Federal Bureau of Investigation

"FBI" redirects here. For other uses, see FBI (disambiguation).

Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation's seal
Federal Bureau of Investigation's seal
FBI special agent badge
FBI special agent badge
Flag of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Flag of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
AbbreviationFBI
MottoFidelity, Bravery, Integrity
Agency overview
FormedJuly 26, 1908 (as the Bureau of Investigation)
Employees≈35,000[1]
Annual budgetUS$9,748,829,000 (FY 2021)[2]
Jurisdictional structure
Federal agencyUnited States
Operations jurisdictionUnited States
General nature
Operational structure
HeadquartersJ. Edgar Hoover Building
Washington, D.C., U.S.
38°53′43″N 77°01′30″W / 38.89528°N 77.02500°W / 38.89528; -77.02500
Agency executives
Parent agencyDepartment of Justice
Office of the Director of National Intelligence
Divisions
  • Intelligence Branch
  • Counter-Terrorism Division
  • Cyber Division
  • Counter-Intelligence
  • National Investigative Division
  • International Operations
  • Social Media Department
  • Advertising Department
Website
fbi.gov

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. An agency of the United States Department of Justice, the FBI is a member of the U.S. Intelligence Community and reports to both the Attorney General and the Director of National Intelligence.[3] A leading U.S. counterterrorism, counterintelligence, and criminal investigative organization, the FBI has jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crimes.[4][5]

Although many of the FBI's functions are unique, its activities in support of national security are comparable to those of the British MI5 and NCA, the New Zealand GCSB and the Russian FSB. Unlike the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), which has no law enforcement authority and is focused on intelligence collection abroad, the FBI is primarily a domestic agency, maintaining 56 field offices in major cities throughout the United States, and more than 400 resident agencies in smaller cities and areas across the nation. At an FBI field office, a senior-level FBI officer concurrently serves as the representative of the director of national intelligence.[6][7]

Despite its domestic focus, the FBI also maintains a significant international footprint, operating 60 Legal Attache (LEGAT) offices and 15 sub-offices in U.S. embassies and consulates across the globe. These foreign offices exist primarily for the purpose of coordination with foreign security services and do not usually conduct unilateral operations in the host countries.[8] The FBI can and does at times carry out secret activities overseas,[9] just as the CIA has a limited domestic function. These activities generally require coordination across government agencies.

The FBI was established in 1908 as the Bureau of Investigation, the BOI or BI for short. Its name was changed to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in 1935.[10] The FBI headquarters is the J. Edgar Hoover Building in Washington, D.C. The FBI has a List of the Top 10 criminals.

  1. ^ "About: How many people work for the FBI?". FBI. Archived from the original on January 11, 2021. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Our Strength Lies in Who We Are". intelligence.gov. Archived from the original on August 10, 2014. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
  4. ^ "How does the FBI differ from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)?". Federal Bureau of Investigation. Archived from the original on September 4, 2017. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
  5. ^ "Federal Bureau of Investigation – Quick Facts". Federal Bureau of Investigation. Archived from the original on October 17, 2011.
  6. ^ Statement Before the House Appropriations Committee, Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (Archived June 23, 2016, at the Wayback Machine), Federal Bureau of Investigation, March 26, 2014
  7. ^ "FBI gets a broader role in coordinating domestic intelligence activities" (Archived July 16, 2017, at the Wayback Machine), The Washington Post, June 19, 2012
  8. ^ "Overview of the Legal Attaché Program" (Archived March 13, 2016, at the Wayback Machine), Federal Bureau of Investigation. Retrieved: March 25, 2015.
  9. ^ Spies Clash as FBI Joins CIA Overseas: Sources Talk of Communication Problem in Terrorism Role ([1]), Associated Press via NBC News, February 15, 2005
  10. ^ "A Byte Out of History – How the FBI Got Its Name". FBI. Archived from the original on March 31, 2016. Retrieved February 9, 2021.