The FBI just selected the first Black, female agent in Puerto Rico to train for any of the bureau’s Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Teams. 

The agent, identified as Tai, will now undergo a rigorous, 10-week training program known as New Operator Training School (NOTS) as a part of the San Juan Division’s SWAT Team.

"I'm one of those people where I have a task at hand and I just focus on that task," she said in a press release. "I don't really think about people looking at me."

"Hopefully somebody will see that I was able to do it," Tai added. "I'm not the biggest person. I'm not as strong as some of these guys. But as long as you have perseverance — because it does get really tough — you push through it and keep going."

If Tai passes NOTS, she will join the San Juan Division SWAT team as a probationary member and will be expected to complete more training throughout the interim, which could last from six to 18 months, before she becomes officially certified.

“We want everyone to get through NOTS,” Special Agent Owen Reese, a SWAT operator who leads the training course, said. “But we’re also prepared to tell someone, ‘Hey, you’re not getting it. Maybe this isn’t the right job for you.’ Because it’s not for everybody.” 

The Florida native said that as a young girl, she lived in a “rough area” surrounded by drugs, and saw other SWAT teams around her neighborhood just outside of Tampa. That’s when she noticed someone who looked like her. 

“That’s where I saw one of the first Black female law enforcement,” she recalled. “The U.S. Marshals were actually serving a warrant and I saw her and approached her about it and she gave me her card for their recruiting.”

Tai also mentioned that she was inspired to join the FBI after the bureau’s profound response to the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando in 2016, a mass shooting that left 49 people dead. 

“The amount of assets and the professional attitude of agents,” she said. “They were organized, and they got stuff done.” 

Prior to joining the FBI, Tai served as a deputy for five years at the Orange County Sheriff’s Office in Orlando where she was always willing to help out. 

"I like to help," she said. "Even on patrol, I'd always say that jail isn't always the answer. Sometimes someone just needs to be listened to or things can be worked out. That's just part of listening and trying to help the community that I was serving."  

Though Tai, who is also a soldier in the U.S. Army Reserves, is still in the midst of SWAT Training, San Juan SWAT Senior Team Leader Mike Dubravetz said she “has what it takes” to become an official member of the team.  

“There are no guarantees for success, but she’s been willing to tackle this,” he said. “I’m impressed with her performance. She wouldn't have made it through the selection process if she didn't demonstrate that she has what it takes to be successful.” 

The 32-year-old added that regardless of the outcome, she’s grateful to have had people before her to inspire her to pursue a career with the FBI.

"I'm definitely thankful for all the Black women before me in the FBI," Tai said. "Because if it didn't start with that one, who knows how many there would be today, if any. I'm definitely grateful for all of them before me."

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