Courtesy Photo | NORFOLK, Va. – Mary Dean – a Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency...... read more read more
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NORFOLK, Va. – Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) Senior Industrial Security Representative Mary Dean was looking forward to meeting FBI Director Christopher Wray while accepting a Letter of Appreciation on behalf of the Norfolk Citizens Academy Alumni Association (FBINORCAAA) on Feb. 15.
Dean – who works out of the DCSA Virginia Beach Field Office – was surprised to be sent a personal invitation to the event where Wray would address members of the press during a media availability at the FBI Norfolk Field Office.
Everything went according to plan with one exception. Wray personally presented the DCSA employee with an FBI letter of appreciation.
“I was intending to be with others from our chapter to accept a certificate of appreciation for the chapter, but upon arrival, was pleasantly surprised with an individual certificate for exceptional service in the public interest,” said Dean, who serves as the FBINORCAAA vice president. “I was happy to meet Director Wray personally and see that the director of the FBI is acknowledging the work that the chapter puts forth each year to serve the community and to aid the FBI in any way they need. I am but a very small part of an amazing group of people who serve the community. The director was very approachable and I enjoyed being able to meet and talk with him.”
Wray also presented a certificate of recognition to the FBI Norfolk CAAA as a whole in front of the media.
“Strong partnerships are essential to the Bureau’s mission, and building bridges between law enforcement and the communities we’re sworn to serve and protect is crucial to fulfill that mission,” said Wray. “We all have the same goal – to keep our communities safe. And the best way to do that is by working together.”
The FBI Norfolk CAAA is a non-profit, volunteer organization that works in partnership with the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office on community outreach programs promoting safety and security across the Hampton Roads region.
Moreover, Dean and her FBI Norfolk CAAA colleagues – representing diverse walks of life and professions from accountants and attorneys to social workers and hotel managers – are considered official ambassadors of the FBI to support its outreach efforts through education, events, and community service programs that improve public safety.
“Our members provide great resources to provide help and assistance to the FBI and the community,” said Dean, regarding FBINORCAAA’s staff of about 120 volunteers. “Over the past few years we have actually been even more outward facing than in the past. For example, in the aftermath of the mass shooting at the Virginia Beach municipal center, we were very active to ensure meals and supplies were provided to the FBI and other law enforcement and service entities that had to spend hours and hours processing that tragic event.”
As the organization’s vice president, Dean was part of the FBINORCAAA’s efforts to assist the FBI and local law enforcement in the aftermath of the Walmart shooting in Chesapeake, Va., by providing meals and supplies as needed.
“We have an incident response team that works on responding to catastrophic events,” said Dean. “Food and other supplies are needed and we make sure they get there and our coverage spans greater Hampton Roads all the way up to Eastern Shore.”
Dean, has been active in the organization’s Law Enforcement Symposium since transferring to the Norfolk chapter in 2018. She is one of the leads in efforts to plan and host the symposium for local law enforcement to obtain Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services continuing education credits necessary to maintain their certifications.
“We do things as simple as helping with the massive Mayflower marathon food drive that hits both sides of the peninsula each fall. We supply manpower to help collect food and make boxes for families in need,” said Dean. “The Norfolk CAAA educates in combatting and preventing human trafficking by giving presentations to the public. We also work alongside the FBI by adding extra hands in an annual event called Future Agents in Training for high school students considering a possible career with the FBI. The students are put through a program that is almost like a mini-academy, which includes running the students through the FBI physical test that they would have to pass when applying to be an agent.”
The FBI Norfolk CAAA volunteers are graduates of the FBI Citizens Academy, an eight week program that gives business, religious, civic and community leaders an inside look at the FBI. Upon graduation, they provide the services and response to incidents that Dean cited as well as the following services to promote safety and security:
• Providing public education programs to raise awareness of community safety issues such as cybercrime, violent extremism, drugs, terrorism, gang activity, public corruption and other criminal activities.
• Equipping Hampton Roads citizens with information, tools and resources to address public safety issues such as opioid addiction, hate crimes, online scams, human trafficking, and active shooter situations.
• Hosting symposiums and events that facilitate collaborative relationships among federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies in Hampton Roads, and promote positive community and law enforcement relationships.
• Supporting FBI sponsored outreach and information programs to community citizens, businesses, religious organizations, government agencies, and other individuals and organizations vital to the Hampton Roads region.
“I do it for the same reason I’m an ISR (Industrial Security Representative) at DCSA - it's for our nation and our communities and that's what we do,” said Dean, a 2013 graduate from the Richmond FBI citizens Academy. “We conduct a lot of educational and training events for the public on how to protect themselves, protect our nation and protect their communities.”
The FBI Norfolk Citizens Academy Alumni Association is part of the FBI National CAAA, an organization that joins together more than 42,000 community and business leaders who are dedicated to making our neighborhoods safer and serving as volunteers in 60 chapters around the nation, all comprised of those who graduated from a FBI’s Citizens Academy program.
• The FBI Norfolk Citizens Academy Alumni Association is a nonprofit organization separate and apart from the FBI.
| Date Taken: | 03.22.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 03.22.2023 14:43 |
| Story ID: | 440957 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 384 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, FBI Director Recognizes DCSA Senior Industrial Security Representative for ‘Exceptional Service’, by John Joyce, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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