First on FOX: The FBI has received a record-breaking new agent application for Director Kash Patel in the first month, as the floods of law enforcement job seekers have almost doubled since 2016.
Fox News Digital learned Fox News Digital has submitted 5,577 new FBI agent applications in March.
The last time the bureau saw monthly numbers, even close to that number, was in April 2016, with 5,283 applications.
By comparison, according to FBI data reviewed by Fox News Digital, the monthly average for 2023 was 2,797 applications, and in 2024 there were 3,383 applications per month.
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“Director Patel and Associate Director (Dan) Bongino are focused on restoring confidence in federal law enforcement and encouraging the recruitment of new agents,” FBI spokesman Ben Williamson told FOX News Digital on Wednesday. “The early returns on these records certainly suggest that the new FBI is heading in the right direction.”
FBI Director Kash Patel waits for the extradition flight that was carrying Muhammed Sharifullah, accused of supporting plans for the Kabul airport bombing in August 2021. (Doctor of Justice)
FBI has seen over 10,000 new agent applications since January, according to FBI data.
In January, the Trump administration's first month and the month of Patel's nomination and confirmation hearing, the FBI saw 4,143 applications to join the department. This is when I saw a month's new agent application since August 2020 in the 4,000s.
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“The record number of FBI recruitment applications in March shows that people are inspired by Kash Patel's commitment to restoring integrity and effectiveness at the bureau,” Patel adviser Erika Knight told Fox News Digital on Wednesday. “Americans place their trust in his leadership to rebuild the FBI and keep their communities safe.”
“This is just the beginning,” Knight told Fox News Digital.
A record number of new agent applications comes when FBI Director Kash Patel and deputy director Dan Bongino focus on new agents who will recruit and restore law enforcement morale by “making good cops a police officer.” (@fbiddbongino on x)
“Kash is dedicated to creating stronger, more reliable FBIs.
During a Senate confirmation hearing in late January, Patel showed a “erosion of trust” in the bureau, revealing that “only 40% of Americans have a favorable view of the FBI.”
FBI Director Kash Patel will speak at a sworn ceremony in Washington on February 21, 2025. (Oliver/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images
“This has to change,” Patel testified. “Public cooperation is essential for the bureau to resolve crimes, and its decline in reputation has already affected recruitment efforts.”
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The record number of new agent applications is because Patel and Bongino focus on new agents who will employ and restore law enforcement morale by “making good cops a police officer.”
In March, Patel released a recruitment video for the FBI, showing the directors along with the agent to the field directors, highlighting footage from the hostage rescue team facility, urging people to join the team.
During a Senate confirmation hearing in late January, Kash Patel noted that he would show “erosion of trust” at the bureau, revealing that “only 40% of Americans have a positive view of the FBI.” (Anna Moneymaker/Kent Nishimura)
The video ends with the graphics showing the FBI stickers and the words “New mission. A stronger future.”
“Apply at FBIJOBS.GOV today,” the video states.
Patel and Bongino also personally emphasized to staff the importance of increasing the involvement of local partners.
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A familiar source told Fox News Digital that Patel had instructed the team to provide full and full support to the families of fallen officers, but Bongino personally reached out to meet officers in uniforms on the FBI ground and thanked them for their work “often unnoticed.”
“Our team continues to recruit the best law enforcement staff in the country,” Williamson told Fox News Digital. “We want even more brave men and women to be part of what we're building.”
