Ms. Thompson is a former firefighter/EMT, and Ohio State Trooper. She became a Special Agent for the FBI in 1991 and served for 24 years, retiring in January 2015. She holds a BA in Political Science from Wright State University, and a Master's degree in Organizational Lcdcrship from Northccntrl University.

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As an FBI Special Agent, Ms. Thompson was assigned to the Miami and Los Angeles Field Divisions working fugitives/violent crimes, gangs, robbery/homicide cold cases, public corruption, and crimes against children. She was an FBI Advanced Instructor, certified to teach a wide variety of firearms and tactical disciplines. She was full time training staff in the LA Division, and Program Manager for the Firearms Training Unit in the Miami Division. As Adjunct Faculty at the FBI Academy, she taught in the Firearms Training Unit, Instructor Development Unit and in the Leadership Development Program. Ms. Thompson was the first female member of the Miami Division SWAT Team and the first female in the history of the FBI to be trained and certified as a SWAT sniper.

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Ms. Thompson is a recipient of the FBI Director's Award for Outstanding Contributions in Law Enforcement for her investigative case-work on a large scale RICO prosecution. She was also a finalist for the FBI Director's Award for Exceptional Heroism as a result of a foot pursuit for a homicide suspect in a case that was featured on America's Most Wanted. She has received several awards from the United States Attorneys Office for successful criminal prosecutions in both Florida and California. Throughout her career, Patty has provided training to FBI Agents as well as state and local law enforcement officers throughout the U.S., Europe, and the Middle East. She is the owner of V[RITAS Key West, and currently Adjunct Faculty for the University of Tennessee Law Enforcement Innovation Center (LEIC) and the Qatar Academy of International Security Studies (QIASS).