The San Francisco field office covers 15 counties in northern California and includes eight satellite offices (resident agencies). David J. Johnson was appointed the new special agent in charge in February of 2013.
San Francisco has been a hub of FBI activity since the office opened in 1911. During World War II its West Coast location prompted a focus on counterespionage and protecting factories from sabotage. Since then, San Francisco has been at the forefront of many famous cases including the escape of three inmates from Alcatraz in 1962; the kidnapping of heiress Patricia Hearst in 1974; the 1978 mass suicide of Jim Jones’s cult in Guyana which involved the murder of California Congressman Leo Ryan; and the 1980s search for the Unabomber. As the result of a very recent FBI undercover operation, a man with terrorist ties was arrested on February 18, 2013 for attempting to detonate a bomb at an Oakland bank.
Applying for an FBI Job in San Francisco
The San Francisco FBI division office makes jobs available to dedicated men and women with a desire to fight terrorism and crime. Applications for FBI jobs in San Francisco are processed for two primary job categories: Special agents who carry out investigations and specialized professionals, including intelligence analysts, translators, financial analysts, cyber experts, paralegals, electronics technicians, accountants, engineers, information technology whizzes, scientists and security experts. Basic requirements for becoming an FBI agent are as follows:
- Citizen of the U.S.
- Between the ages of 23 and 36
- Graduate of a four-year degree program from an accredited college/university
- Minimum two years professional experience
Those meeting all job requirements can apply online at the FBI JOBS website or in person at FBI San Francisco, 450 Golden Gate Ave., San Francisco, CA 94102; Tel: 415/553-7400. Although the FBI operates around the clock, regular office hours are 8:15 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., M-F. Applicants are also welcome any of the resident agencies in Concord, Fortuna, Monterey, Oakland, Palo Alto, San Jose or Santa Rosa.
FBI San Francisco Careers and Capabilities
The staff of the San Francisco field office consists of a large cadre of both special agents and specialized professionals. Many of these work on teams with specific capabilities, including:
- Evidence Recovery/Processing
- Computer Forensics – the fully certified Silicon Valley Regional Computer Forensic Laboratory serves the computer forensic needs of law enforcement agencies throughout the region.
- Tactical Support & Crisis Response (46-member SWAT team)
- Bomb Recovery/disablement
- Hazardous Materials
- Translations
- Art Crime Team – focuses on thefts of works of art and antiquities.
The San Francisco FBI has formed numerous partnerships with other law enforcement agencies, first responders, non-governmental organizations and citizen groups, including the San Francisco Joint Terrorism Task Force, several intelligence groups, the Northern California Mortgage Fraud Task Force, the anti-gang Safe Streets task forces, and San Francisco InfraGard, the local arm of a national information-sharing alliance between government, private industry and academia that focuses on protecting critical infrastructures.