Sean Boylan for the FBI

Our program for October 13th was introduced by Bob Pillsbury, and our speaker was FBI agent Sean Boylan, who is stationed in the Twin Cities. He's an attorney who went with the FBI and served 24 years as a special agent. His special message was about INFRAGARD, a government - private sector alliance founded in the 1990s. The program is an effort by law enforcement groups to reach out to the business community and create positive interactions. The initiative really gained momentum after 9/11, when the government discovered that they did not have access to the resources they needed to handle the situations that arose. Now, with 86 chapters and 32,000 business members, Infragard is a tremendous resource for the FBI and other law enforcement agencies. Members of Infragard get training from the FBI, and provide fresh insight into potential disaster situations. The members of the organization act as eyes and ears across the nation, and provide tips and information to the bureau. There is a local chapter, and Sean is the agent in charge of the chapter. To become a member, you have to pass a number of clearances because much of the information provided during training is sensitive. Contact info to begin the process is an email to seanboylan@ic.fbi.gov. (Story by Tad Shaw)