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Welcome back, everyone, for the conclusion of my interview with the FBI agent who transitioned from FBI Special Agent accountant to FBI SWAT sniper and bomb Tech. My guest on today’s show, Barry Black, has been involved in investigating multi-million dollar crimes, from being a SWAT sniper at the Waco standoff, a bomb tech at the Oklahoma bombing, and 9/11.
Let's get to know Barry. Barry joined the FBI in 1988 and was assigned to the Oklahoma City Division, where he primarily investigated complex financial crimes. Mr. Black served as an FBI SWAT sniper for several years, including a 51-day deployment to the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas, in 1993.
The following year, Mr. Black was certified as a Bomb Technician at the FBI’s Hazardous Devices School. In 1995, he was a first responder to the bombing of Oklahoma City’s Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building and remained a member of the OKBOMB Task Force. As the threat of terrorism grew, Mr. Black was assigned to the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, where he worked with international partners in the global war on terror and trained highly specialized military and counterterrorism units in hostile regions around the world.
Domestically, Mr. Black responded to the 1996 Atlanta Olympic bombing, the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks, the 2005 bombing at the University of Oklahoma, the bombing of a U.S. Air Force recruiting station, and, in a complex undercover operation, helped thwart a 2017 truck bomb attack targeting a major financial center in Oklahoma City.
After retiring from the FBI, Mr. Black became an adjunct faculty member at the University of Central Oklahoma’s Forensic Science Institute. He has served as a consultant, keynote speaker, and provided commentary for various national and international media outlets and documentaries. In 2026, his book, Hazardous Devices: Memoir of an FBI Bomb Technician, Accountant, and Sniper, was published by McFarland & Company.
Please enjoy the conclusion of my chat with an FBI agent who has had a law enforcement career that is the stuff of movies and books.
In today’s episode, we discuss:
· FBI personnel being kicked out of a hotel in Waco to make room for a basketball team.
· ATF handing over the scene to the FBI.
· Dealing with the child victims on the scene.
· The Texas Rangers' role in the aftermath at Waco.
· Who processed the crime scene?
· Barry responding as a bomb tech. A few years later, on April 19, 1995, Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nicholes used an improvised explosive device in a U-Haul that detonated in front of the Alfred Murrah Federal Building, killing 168 and injuring 800 people.
· Barry’s wife leaving the target building two minutes before the detonation of the bomb.
· 9/11. What was his role as an FBI master bomb tech, and what effect did that have on you?
· His life after the bureau, as a teacher and author.
· David Koresh was a cult leader. How do you reason with this guy?
· His book, Hazardous Devices: Memoir of an FBI Bomb Technician, Accountant and Sniper.
· His thoughts on the current FBI.
All of this and more on today’s episode of the Cops and Writers podcast.
Please visit Barry's website to learn more about him and his career.
Head on over to my website!
What's the craziest thing you saw when you were a cop?
My first week on the job, a guy running at me with a butcher knife. He'd just killed his brother over the last hot dog.
That's chapter 1. There are 33 more.
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