WASHINGTON — Eric Velez-Villar, deputy assistant director of the Directorate of Intelligence Operations Branch at FBI Headquarters, is getting a bump up to assistant director of that division, the FBI announced this week.
In testimony last month before the House Homeland Security Committee subcommittee on counterterrorism intelligence, Velez-Villar pledged the FBI’s cooperation with state and local authorities in trying to root out domestic terror threats.
“The FBI will continue to provide relevance and context on foreign threat information; however, we also recognize that the violent extremism threat may be first identified within our communities by state, local, or tribal law enforcement,” Velez-Villar said. “As a result, we have taken numerous proactive steps in the past year to develop a more robust information sharing capacity with all federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement partners.”
He also testified that training material detailing how law enforcement agencies can ensure officers understand how to identify and document suspicious behavior will be distributed in several states within months. He said the material will also contain information that will guide officers in the protection of privacy and civil liberties when documenting information.
Velez-Villar joined the FBI in 1985. In 1992, he worked organized crime and drug matters in San Antonio. Velez-Villar has also investigated public corruption cases in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
He also worked with the DEA’s Special Operations Division helping coordinate major drug trafficking investigations throughout the nation.
In 2004, he was promoted to assistant special agent in charge of the Los Angeles Division’s counterterrorism program. Two years later, Velez-Villar was promoted to deputy director of the FBI’s Terrorist Screening Center. In 2008, he was appointed as the first special agent in charge of the Los Angeles Division’s newly created Intelligence Division.
Velez-Villar is a 2008 recipient of the Attorney General’s award for distinguished services.
The intelligence division is charged with leading efforts to coordinate security that protects the United States from terrorist attacks.
