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FBI Offers Teen Academy for High School Students in El Paso

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El Paso area high school students can peek behind the scenes of the FBI during their next Teen Academy.

Hosted by the El Paso Field Office, the Teen Academy, the event is open to all 10th-12th grade students enrolled in accredited high schools, whether public, private, or homeschooled.

The program runs from June 12-16, 2023, from 8:30 a.m. to Noon daily.

The purpose of the FBI Teen Academy is to provide a greater understanding of the mission of the FBI and its role in serving the citizens, community, and nation as a whole Participants will learn about various investigative tactics, including how evidence is gathered at crime scenes, interviewing witnesses, discover how FBI SWAT executes arrests; learn about terrorism, civil rights, crimes against children, and cyber programs; as well as job opportunities and requirements. Providing students with a distinctive look into the inner workings of the FBI, they will learn Special Agents, Intelligence Analysts, Language Specialists, and Professional Staff.

Regardless of their background, the application process is open to all students. Students are evaluated based on school activities, community involvement, and a supporting essay.

The listed items are not the exclusive basis for determining a seat in the class.

The application, release form, and essay must be submitted by 5 p.m. on May 19, 2023, to the Field Office email, fbi_ep_outreach@fbi.gov.

This event is a unique opportunity for high school students in El Paso to learn about the mission of the FBI and its methods and opportunities. Houston to learn about the FBI’s mission, methods, and opportunities.

Only complete applications sent by the deadline can be accepted.

The application and more information are available here: https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/elpaso/community-outreach

What is Sextortion | SAC Jeffrey Downey, FBI El Paso

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When we were all kids, our parents would tell us not to open the door to strangers, but in today’s world, that door is everywhere: computers, tablets, gaming systems, and cellphones.

Sextortion is a form of child sexual exploitation when a child has shared an image with someone, they thought they knew or trusted, but in many cases, they are targeted by an individual they met online who obtained a sexual image from the child through deceit, coercion, or some other method. The individuals then threaten or blackmail to release the photos publicly if they don’t get additional sexual content, sexual activity or money from the child.

Sextortion can start on any online environment where young people feel most comfortable—using common social media sites, gaming sites, or video chat applications that feel familiar and safe.

The FBI has also seen an increase in financial sextortion cases targeting minor victims in the U.S. In these social environments, online predators often use fake female accounts and target minor males between 14 to 17 years old, but the FBI has interviewed victims as young as 10 years old. 

In financial sextortion, the offender threatens to release the compromising sexual material unless the victim sends money and/or gift cards. The amount requested varies, and the offender often releases the victim’s sexually explicit material regardless of whether or not they receive payment. This increasing threat has resulted in an alarming number of deaths by suicide.

What if you or your child is a victim? 

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) has outlined steps parents and young people can take if they or their child are a victim of sextortion, including:  

  • Remember, the predator is to blame, not your child or you. 
  • Get help before deciding whether to pay money or otherwise comply with the predator. Cooperating or paying rarely stops the blackmail and continued harassment. 
  • Report the predator’s account via the platform’s safety feature. 
  • Block the predator and do not delete the profile or messages because that can be helpful to law enforcement in identifying and stopping them. 
  • Let NCMEC help get explicit images of you off the internet. 
  • Visit missingkids.org/IsYourExplicitContentOutThere to learn how to notify companies yourself or visit cybertipline.org to report for help with the process. 
  • Ask for help. This can be a very complex problem and may require help from adults or law enforcement. 
  • If you don’t feel that you have adults in your corner, you can reach out to NCMEC for support at gethelp@ncmec.org or call NCMEC at 1-800-THE-LOST. 
  • Take a moment to learn how sextortion works and how to talk to your children about it. Information, resources, and conversation guides are available at fbi.gov/sextortion.  

If this has happened to you or your child, it may feel overwhelming or like there is no way out, but there is hope. Our agents see these cases a lot and have helped thousands of young people. Our goals are to stop the harassment, arrest the person behind the crime, and help you or your child get the support you need. Talking about this can feel impossible, but please remember this, we are here to help, call us (915) 832-5000.

Jeffrey R. Downey

Special Agent in Charge, FBI El Paso

Black Community Leaders Roundtable with the FBI

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Join us for our quarterly Black Community Leaders Roundtable with the FBI. Attendees are given information to share with members of their communities. This month the topic is Crimes Against Children and Sextortion. Find out how you can assist with keeping our youth safe. If you are a part of an organization, church, or just a community member who would like to attend, please sign up. Seating is limited. Location is given to attendees after signing up. For more information, email monica@blackelpasovoice.com.

El Paso Community College: Black History Month Events

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EPCC Diversity and Inclusion and the BHM Committee would like to invite you to their Black History Month events.
For more information visit:  https://www.epcc.edu/Services/Diversity
The D&I team and BHM committee members were happy to receive the El Paso County Resolution and City Proclamation honoring Black History Month in February. #EPCCpride #epcdiversity #BlackHistoryMonth #blackelpasovoice #elpasotexas #ElPasoCommunityCollege

MLK El Paso Statement on Shootings in Buffalo, NY

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The shooting of thirteen innocent individuals last Saturday in Buffalo, New York, is another example of the seemingly endless violence committed against people of color in our country daily.  A volatile combination of assault weapon accessibility, misguided ideologies of hate, domestic terrorism, and tactics of white genocide adopted by an eighteen-year-old resulted in the deaths of ten Blacks and three wounded.  The teenager accused of killing Blacks in the Buffalo supermarket massacre posted a rambling white supremacist manifesto that spewed a racist philosophy and outlined step-by-step plans to exterminate Blacks in the U.S.

On behalf of the El Paso MLK Committee, we offer our sincere condolences to the families of the victims of this horrific tragedy. We pray that God will strengthen, encourage, and uplift you during this extremely difficult time. 

As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stated, “Hate begets hate; violence begets violence; toughness begets a greater toughness.”  We pray the El Paso Community will continue to align itself with local law enforcement agencies, faith-based groups, school administrators, school districts, parents, organizations, and entrepreneurs to eradicate the threat of violence.

Humbly submitted,

Bishop Albert J. Mays, Jr., MA. ED, ED (c), D.D.

President

MLK Committee