Amy Jo Lyons joined the FBI, after four years as a Drug Enforcement Administration agent, in the hopes that she would be able to investigate other types of crime.

Did she ever. Since joining the bureau in 1990, Lyons has investigated organized crime and Latino gangs. She has been a supervisor assigned to counterterrorism and she was one of the first female special agents to join an FBI SWAT team.

Lyons, 47, will draw on that experience as the new head of the FBI's Baltimore division, a post she assumed five weeks ago. In an interview, she said her priorities reflect those of the bureau: combating terrorism, rooting out public corruption and cracking down on street gangs.

'Certainly, terrorism is at the top of the list,' Lyons said. 'It is the top threat here in Baltimore.'

She said the city is home to potential terrorist targets, including a major port, an international airport, a large train station and various rail lines.

Lyons said she recently met with state and local law enforcement officials in Maryland and Delaware, and with officials in the FBI's Washington field office.

'We have to work closely with our state and local partners,' she said. 'Criminals don't respect the state boundaries that we've established.'....