SALT LAKE CITY — Meet Shohini Sinha, the brand new special agent in charge and only the second female to head up the FBI Salt Lake Field Office, which also covers Idaho and Montana.
FOX 13 News sat down with Sinha to learn more about her life journey now that she holds a leadership position in the Beehive State.
Sinha joined the bureau shortly after the 9/11 terror attacks and has spent the past 22 years dealing with threats both internationally and domestically.
Even though the Hamas terror attacks on Israel happened half a world away, some of the fallout is being felt in America.
“There is a significant uptick in threats to the American people, especially Jewish, Arab American and Muslim communities," Sinha reflected. "So I would really encourage people to be vigilant.”
The situation in the Middle East is just one of the many issues Sinha is dealing with as she acclimates herself to her new role.
Before joining the Salt Lake Field Office, Sinha worked in Canada, Wisconsin, Baghdad and Washington D.C.
Sinha explained one challenge of her new job is the thousands of square miles that the Salt Lake Field Office covers. She said she depends heavily on local and tribal law enforcement in areas that are further away.
“Especially as the area gets more remote, that partnership becomes increasingly critical," Sinha said. "We rely on one another.”
The FBI's motto is Fidelity, Bravery and Integrity, but Sinha says the bureau is also associated with equity, diversity and inclusivity.
In 2001, she was one of only six female trainees out of 50 who made it through the FBI academy. Just a few weeks ago, 58 females graduated out of a class of 143.
Sinha said something that's changed in a bad way is the denigration of law enforcement and the FBI in particular.
“We speak through our work," she said. "We do the right thing, the right way, it is about the rule of law and rigor in our investigations and in the end, the work stands for itself.”
Something she's extremely proud of is her mixed-race heritage. Sinha's Hindu father is originally from India and met her Methodist mother while attending college on the East Coast.
Her parents got married and later moved to Indiana to raise five children together.
Sinha explained her parent's story has given her perspective on life and how to get things done when challenges are thrown her way.
