FBI (CBS) is a fast-paced procedural drama about the inner workings of the FBI’s New York field office. Starring as special agents are Zeeko Zaki, Missy Peregrym, and Jeremy Sisto.
FBI on CBS is currently one of the most successful FBI TV series ever. It’s been on air since 2018 and has launched two spin-offs, FBI: Most Wanted and FBI: International.
The show’s about to premiere its seventh season and has been renewed through its ninth season in 2026–2027. That means it could eventually surpass the very first FBI TV series, The F.B.I., which started in 1965, and ran for nine seasons and 234 episodes. However, it still has a long way to go to beat Criminal Minds, which ran for 15 seasons and 325 episodes.
In my opinion, the series and its spin-offs continue to be one of the FBI’s most effective recruiting tools, at zero cost to taxpayers (there’s no affiliation between the show and the FBI).
I reviewed the entire first season of the series on my blog, but it’s been a while since I’ve checked in on the show for teachable moments. So I watched the season 6 finale.
Here’s the premise for Season 6/Episode 13 – Ring of Fire: The Somalian terrorist group behind the death of Agent Hobbs resurfaces, sending the team on a chase to take them down for good.
The episode was highly entertaining, with lots of gun battles and explosions. I have to confess that I am once again distracted by the same thing I pointed out in the first season. The main characters continue to accompany SWAT on raids instead of waiting outside until the all-clear signal is given. That always bothers me. But because Maggie, OA, Scola, and Tiffany look so dynamic in their all black outfits, I understand why it’s easy for the average viewer to overlook that they lack the proper gear, helmets, weapons, and training to go inside with the SWAT operators. Like I’ve mentioned before, veteran agents are not the show’s target audience. We know too much.
That’s why I use my reviews as opportunities to discuss actual FBI programs, policies and procedures.
Within minutes of starting the episode, I rediscovered the secret sauce behind how the show keeps fans glued to their seats with its action-packed, high-speed pace. It’s not just the actions of the agents out on the street, but also Jubal and his squad of agents and analysts under his supervision in the command center. The momentum of each episode is driven by their use of facial identification to swiftly identify suspects from a grainy photo taken by a roadside surveillance camera. The narrative for each scene is propelled by their expertise in acquiring phone numbers and using cellular data to pinpoint subjects’ whereabouts.
Valuable lessons can be learned by examining the show’s depiction of facial recognition and cell site analysis.
Facial recognition is a tool integrated in the FBI’s biometric identification toolbox, along with fingerprints, palm prints, iris recognition. The increased use of these technologies has resulted in the replacement of the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS) by Next Generation Identification (NGI), a system combining the electronic repository of biometric and criminal history information.
Law enforcement officers may submit photos for a search against over 30 million criminal mug shot photos in the FBI’s in-house face recognition platform and receive a list of ranked candidates as potential investigative leads. The software maps a person’s facial features and creates a facial signature.
This includes data like their eyes’ precise location, scars, or other facial differences. The system then scans and compares the facial signature with images in the database. The process of recognizing a face takes only a few seconds.
FBI employees using facial recognition technology are required to undergo specific training to learn how to use it effectively, acknowledge its limitations, and prevent false matches, which may lead to wrongful arrests. Learn more about Next Generation Identification (NGI) here.
The analysts in the FBI (CBS) episode were frequently instructed to “ping” a suspect’s phone. But wait, aren’t there are restrictions on locating people using cell phone device analysis?
The answer to that question is yes. Law enforcement must use a subpoena to request the service provider to produce toll records, subscriber information (name and billing address), how a customer pays their bill, device electronic serial number, IP addresses, and other customer information about equipment and length of service.
However, without a warrant, it is illegal to monitor a person’s cellular activities in-real-time or to obtain historical data.
The Supreme Court has ruled that law enforcement must get a search warrant to access cell tower location data kept by cellphone and wireless network providers, including historical data, cell site and sector information, text messages, installation of pen trap-and-trace, tracking authorization, subscribers for all numbers contacting targets, and other data location-based services.
There are exceptions. Tracking a child’s phone without consent is allowed for parents or legal guardians, and monitoring company-owned devices and networks is permissible with a legitimate business intent.
It is important to note that GPS and cellular data differ in terms of their reliance on signals for location tracking. GPS solely uses satellite signals, while GPS Cellular combines satellite and cellular networks for improved accuracy and features. Law enforcement generally needs a warrant to access a phone’s global positioning data. However, there may be situations where taking immediate action is crucial to prevent harm or the destruction of evidence.
Additionally, it’s important to note that a warrant is required for the government to access private text messages and emails on personal devices.
During the episode, analysts accessed cell phone and computer data instead of calling on the FBI’s Cellular Analysis Survey Team (CAST) which is responsible for analyzing cellular data for investigative purposes. Learn more about the FBI’s Cellular Analysis Survey Team here.
To learn how cell site analysis is used in an actual investigation, listen to FBI Retired Case File Review episode 332: Bill Shute – Murder of LaToyia Figueroa, Historical Cellular Analysis
Watch Season 6 finale/Episode 13 – Ring of Fire here. Season 7 of FBI (CBS) starts up on Tuesday, Oct. 15 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS, streaming the next day on Paramount+.
Catch up with the show here: FBI season 6 ending explained: 3 things to remember before season 7
