WOMEN IS FILING A LAWSUIT AGAINST THE AGENCY ALLEGING THEY
WERE KICKED OUT OF THE PROGRAM
AT QUANTICO, NOT BECAUSE THEY
COULDN’T CUT IT, BUT BECAUSE
THEY WERE WOMEN.
>> THEY MADE ME FEEL LIKE I WAS
WORTHLESS AND SDOEZDISPOSABLE.
>> POWERLESS.
>> POWERLESS. >> AT THIS DAY AND AGE, THAT
THAT’S GOING ON.
>> Reporter: SPEAKING
EXCLUSIVELY TO NBC NEWS, THESE
TREENES DESCRIBED WHAT THEY
CALLED A GOOD OLD BOYS ATTITUDE
IN QUANTITY COE, VIRGINIA.
FOLLOWING HARASSMENT,
FOLLOWING HARASSMENT, DISCRIMINATION AND RETALIATION
AGAINST WOMEN.
AGAINST WOMEN. FIVE OF THE WOMEN ASKED WE NOT
USE THEIR FULL NAMES ON CAMERA.
LATE WEDNESDAY THEY FILE ADD
CLASS ACTION COMPLAINT AGAINST
THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE.
>> HOW MANY OF YOU BELIEVE THERE
IS A SYSTEMIC PROBLEM OF
DISCRIMINATION AT THE FBI AND
SPECIFICALLY THE ACADEMY?
EVERYBODY.
EVERYBODY. >> I’D SAY I WENT IN EXTREMELY
OPTIMISTIC.
OPTIMISTIC. NAIVE ALMOST, BUT THE FIRST DAY
I GOT THERE, THERE WERE
COMMENTS, ON WHAT I WAS WEARING
AND SEXUAL HARASSMENT STARTED
ABOUT TWO WEEKS IN.
>> Reporter: DID YOU TELL ANYONE
ABOUT IT AT THE TIME?
>> I TOLD MY COUNSELOR ABOUT
THESE THINGS, SHE ACKNOWLEDGED
THE ENVIRONMENT SAYING THIS
PLACE IS GOING TO TREAT YOU LIKE
THAT.
THAT. IF YOU WANT TO MAKE IT THROUGH
YOU HAVE TO KEEP YOUR HEAD DOWN.
STAY QUIET AND PLAY THE GAME.
>> Reporter: TRAINEES GO THROUGH
A FIVE-MONTH COURSE.
IF THEY SLIP UP THEY GET
CITATIONS WHICH COULD LEAD TO A
REVIEW BOARD.
REVIEW BOARD. POTENTIALLY KICKING THEM OUT OF
THE PROGRAM.
THE PROGRAM. >> I PASSED EVERYTHING.
THE FIRST TIME AROUND, WITH NO
REMEDIATION, BUT WHEN I WOULD GO
OVER TO OUR TACTICAL TRAINING
UNIT, PEOPLE WERE
NITPICKINGALITY ME AND I
COULDN’T FIGURE OUT WHY.
>> Reporter: DID YOU NOTICE THAT
YOU WERE BEING CRITICIZED FOR
THINGS THAT YOU WERE DOING THAT
OTHER MALE COLLEAGUES WERE DOING
AND NOT GETTING CRITICIZED?
>> MOST DEFINITELY.
THE IRONY OF THAT IS SOME OF MY
MALE COLLEAGUES WERE THE ONES
POINTING IT OUT TO ME.
SO AND SO DID THE EXACT SAME
THING AND NOBODY’S EVEN SAID
ANYTHING TO HIM ABOUT IT.
>> Reporter: HOW MANY TIMES WERE
YOU WRITTEN UP?
>> THREE.
>> THREE. I WENT TO A REVIEW BOARD
CONSISTING OF ALL EXECUTIVE
MANAGEMENT AND BY THE TIME I WAS
DONE WITH MY INTERVIEW WITH THEM
I KNEW I WAS NOT COMING OUT OF
THAT.
THAT. >> Reporter: AND YOU WERE KICKED
OUT.
OUT. >> A WEEK BEFORE I WAS DUE TO
GRADUATE.
GRADUATE. WHEN I ASKED TO BE RECYCLED INTO
A CLASS BEHIND ME FOR ADDITIONAL
TRAINING THEY RESPONDED TO ME
THEY DID NOT DO THAT.
>> Reporter: THERE WERE MALE
COLLEAGUES OF YOURS WHO WERE
GIVEN SECOND, THIRD CHANCES?
>> CORRECT, YES.
>> Reporter: WERE YOU OFFERED
ANYTHING LIKE THAT?
>> NO.
>> NO. >> Reporter: LAUREN ROSE SAYS
SHE WROTE TO THE DIRECTOR OF THE
FBI AT THE TIME, JAMES COMEY.
WHILE SHE DID NOT ALLEGE GENDER
DISCRIMINATION, SHE REPORTED
WHAT SHE SAYS WAS A LACK OF
FAIRNESS ACROSS THE BOARD AT THE
TRAINING ACADEMY.
TRAINING ACADEMY. COMEY REPLIED, SHE SAYS,
WRITING, I BELIEVE I HAVE
THOUGHTFUL LEADERS AT TRAINING
DIVISION.
DIVISION. ADDING, MY HOPE IS THAT YOU WILL
STARE HARD AT THE SITUATION AND
WHAT IT TEACHES YOU.
>> EXPRESSED A DISINTEREST TO
FIGURE OUT IF IT WAS GOING ON.
>> Reporter: THE WOMEN ALSO
FILED EQUAL EMPLOYMENT
COMPLAINTS WITH THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT.
GOVERNMENT. >> I HAD WITNESSED EXCESSIVE
DISCRIMINATION AGAINST ONE OF MY
FEMALE CO-WORKERS.
FEMALE CO-WORKERS. SO I CONTACTED THE UNIT CHIEF,
AND SHE LOOKED ME POINT BLANK IN
THE EYES AND SAID, YOU COMING
FORWARD AND SPEAKING UP WILL NOT
GO WITHOUT CONSEQUENCE.
I HOPE IT WAS WORTH IT, AND FROM
THERE ON OUT I WAS TARGETED.
I WAS MARGINALIZED, I WAS
ISOLATED, I WAS HARASSED
CONSISTENTLY.
CONSISTENTLY. >> Reporter: MOST OF THESE WOMEN
WERE DROPPED FROM THE PROGRAM
WITHIN WEEKS OF GRADUATION.
IN A STATEMENT THE FBI SAYS IT
CAN’T COMMENT ON LITIGATION BUT
VALUES GENDER DIVERSITY WRITING
IN PART, THE FBI IS COMMITTED TO
FOSTERING A WORK ENVIRONMENT
WHERE ALL OF OUR PLOEMROS SEMPLO
VALUED AND RESPECTED.
>> Reporter: PEOPLE WILL SEE
THIS INTERVIEW AND WILL SAY,
THESE WOMEN COUNT CUT IT.
>> BASE AND MERIT WE COULDN’T BE
FILING A LAWSUIT.
>> Reporter: WHAT IS IT BASED ON
JNTS SUBJECTIVITY.
JNTS SUBJECTIVITY. THEY PICK AND CHOOSE WHO THEY
WANT TO LEAVE.
>> IN EVERY AREA OF TRAINING
WHERE THERE WAS A QUALITATIVE
MEASURE OF FAILURE OR SUCCESS,
WE ALL MET AN EXCEEDED
EXPECTATIONS.
EXPECTATIONS. EVERYBODY HERE IS SITTING HERE,
BECAUSE THE SUBJECTIVE PORTION
OF EVALUATION AND TRAINING IS
RIPE FOR ABUSE.
>> Reporter: IT CAME DOWN TO
WHAT AT THE END?
WHETHER YOU PASSED OR DIDN’T
PASS?
PASS? >> YOUR GENDER.
>> GENDER.
>> GENDER. >> Reporter: DO YOU GUYS THINK
THAT THE DISCRIMINATION THAT
YOU’VE ALLEGED UNDERMINES THE
AGENCY AND POTENTIALLY
UNDERMINES THE SAFETY OF OUR
COUNTRY?
COUNTRY? >> 100%.
>> 100%. >> I THINK OUR BIGGEST CONCERN
IS THAT THEY WOULD KEEP DOING
IT, AND WOULD KEEP BEING A
SYSTEMIC DISCRIMINATION ISSUE,
AND THAT’S WHY WE ALL DECIDED TO
COME FORWARD AND SPEAK UP,
BECAUSE IT NEEDS TO STOP.
>> Reporter: THE LAWYER TELLS US
THEY WANTED TO SIT DOWN WITH THE
FBI PRIOR TO FILING A LAWSUIT
BUT THE BUREAU DIDN’T RESPOND TO
THEIR MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS.
THE WOMEN TELL US THAT PEOPLE
WITHIN THE ACADEMY ITSELF HAVE
ACTUALLY REACHED OUT TO THEM TO
CHEER THEM ON, GUYS.
>> WHAT EXACTLY ARE THEY LOOKING
FOR IN THIS LAWSUIT?
>> Reporter: THEY WANT THE
TRAINING EVALUATION TO CHANGE.
THE STANDARDS TO CHANGE.
THEY’RE LOOKING FOR UP TO
$300,000 FOR EMOTIONAL DISTRESS
AND THE LAST ONE, AN IMPORTANT
ONE, THEY WANT MORE FEMALE
TRAINERS AT THE PROGRAM.
>> WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
THESE WOMEN?
THESE WOMEN? WHAT ARE THEY DOING?
>> Reporter: SOME ACTUALLY WORK
AT THE FBI.
THE SPECIAL AGENT JOB IS KIND OF
THE GREAT JOB BUT THERE ARE LOTS
OF JOBS AT THE FBI.
IF YOU DON’T GET SPECIAL AGENT
YOU GET A LOWER TIERED JOB.
NOT PAID AT MUCH.
OTHERS HAVE GONE ON TO DO OTHER
THINGS.
THINGS. REALLY PROFESSIONAL WOMEN.
SOME LAWYERS.