The FBI works in various ways alongside the public and media to catch criminals and ensure the bureau is portrayed accurately in films and television, said Neal Schiff, an FBI public affairs specialist, when he spoke to professor Gemma Puglisi's Public Relations Writing class Thursday.
One of the most public aspects of the FBI's fugitive hunts is its Most Wanted Fugitives list, first created by the bureau in 1950. The bureau gathers the descriptions of the most dangerous criminals from field offices for placement on the list, which is distributed across the nation.
"Someone will see a person they recognize, and it will be able to help the investigation," said Schiff, who works for the FBI's Office of Public Affairs in the Fugitive Publicity and Public Affairs unit. Schiff describes the list as a way to "get tips and catch the bad guys."
The bureau also collaborates with film and television producers, directors and writers on projects related to fugitive publicity and the FBI. "America's Most Wanted" works with the FBI to publicize and gather tips on fugitives, Schiff said, but only when the publicity won't affect the case.
"If agents are hot on the trail of a fugitive, they may request that 'America's Most Wanted' does not air information on that fugitive" so the person is not alerted, Schiff said.
Bureau public affairs specialists have worked with films such as "The Silence of the Lambs" and "Catch Me If You Can" to provide accurate information about the bureau. It took "The Silence of the Lambs" six months to gain the FBI's approval after requesting the bureau's assistance in obtaining certain information, Schiff said.
Schiff produces and hosts the ABC Radio Network program "FBI, This Week," where he presents intriguing and sometimes amusing cases dealt with by the FBI.
Schiff urged students to "write for the imagination."
"Radio is the theater of the mind," Schiff said. "You have to paint a picture with words because you don't have a TV or movie screen."
Meghan Zichelli, a junior in the School of Communication, said Schiff's presentation offered insight into an unfamiliar part of the FBI.
"It showed a different side of the FBI, other than the investigation, in a way that it relates to public relations," she said.
The FBI is recruiting language specialists and analysts to interpret and translate foreign languages. For more information on the FBI, visit its Web site at www.fbi.gov.
