Crofton man ending 25-year career with FBI

Crofton resident J. Stephen Tidwell has had an exciting career with the FBI since 1983.

He currently holds the bureau's fourth-highest position, and during his career he led the investigation into Flight 77, the American Airlines flight that crashed into the Pentagon during the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. He also was in charge of the FBI's October 2002 sniper investigation in Washington, D.C.

In 2004, he also was the on-scene commander for the FBI during the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics.

But all that FBI excitement will end for him this month, when he retires at age 56. It will likely be replaced by some Harley riding and golfing.

"I'm proud to have served my country, and to have been given the opportunity to do it," he said.

In December 2007, he was named executive assistant director of the FBI's Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services Branch at the bureau's headquarters in Washington, D.C. It's the bureau's fourth-highest position, and he is in charge of the work of about 14,000 people.

Mr. Tidwell and his family moved to Crofton in 1985. Though he has lived elsewhere while on assignment, his wife, Paula, stayed in Crofton, and their children, Josh and Meghan, graduated from Arundel High School.

Born and raised in a small town in west Texas, Mr. Tidwell said he never imagined he would see all the things he has, or that he'd meet so many presidents and heads of state. He served as a police officer in Texas for eight years before joining the FBI in 1983.

"In my mind, it was like wanting to see if I could make the varsity," he said.

He was supervising a narcotics unit for the police department at the time, and he said he thinks that gave him a leg-up on his application.

"It was like a lot of things, timing and circumstance," Mr. Tidwell said.

The bureau has changed a lot since he started, and it's much more competitive to be hired. Officials said they receive about 50,000 applications for agent jobs every year. This year, they are only hiring 850 agents.

"I don't think I could get in today," he said with a laugh.

Since 9/11, working at the FBI has changed, and the focus on anti-terrorism efforts have been a challenge, he said.

"I will not miss that constant pressure (of asking) 'Did we miss something, are people going to get hurt?' " he said.

Mr. Tidwell served in the Dallas, Mobile, Ala., and Baltimore field offices, where he investigated narcotics, violent crime, and gang matters. He also served as a team member on the Mobile and Baltimore Field Office SWAT teams. In Baltimore, he was an assistant SWAT team leader and served as the SWAT coordinator.

He said one of his proudest moments was when he was named assistant director in charge of the Los Angeles Field Office, one of the bureau's largest. Its jurisdiction includes seven counties and 18 million people.

"(It) was an honor that's hard to describe," he said.

Counter-terrorism was a focus for the office, because al-Qaida had made threats to hit Los Angeles, he said. And its proximity to Hollywood also presented unique security challenges - specifically, the stretch of time during events, including the Academy Awards, the Golden Globes, the Rose Bowl and Rose Bowl Parade.

"It was a very rewarding time for me," he said.

Ken Kaiser works under Mr. Tidwell as assistant director of the Criminal Investigation Division. He has known Mr. Tidwell for about 20 years.

As a boss, Mr. Tidwell is good at taking input and being a sounding board for new ideas, Mr. Kaiser said.

"He has been a tremendous FBI agent, a tremendous leader," he said. "I'd be honored to go through a door with him to get a bad guy," he added.

And Mr. Tidwell is compassionate, always looking out for his employees, Mr. Kaiser said.

He recalled a time an employee had been undergoing chemotherapy. Mr. Tidwell was called back to headquarters to work on a special project, and he showed up with a shaved head, in a show of support.

"He just cares about people," Mr. Kaiser said.

Timothy P. Murphy, associate deputy director, said Mr. Tidwell was a role model in the bureau, someone others frequently ask for help and advice.

"He's been around the block," he said. "He's got a lot of experience in the field."

He's also calm, and can keep a sense of humor in a crisis.

Mr. Tidwell recently set up a course for new senior FBI representatives to teach them best practices and how to lead in a crisis. He'll be gone by the time the class happens, but Mr. Tidwell has been "engaged to the end," Mr. Murphy said.

It's an FBI requirement that agents retire in the year they turn 57, so Mr. Tidwell would have had to retire by October. There are some things he will miss, he said.

"One of the things you miss are the people," he said. "We refer to it as 'the bureau family,' and it truly is."

But the timing seemed right, he said.

"I feel like I've run all the laps I could possibly run," he said.

He said in his retirement he will work for a consulting firm.