J. Stephen Tidwell – Special Agent Charge, Critical Incident Response Group

Mr. Tidwell is from Big Spring, Texas. He is a 1974 graduate of Howard Payne University, Brownwood, Texas. He served as a police officer with the Richardson, Texas, Police Department for eight years, attaining the rank of Sergeant.

Mr. Tidwell was appointed as an FBI Special Agent in 1983. He served in the Dallas, Mobile and Baltimore Field Offices. In 1989, after serving two years on the protection deal of the FBI Director, he was promoted to Supervisory Special Agent in the Information Management Division at FBI Headquarters. He returned to the Baltimore Field Office as an investigative agent in 1991. In 1995, he was promoted to a Field Supervisory Special Agent and supervised violent crimes and drug squads and then the Annapolis Resident Agency of the Baltimore Field Office.

In 1998, he was promoted to Chief of an international training unit at FBI Headquarters. Mr. Tidwell was designated the Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Salt Lake City Field Office in June, 1999. In July 2001, he was promoted to Inspector and transferred to the Office of Inspections, Inspection Division, FBI Headquarters.

In March 2002, Mr. Tidwell was appointed Special Agent in Charge of the Louisville Field Office. Director Mueller designated Mr. Tidwell as Deputy Assistant Director, Criminal Investigative Division, FBIHQ, in May 2003.

In November 2003, Director Mueller designated Mr. Tidwell as Special Agent in Charge, Critical Incident Response Group.