Olliette Murry-Drobot, Executive Director of the Family Safety Center, was our speaker for the March member meeting. Olliette is a 2014 graduate of the FBI Memphis Citizens Academy. She spoke on the timely topic of domestic violence and the great work of the Family Safety Center to help families and individuals who are victims. Civil, criminal, health, and social services are provided to victims of domestic abuse all in one location, making support and aid to victims more accessible. This in turn will hopefully encourage and make it easier for victims to leave abusive situations. The center strives to help victims understand how domestic violence slowly erodes their control over their own lives. In addition the Center strives to educate the public and make them more aware of the signs of abuse and how they can help victims and educate the public on how domestic violence impacts our community.
Amtrak Train Day in May at the Central Train Station brought many families and individuals out to learn about freight and passenger trains and to tour the Memphis Railroad and Trolley Museum. Locomotive cabs were open for tours and model trains were set up for viewing. Booths were set up for learning about railroad crossing safety and the role of the railroad police. Children of all ages attended with their parents or grandparents giving our chapter the opportunity to pass out child ID kits from COMEC (Commission on Missing and Exploited Children) and to hand out brochures about the FBI’s Child ID App. Parents, grandparents, and teenagers were glad to get brochures on the dangers of club drugs and the Drug Slang Dictionary as well as other safety information.
A member meeting was also held during May. Nashville ASAC Jeffrey Peterson spoke about “Bunker Boy" the case about the kidnapping and rescue of 5 year old Ethan Gilman from an extremely small underground bunker in Dothan, Alabama. The bunker entry way and shaft had been lined with traps designed to set off bombs. Communication at first was through a PVC pipe. Later the FBI was able to secretly slip a camera inside the bunker to constantly monitor what was going on inside. ASAC Peterson served on the team at FBI HQ headquarters who managed the national level response and advised the decision makers who deployed resources and ultimately made the final decision to assault the bunker. The team interacted multiple times every day with the field management team in Alabama during the 6 day hostage situation via VTC and worked around the clock to find a resolution. The presentation detailed the lengthy planning the kidnapper made and the elaborate set up on his property he used to try and successfully carry out his plan. The presentation also showed the superior work and dedication of many FBI agents and employees to successfully rescue Ethan with the only casualty being the kidnapper.
Twice we had opportunities for our alumni association members to be role players for active shooter training. The Memphis FBI SWAT team and HRT from Quantico, along with local law enforcement SWAT teams practiced on their tactics to respond to active shooters in various locations and situations. Role players were assigned duties as injured victims, fleeing victims, hostages, and in some cases extra active shooters. Those who were able to participate had fun, learned how to respond to an active shooter themselves, and were glad to provide support for law enforcement.
Our member meeting was held at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. RAC Fred Winston told us the history of the bureau and how they interact with other law enforcement agencies. One highlight was learning how the agency traces guns used in criminal activities.
The Memphis FBI Citizens Academy began in September. The Alumni Association provided meals for each night of the class and spent time getting to know the attendees at each class.
The Alumni Association attended Range Day with the Citizens Academy and provided lunch afterwards for the class. The Citizens Academy graduation was held in October. Graduation plaques and lapel pins were provided by the Alumni Association for each graduate.
Our annual alumnus meeting was held this month to recap the events of 2015, to update the members on our upcoming plans, and to order FBICAAA shirts and jackets.
