By Allan Lengel
ticklethewire.com

It may be one of the more coveted jobs in law enforcement, but the tight job market may be having an impact.

The FBI has seen a slump in special agent applicants—from a peak of 68,500 in 2009 to 11,500 in the year that ended in September, reports the Wall Street Journal.

As a result, the FBI is stepping up its recruitment efforts.It’s increased its outreach, targeted women and minorities and relaxed some eligibility requirements, the Journal reports.

By Allan Lengel
ticklethewire.com

The FBI and CIA continue to make good fodder for the TV networks.

Mike Hale of the New York Times reports:

Did you know that the F.B.I. is your square dad and the C.I.A. is your hot mom? I didn’t either, until I watched two new midseason television series, NBC’s “The Enemy Within” and ABC’s “Whiskey Cavalier.”

They’re at opposite ends of the spectrum of network formulas: a scaremongering thriller about domestic terrorism (“Enemy”); and a globe-trotting romantic caper (“Whiskey”). But beneath the shootouts and chases they’re kind of the same show. A sad, honest man from the F.B.I. — a beta male despite his considerable physical skills — is forced to partner with a charismatic, rules-breaking woman from the C.I.A. Sparks fly, though perhaps not enough to light a fire.

Neither show engages directly with current political battles (through two episodes, anyway) — there’s no angry president accusing the intelligence agencies of deep-state plotting. “The Enemy Within,” however, eagerly taps into our continuing post-9/11 paranoia.