Send us Fan Mail From accountant to FBI Special Agent, FBI SWAT sniper, and bomb Tech. My guest on today’s show, Barry Black, has been involved in investigating multi-million dollar crimes, from being a SWAT sniper at the Waco standoff, a bomb tech at the Oklahoma bombing, and 9/11. My guest on the show today is FBI Special Agent, ret. Barry Black. Part two airs next Sunday. Let's get to know Barry. Barry joined the FBI in 1988 and was assigned to the Oklahoma City Division, where he primarily investigated complex financial crimes. Mr. Black served as an FBI SWAT sniper for several years, including a 51-day deployment to the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas, in 1993. The following year, Mr. Black was certified as a Bomb Technician at the FBI’s Hazardous Devices School. In 1995, he was a first responder to the bombing of Oklahoma City’s Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building and remained a member of the OKBOMB Task Force. As the threat of terrorism grew, Mr. Black was assigned to the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, where he worked with international partners in the global war on terror and trained highly specialized military and counterterrorism units in hostile regions around the world. Domestically, Mr. Black responded to the 1996 Atlanta Olympic bombing, the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks, the 2005 bombing at the University of Oklahoma, the bombing of a U.S. Air Force recruiting station, and in a complex undercover operation, helped thwart a 2017 truck bomb attack targeting a major financial center in Oklahoma City. After retiring from the FBI, Mr. Black became an adjunct faculty member at the University of Central Oklahoma’s Forensic Science Institute. He has served as a consultant, keynote speaker, and provided commentary for various national and international media outlets and documentaries. In 2026, his book, Hazardous Devices: Memoir of an FBI Bomb Technician, Accountant, and Sniper, was published by McFarland & Company. Please enjoy this fascinating discussion with an FBI agent who has had a law enforcement career that they make movies and books about. In today’s episode, we discuss: · What influenced Barry into becoming an FBI agent? The influence of his little league coach being an FBI agent. · The FBI only wanting accounts and lawyers as members. · Being fast-tracked as an FBI agent because he had an accounting degree. · Accountant to sniper/bomb tech. · Being the youngest member of his academy class. · What drew him into SWAT and being a sniper? · Waco. February 28–April 19, 1993. At what stage of the standoff did he get called in? · David Koresh was a cult leader. How do you reason with this guy? · Huge tactical disadvantage with the geography. Using Bradley armored vehicles from Fort Hood as moving cover and concealment. · What comes to his mind when he hears this from Wikipedia? “After 51 days, on April 19, 1993, the FBI launched a CS gas (tear gas) attack in an attempt to force the Branch Davidians out of the compound's buildings. Shortly thereafter, the Mount Carmel Center became engulfed in flames. The fire and the reaction to the final attack within the group resulted in the deaths of 76 Branch Davidians, including 20–28 children and Koresh.” · How much of the decision-making at Waco was boots on the ground compared to Washington DC calling the shots? · Was there a clear chain of command and IC in Waco? All of this and more on today’s episode of the Cops and Writers podcast. Please visit Barry's website to learn more about him and his career. Head on over to my website! What's the craziest thing you saw when you were a cop? My first week on the job, a guy running at me with a butcher knife. He'd just killed his brother over the last hot dog. That's chapter 1. There are 33 more. Police Stories: The Rookie Years just launched - available on Amazon. Search 'Police Stories Patrick O'Donnell' or click th Support the show
