Leah Halton: Unraveling the Enigmatic Life of the FBI's First Female Agent

The pair spoke about their own FBI careers, plus the trailblazing first female special agents who came before them. The women also shared an important message for the next generation. In this episode, active and retired FBI agents review historical documents and share stories about Director Hoover’s initial rejection, the Bureau’s eventual acceptance of female agents in the FBI, and their personal FBI career journeys as women. Our early female pioneers had a lot of fascinating stories to tell about this work—how dangerous it was, how they gained the trust of criminals, how they used their specialized language and other... Susan Roley Malone is a legend at the FBI Academy. Fifty years ago, she made history as one of the first two women to graduate as a special agent. To celebrate the anniversary, the FBI... The book chronicles her early career as one of the FBI’s first female agents and her relationship with the mobster with whom she ultimately took down organized crime in Chicago. Smith, one of the most prolific and accomplished women.

When local homicide detectives in St. Petersburg, Florida, hit a dead end tracking down the individual who killed Ohio mom Joan Rogers and her two teenage daughters in 1989, Jana Monroe came up with an idea that led to a break in the case. Susan Roley Malone is a legend at the FBI Academy. Fifty years ago, she made history as one of the first two women to graduate as a special agent. To celebrate the anniversary, the FBI... In this episode, active and retired FBI agents review historical documents and share stories about Director Hoover’s initial rejection, the Bureau’s eventual acceptance of female agents in the FBI, and their personal FBI career journeys as women. Our early female pioneers had a lot of fascinating stories to tell about this work—how dangerous it was, how they gained the trust of criminals, how they used their specialized language and other... The pair spoke about their own FBI careers, plus the trailblazing first female special agents who came before them. The women also shared an important message for the next generation. As one of the first female agents in the FBI Behavioral Science Unit – now known as the Behavioral Analysis Unit – Jana Monroe was involved in over 850 homicide investigations, helping shape FBI profiling techniques used today. As the FBI celebrates 100 years of African-American special agents and observes Women’s History Month, we remember Sylvia Mathis, the first African-American woman to serve as an FBI agent.

Susan Malone, the first woman to be an FBI agent, joins us to discuss her journey through the organization and how she broke boundaries in the profession. The book chronicles her early career as one of the FBI’s first female agents and her relationship with the mobster with whom she ultimately took down organized crime in Chicago. Smith, one of the most prolific and accomplished women.