The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is considering significantly relaxing its agent recruitment standards. This plan has sparked controversy as it is being pursued simultaneously with the retirement of many skilled veteran agents. The Trump administration advocates for organizational reform, but former and current agents have expressed concern that the FBI may devolve into a 'street police' rather than remaining an elite intelligence and investigative agency.
According to the New York Times (NYT), on the 21st (local time), Director General Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino are pushing to abolish the college degree requirement for new agent recruitment and significantly shorten the training period. The plan's key element is to reduce the current roughly 18-week new agent training period at the Quantico Academy in Virginia to 8 weeks. This initiative is tied to measures aimed at cutting the budget by allowing over 5,000 skilled agents and analysts to retire early or receive layoff packages by next month. Following this measure, the number of FBI special agents is expected to decrease from about 13,000 to around 11,000, a 15% reduction.
This FBI measure is closely related to the workforce shortages faced by law enforcement agencies across the United States. Recently, many police organizations in the U.S. have lowered recruitment barriers by relaxing tattoo regulations and accepting applicants with past marijuana smoking histories to address staffing shortages. Federal agencies are no exception. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency recently removed age restrictions for new agents to significantly increase its workforce in line with the Trump administration's stricter immigration enforcement stance. They also abolished the mandatory 5-week Spanish language training. The FBI has previously relaxed its marijuana use prohibition period for applicants from the previous 'within 3 years' to 'within 1 year' in 2021.
Experts pointed out that this measure is 'on a different level' compared to past standard relaxations. The FBI has maintained its reputation as the top law enforcement agency in the U.S. While local police investigative powers are bound to specific cities or counties, the FBI exercises its investigative authority across the country for more than 200 federal crimes. As a result, it is common in reality, as well as in American dramas or films, for local police to cede control of investigations when an FBI agent appears at a major crime scene.
Since the September 11 attacks in 2001, the FBI has prioritized national security duties, including counter-terrorism, counterintelligence, cybercrime, and international financial fraud. To achieve this, it has upheld a high standard of 'a 4-year college bachelor's degree and at least 2 years of professional experience' when selecting talent.
Once an FBI agent, the treatment is significantly better than that of regular police officers and is regarded as a 'symbol of elite status.' As of 2025, the median salary for U.S. police officers is about $76,290 (approximately 100.5 million won). In contrast, the starting salary for new FBI agents exceeds $84,000 (approximately 116 million won) when including various allowances, and as they gain experience, they can earn over $150,000 (approximately 207 million won). Considering the 25% additional payment for law enforcement availability pay (LEAP) beyond the base salary, the gap widens further.
Director General Patel and the Trump administration argued that this measure is part of the process to restore trust in the FBI. Since taking office in February of this year, Patel has advocated for a mantra of 'letting agents work like good policemen,' attempting to change the roles of FBI agents by deploying them to patrol the streets of Washington, D.C., or assist in immigration enforcement. An FBI spokesperson stated to Fox News, 'Since Director General Patel took office, the number of new agent applicants in March was 5,577, the highest monthly figure since April 2016,' adding that 'this is evidence that the new FBI is going in the right direction.'
In contrast, former and current agents have strongly opposed the measures. Chris Orierri, a former high-ranking counter-terrorism official in the FBI, criticized in an NYT interview that 'relaxing recruitment standards leads to a 'generational destruction' that reduces mission efficiency and international reputation.' He added, 'If the FBI leadership had experience leading an organization, they would not have made such decisions.' Patel and Bongino have the least field experience among past FBI leadership. Unlike traditional FBI directors who have built their careers as special agents or prosecutors, Patel is an expert in law and policy.
FBI agents believe that this measure aims to change the organization to focus on visible street crime rather than complex cases involving financial fraud, public corruption, and counterintelligence that span several years, according to the NYT. The FBI Agents Association also issued a critical statement, saying, 'Director General Patel did not keep his promise to ensure due process for agent dismissals.'
American media analyzed that relaxing recruitment standards could undermine the FBI's identity. The NYT stated, 'As new agents with short training fill the gap left by over 5,000 skilled agents, there are concerns about a long-term decline in investigative capabilities.' In particular, there are analyses suggesting that if the FBI transforms into a 'federal police' more sensitive to political influence, serious gaps may arise in national security investigations.