FBI Special Agent Sarah Halleran ’06MS Shares Highs, Lows About Life with Elite Team

Professor and Associate Provost Ross Wolf EdD ’88 MPA ’91 ’98 has had many roles at UCF, including his service as a faculty member in criminal justice. In the feature photo above, Wolf pinned Halleran’s OCSO badge during her swearing-in ceremony. During that time, he was both a full-time faculty member and a volunteer reserve deputy with the OCSO.  

When Crime Strikes Literally Close to Home

Sarah Halleran ’06 M.S. and her husband live in Coral Springs, close enough to the local high school to hear its marching band practicing their drills. But on this particular day in 2018, Halleran and her husband were at work: she at the local FBI field office, he on patrol with the Broward Sheriff’s Office. He got the call first about the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, and then he called his wife.

Moments later, Halleran says, the FBI announced the news to her office. Agents were immediately deployed to assist BSO as all the nearby schools were placed on a lock down because the shooter had not yet been caught.

“It was a terrifying time for students and parents,” Halleran says.

When her own young children returned home late that afternoon, Halleran says they were “visibly shaken and confused” She received permission from her supervisor to stay home with them that night. The next day, however, she and other special agents began the grueling work of contacting and interviewing all students, teachers and school staff by telephone. This took place in a large hotel conference room.

“I listened as they shared their experience of that horrific day, and took detailed notes,” Halleran recalls. “I was relieved to hear from the students who were sick that day and had not attended school.”

As she checked off each name against a spreadsheet, Halleran partnered with other agents who were unable to reach certain individuals by phone. She and other special agents drove to the homes of those who had not yet been interviewed. Their thoroughness was necessary, but not necessarily welcomed by those who had lived through the mass shooting.

The next days were a blur for Halleran as she realized that she knew many of the people who had been at school that day.

One of Halleran’s friends, a teacher, was shot multiple times during the tragic event as he moved to protect his students.

In Their Darkest Hours

“Even though this was a devastating experience, I was uplifted by how our community came together to support those who were in need,” Halleran says.

She is not just talking about the outpouring from the nation and beyond. Halleran says one of the things she loves most about working for the FBI is the special closeness that is ingrained within her team – not just from training and debriefings, but also from genuine camaraderie.

“The FBI offers so many support systems,” Halleran says.

Each field office has an Employee Assistance Program whose peers are trained to support FBI employees and their families during their time of need.

There is a special safeguard program for undercover agents and agents who work crimes against children cases. The FBI also offers the Post Critical Incident Seminar (PCIS) for employees deeply affected by a critical incident or the loss of a friend or loved one in the line of duty.

Halleran attended PCIS after her good friend, Special Agent Laura Schwartzenberger was murdered in the line of duty. Schwartzenberger, along with Special Agent Daniel Alfin, were shot and killed in the line of duty as they executed a warrant in a child pornography raid. Three other agents were injured.

For 15 years as a case agent, Halleran’s work as a Special Agent has exposed her to multiple instances of harrowing trauma. Thanks to the FBI’s extensive, compassionate and expert training, she has learned techniques to help during stressful and triggering situations.

Dreaming of Becoming a Special Agent

Halleran’s journey to joining the elite law enforcement agency began when she was 13 years old.

“I watched Silence of the Lambs,” Halleran says. “I wanted to be Special Agent Clarice Starling.”

In the movie, Starling, a top student at the FBI training academy, helps catch a serial killer, nearly becoming a victim in the process.

There was something about the movie that sparked Halleran’s interest in the FBI. However, once she found out she needed a college degree, she became discouraged. No one in her family had finished high school, let alone college.

Halleran began investigating how she could make her FBI dream happen and discovered that by working hard and “drastically” improving her grades throughout middle school and high school, she received a scholarship to Florida State University, earning a Bachelor of Science in criminology.

Along the way, a college counselor had told her that “the FBI is the star on the Criminal Justice Christmas tree, and to not aim so high.”

Halleran never saw the counselor again. But she knew that since she was not yet eligible to apply to the FBI – applicants must be 23 years old – she needed more life experience.

Gaining Life Experience in Japan – and at UCF

After spending a year teaching English in Japan, Halleran continued her stellar trajectory at UCF for her master’s degree in criminal justice. There, she became a research assistant for Professor and Associate Provost Ross Wolf, who previously served 33 years as a law enforcement officer.

“Sarah was an exceptionally engaged student and graduate assistant in the master’s degree program in Criminal Justice,” Wolf says. “She had enthusiasm for both the academic and practical aspects of the field and understood the complexities of criminal justice within society. Her strong work-ethic, commitment to public service, and her deep passion for making a positive impact are evident in her distinguished career in the FBI.”

“Dr. Wolf believed in my dream to become an FBI agent and suggested it would make sense to become a local law enforcement officer first,” Halleran says.

At Wolf’s prompting, Halleran applied for a sponsorship from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office that paid for her to go through the police academy, and then Orange County paid her as a civilian to become a sworn police officer. She worked patrol for two years, then became a detective where she worked for a year before being hired to start at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia.

“Becoming an FBI agent is a challenging and competitive process that demands a strong and diverse background, both in terms of education and experience, and an unwavering commitment to serve the public with integrity,” Wolf says. “Through her experiences, including the master’s degree program in criminal justice at UCF and as a deputy sheriff and detective with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, Sarah continues to bring the same level of excellence and determination that she had as a graduate research assistant to her position as a special agent.”

Training at Quantico to Join Elite Law Enforcement Agency

“It is a long and challenging application process,” Halleran says. “And it’s not for the faint of heart. Becoming a Special Agent is a calling, and it is a demanding job, but it’s filled with rewards.”

Yes, the FBI Academy training is tough, but not impossible, Halleran adds. The rigorous physical and academic training imparts skills such as situational awareness, critical thinking, problem solving, attention to detail and verbal communication, all of which are critical for a successful job in the FBI.

In addition to tangible rewards such as good pay and benefits (including paid maternity and paternity leave so employees can bond with their new baby), Halleran said the satisfaction of arresting child molesters, rapists, bank robbers and “all types of fraudsters” can’t be beat.

Halleran was recently selected as the FBI recruit coordinator for her office, “I am excited to transition from case work to my current role as an FBI recruiter, I love meeting potential new employees and encouraging them to apply,” Halleran says. “We have over 500 different jobs at the FBI, so there is something for everyone.”

Including, Halleran says, those who desire to work at the FBI but do not wish to become a special agent.

“We change with the times,” Halleran says. “The FBI is actively hiring those with STEM experience to combat the cyber criminals and hackers.”

During an investigation last year, the FBI notified over 75,000 victims of cryptocurrency fraud through an NFT airdrop.

“We are also looking to hire more psychologists, social workers, nurses and auto mechanics, so again, there is something for everyone at today’s FBI.”

There are, occasionally, unforeseen challenges that can impede the important work being done by the FBI.

“The criminal world is becoming more complex,” Halleran says, “Especially with the use of Artificial Intelligence.”

There are also times when critical evidence is needed from a third party, and the FBI is unable to obtain the evidence in a timely manner due to heavy encryption and other issues.

And in a world where everyone’s lives are seemingly documented on social media, Halleran says that one’s digital footprint could be concerning to anyone reviewing an FBI application. Also, if you want to be a Special Agent, telework is not an option; you will rarely be at your desk.

“We need strong, dedicated women and men to join the FBI and fight the ever-evolving criminal activity,” Halleran says.

In 2023, the FBI signed the 30X30 pledge to advance more women in law enforcement. Its goal of the initiative is to engage 30 percent of women in police recruit classes by 2030 to ensure policing agencies like the FBI are truly representative of the jurisdictions they serve.

“I am grateful for the opportunities and trust that Dr. Wolf instilled in me while I was at UCF,” Halleran says. “I am honored every day to serve alongside such heroic, dedicated women and men, and I look forward to getting to introduce more UCF graduates to life in the FBI.”