The writer, an FBI agent for 31 years, retired as resident agent in charge of the Ann Arbor office in 2006. He has a law degree from the University of Nebraska College of Law. He is the author of "FBI Case Files Michigan: Tales of a G-Man."
By Greg Stejskal
ICE shooting in Minneapolis
Last week, a woman was shot and killed in Minneapolis by an ICE agent.
The woman, Renee Nicole Good, 37, a U.S. citizen, died under questionable circumstances, triggering a nationwide controversy. I do have some expertise, having been an FBI agent for 31+ years and a SWAT team member and leader for over 20 years.
I have seen several videos of the incident from different angles, as well as The New York Times’ slow-motion analysis of the footage, but I am not offering any observations or conclusions. I am hesitant to second-guess the officer on the street, and I know things do not happen in slow motion when they are occurring. I will wait until the investigation of the incident is complete and all the facts are disclosed.
This stance is not shared by the president, vice president, or the Department of Homeland Security secretary in their rush to judgment and in public statements made within hours of the shooting. Some of their statements are probably false or lack any factual basis—for example, claims that an ICE agent was “run over” by a vehicle; that the shooting victim was a “domestic terrorist”; or that her tragic demise “was of her own making.” Such false and premature statements erode public trust in the government and in the investigation.
In law enforcement within a democracy, public trust is imperative. That trust is not automatic; it is earned—and it can be lost.
Troubling Times
In March 1975, when I entered on duty with the FBI, it was not the best of times for the Bureau or the country.
In May 1972, J. Edgar Hoover died. He had been the director of the FBI for 48 years. He had built the FBI into the preeminent law enforcement and investigative agency in the world and instituted many innovations. One was the National Academy, through which the Bureau developed a training program at the FBI Academy for law enforcement executives from all over the United States and some foreign countries.
Being a National Academy graduate was not only prestigious; it also created a network of graduates within law enforcement and fostered cooperation among agencies. Hoover understood the value of cooperation.
However, during the 1960s, the FBI faltered. Faced with the sometimes-violent civil rights and anti-Vietnam War movements, the Bureau countered with extra-legal techniques. In 1975, these actions came to light during congressional hearings chaired by Senator Frank Church. The “Church Hearings” determined there was a “credibility gap” between the FBI and the public.
Prior to the Church Hearings, the Watergate scandal broke, and President Richard Nixon resigned on August 9, 1974. The FBI successfully investigated Watergate, but trust in the FBI—and in the government overall—was at a low ebb.
Assigned to Detroit
The author of the article, Greg Stejskal
After my new-agent training at the FBI Academy, I was assigned to the Detroit Field Division, which covers the entire state of Michigan. We were told in training that we had to earn the trust of the public and the cooperation of local, state, and other federal agencies in order to be effective.
In Detroit, I began working fugitives and bank robberies (BRs). Detroit in the mid-1970s had a very high crime rate and led the nation in bank robberies. It was an excellent learning environment and a baptism under fire—a lot of arrests, some involving car stops.
We were able to dramatically reduce the number of BRs through cooperation with local and state law enforcement agencies that had collateral jurisdiction, as bank robberies are violations of both state and federal law. We also instituted a reward program that engaged the public in identifying robbers from bank surveillance photos. All of this resulted in identifying over 90 percent of the robbers and successfully prosecuting them.
Later in my career, I was assigned to the Ann Arbor Resident Agency (AARA), a satellite office of the Detroit Field Division. The office covered five counties with a population of about one million. Ultimately, I became the senior resident agent, and part of my responsibilities involved liaison with all local, county, and state police agencies in those five counties. There were five agents in the Ann Arbor office, including me, tasked with investigating federal crimes in that territory. Cooperation with other law enforcement agencies and trust from the public were imperative.
Take Over Investigations
A question I have often been asked is, “Is it like on TV or in the movies, where the FBI comes in and takes over an investigation?” My response is: We don’t take over investigations. We work as a team. Circumstances may dictate that we are the lead agency, but we treat other agencies as partners. The Minneapolis shooting is a good example of how cooperation should work.
So I do not understand why the FBI has decided to exclude the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) from the investigation of the ICE shooting, though one explanation may lie with President Trump, who has recklessly called Minnesota officials “crooked.”
Simply put, a homicide has occurred in their state, and it is incumbent upon the state to investigate that homicide under Minnesota law. The state has collateral jurisdiction with the FBI, despite DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s statement that it does not.
The federal government cannot stop the state from ultimately deciding whether to prosecute. However, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty has expressed concern that federal officials blocking access to evidence could hamper a local case.
I trust that the FBI agents involved will do a professional and thorough job.
AG Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash (FBI photo)
Who I do not trust are Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel, who have shown little transparency since assuming their positions and have a history of embracing conspiracy theories without factual basis and withholding investigative files that Congress has mandated be released.
Therefore, I believe there is a valid concern that the FBI’s complete investigative results will not be publicly released, allowing the DOJ and FBI to control the narrative and any prosecutorial decisions—at least at the federal level. If the ICE agent is deemed culpable in federal court but not prosecuted by the state, he would almost certainly be pardoned by the president.
