The FBI Has a Hiring Problem

The FBI has a hiring problem, and drugs and money may be to blame. Reuters reports that the issue is specifically on the cybersecurity front, citing a DOJ report that shows that as of January, the FBI had hired only 39% of the 134 computer scientists it had gotten the green light to bring aboard as part of the DOJ's Next Generation Cyber Initiative; further, almost 10% of the cyber task forces in place at each FBI field office have no computer scientist among their ranks.

This though Reuters describes cybersecurity threats as one of the DOJ's "top priorities." Among the road blocks: salaries lower than those found in the private sector, and some pretty strict drug testing parameters. No one who is determined to have used pot in the last three years, or other illegal drugs in the past decade, can join the FBI. (More FBI stories.)