Whitney Barnhart from the FBI Pittsburgh Division presented to the participants of the ESMH Grantee All Call meeting on February 11. She detailed the FBI’s community outreach initiatives in West Virginia, with a focus on online safety, violent crimes against children, and available educational programs for schools and communities.
The FBI Pittsburgh Division covers the entire state of West Virginia, with six resident agency offices in Charleston, Huntington, Clarksburg, Martinsburg, Wheeling, and Beckley, where agents and analysts conduct investigations and community outreach.
- Violent Crimes Against Children Task Force: Headquartered in Charleston, the task force works with state and local law enforcement to investigate and prevent crimes against children, emphasizing the importance of community education and partnerships.
- Online Safety Education Initiatives: The FBI offers the ‘Online Safety Starts With You’ program, providing age-appropriate curriculum and presentations to students, parents, teachers, and law enforcement about digital safety, sextortion, and responsible technology use, with content tailored to different age groups.
- Additional Outreach Programs: Other free FBI programs are available to schools and communities, including opioid awareness, civil rights and hate crimes education, active shooter awareness, child ID cards, Citizens Academy, and Teen Academy, with details on how to request these services.
Accessing FBI Resources
Participants can request FBI presentations or materials by contacting Whitney via email or through the Pittsburgh Division’s Community Outreach Program, where a speaker request form and program overviews are available. Schools may also use the Community Outreach flyer to access more information. Finally, schools may request Active Shooter training. More information about this training is available here.