The Federal Bureau of Investigation has long been America\u2019s most prestigious law enforcement agency. In his book \u201cPainting Over Rust,\u201d retired FBI Special Agent T.C. Fuller shares his twenty-year career with the Bureau.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I have known T.C. for many years. We first met at one of the shooting matches he writes about in the book. The narrative carries us from his years in the Army through his initial training at the FBI Academy, and beyond. Though his service years were concentrated heavily in the Northeastern United States, they also took him out of the country during the War On Terror.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We share his grim satisfaction in the capture, conviction and sentencing of CAC (Crimes Against Children) perpetrators, and chuckle along with him when a terrified bank robber breaks down in tears upon his arrest. We roll with him through the typical personality clashes which occur in any organization, particularly the more bureaucratic ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The only FBI personnel he actually names are the Directors he worked under, giving a candid assessment of each. I share his respect for Louis Freeh, who I personally think was the best Director of recent years. Everyone else in the book has an imaginative nickname. I recognized a few of those folks, though I\u2019m still not sure whether I knew \u201cChompers\u201d or \u201cHomer.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
T.C. was a gun guy before he became a Special Agent, and naturally found himself becoming a firearms instructor for the Bureau, working all the way up to teaching at the headquarters FTU (Firearms Training Unit) at Quantico. He started with the Agency-issued SIG 9mm, was not unhappy when the Bureau switched to the Glock .40 in the late \u201890s, and carried with permission as an authorized POW (Personally Owned Weapon) a .45 caliber Glock 21. He competed on his own in IDPA (International Defensive Pistol Association) competition all the way up to Master level and shooting well in National Championship events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As to the title he chose for his book, let me offer a quote: \u201cThe partisan influence of politicians seems to be having an inordinate amount of influence on the FBI in recent years. This is a huge problem and must be curtailed. Fast. An organization like the FBI can never <\/em>be allowed to be politicized. We should all look very hard at anything that smacks of the use of the FBI as a political weapon. It is the nature of our Republic that different political parties will be in charge at different times. To allow these parties to use the FBI as a political punishment tool would be exceedingly dangerous and must not be allowed to happen. Ever.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n