When I first created my Nick Bracco character some fifteen
years ago, I had very little knowledge of how the FBI operated outside of what
I’d seen on TV and in the movies. It was
Nick’s Mafia cousin Tommy that I had a much better grasp of, since I was surrounded
by Sicilian family members all the time during my youth. But I needed to research the FBI so I could
bring a reality to my character. I read
several books that were truly informational, including a great one by Ron
Kessler titled, The FBI. However, there
were still questions that lingered in my mind that I needed answered. Remember, this was pre-Google.
I picked up the phone and dialed the local Phoenix FBI field
office and asked if I could interview an FBI agent for a book I was
writing. Now, here’s the important part—I
didn’t tell them it was fiction. I think
that might have something to do with the fact that a moment later I was transferred
to a gentleman who introduced himself as Agent Simpson (let’s go with that,
since my memory is foggy.) He was
pleasant, even asking me if he could have my phone number in case we got disconnected.
I knew, of course, he was staring at my number on his caller ID, so right away
he was making sure I wasn’t lying.
After the guy answered a litany of questions for me, I was fascinated
that someone would take time out of their busy schedule to do such a thing. Until I discovered that was actually doing his job.
Each field office has a Public Affairs Specialist who’s there to work
with the media, including writers who are working on articles or books about
the FBI.
If you’re writing a thriller, it’s not a bad idea to make
that call. I remember asking things
like: Does an FBI Agent have to use government-issued weapons or can they buy
their own? Does every shooting incident
require a debriefing? Do FBI agents get
to choose their partners? I can tell you
that some of these answers were not what I expected.
I’ve heard of writers doing ride alongs with police and I’m
not sure the FBI does that, but I promise if you call your local field office
there is someone there who can answer some of your questions. Hey, your tax dollars are helping pay for
this service, so why not take advantage of it.
Just don’t tell him your last name is Ponzo and your father
used to help the Mafia run the numbers in his candy store back in the '70s. I’m sure
the statute of limitations has run out by now, but somehow I skipped that part
during my interview.
