the gun from the holster and fire immediately, without needing to operate another safety mechanism. Since the beginning of the 21st century, nearly half of the police departments in the United States have started to switch to Glocks as standard issue sidearms, based on these advantages.