Federal Bureau of Investigation in the United States

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the principal investigative arm of the
United States Department of Justice. It is primarily charged with gathering and
reporting facts, locating witnesses, and compiling evidence in cases involving
Federal jurisdiction. It also provides law enforcement leadership and assistance to
State and international law enforcement agencies.

The FBI was established in 1908 by the Attorney General, who directed that
Department of Justice investigations be handled by its own staff. The Bureau is
charged with investigating all violations of Federal law except those that have
been assigned by legislative enactment or otherwise to another Federal agency.
Its jurisdiction includes a wide range of responsibilities in the national security,
criminal, and civil fields. Priority has been assigned to areas such as
counterterrorism, counterintelligence, cyber crimes, internationally and
nationally organized crime/drug matters, and financial crimes.

The FBI also offers cooperative services to local, State, and international law
enforcement agencies. These services include fingerprint identification,
laboratory examination, police training, the Law Enforcement Online
communication and information service for use by the law enforcement
community, the National Crime Information Center, and the National
Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime.

For further information, contact the Office of Public and Congressional Affairs, Federal Bureau of Investigation, J. Edgar Hoover FBI Building, 935 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20535. Phone,202–317–2727.

Federal Bureau of Investigation

United States Constitution

According to the Encyclopedia of the American Constitution, about its article titled FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATIONThe Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is a division of the Department of Justice supervised by the attorney general. Although a cabinet officer since the 1790s, the attorney general did not oversee federal law enforcement and did not even head a federal department
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Introduction to Federal Bureau of Investigation

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), chief investigative agency of the United States federal government and a division of the U.S. Department of Justice. The FBI is charged with investigating violations of most federal criminal laws and with protecting the United States from foreign intelligence and terrorist activities. It also provides services to other law enforcement agencies, including fingerprint identification, laboratory analysis of criminal evidence, police training, and access to a centralized crime information database. Because of its broad mandate, the FBI is one of the most powerful and controversial agencies in the government. The bureau traces its origins to 1908, when the attorney general appointed a small group of investigators within the Department of Justice.” (1)

Federal Bureau of Investigation

In Legislation

Federal Bureau of Investigation in the U.S. Code: Title 28, Part II, Chapter 33

The current, permanent, in-force federal laws regulating federal bureau of investigation are compiled in the United States Code under Title 28, Part II, Chapter 33. It constitutes “prima facie” evidence of statutes relating to Judiciary (including federal bureau of investigation) of the United States. The reader can further narrow his/her legal research of the general topic (in this case, Department of Justice and Justice of the US Code, including federal bureau of investigation) by chapter and subchapter.

Resources

Notes and References

• Information about Federal Bureau of Investigation in the Encarta Online Encyclopedia

Guide to Federal Bureau of Investigation

In this Section

Federal Bureau of Investigation, Federal Bureau of Investigation Structure, FBI Jurisdiction and Investigative Responsibilities, FBI Agents, Law Enforcement Services, FBI Law Enforcement Services (including FBI Fingerprint Identification, FBI Laboratory, FBI Criminal Profiling, FBI Police Training, National Crime Information Center and Crime Statistics), FBI History (including FBI Early Years, Hoover Reforms, FBI in the World War II and Postwar Era, FBI Antiradical Activities, FBI Reform, Ruby Ridge, FBI Under Freeh and September 11 Attacks), FBI and the Patriot Act and National Lawyers Guild.

About U.S. Federal Departments

Federal Departments, Department of Agriculture, Department of Commerce, Department of Defense (including Department of Defense Purpose, Department of Defense Organization, Department of Defense Liaison of Command and Department of Defense Supporting Agencies), Department of Education, Department of Energy

(including Department of Energy Purpose, Department of Energy Organization and Department of Energy Research and Development), Department of Health and Human Services (including Department of Health and Human Services History and Department of Health and Human Services Agencies and Services), Department of Homeland Security (including Department of Homeland Security Organization and Functions, Department of Homeland Security Origins and Department of Homeland Security Supporting Agencies), Department of Housing and Urban Development, Department of Justice (including Department of Justice Functions, Department of Justice Structure and Department of Justice Associated Agencies), Department of Labor, Department of National Defence, Department of State (including Department of State Administration and Department of State Bureaus), Department of the Air Force, Department of the Army, Department of the Interior (including Department of the Interior Functions and Department of the Interior Principal Agencies), Department of the Navy, Department of the Treasury, Department of Transportation, Department of Veterans Affairs (including the Department of Veterans Affairs Service Categories, Department of Veterans Affairs Benefits Available and GI Bill of Rights) and Department of War.

COINTELPRO and Covert Operations in relation to Crime and Race

COINTELPRO and Covert Operations is included in the Encyclopedia of Race and Crime (1), beginning with: COINTELPRO is the acronym used to refer to counterintelligence programs conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to discredit and neutralize organizations considered subversive to U.S. political stability. These programs were covert and often used extralegal means to criminalize various forms of political struggle and derail several social movements in the United States. Contemporary race relations, political activism, and crime fighting are intimately intertwined in the context of these counterintelligence programs. The story of COINTELPRO is important to the study of race and crime because many Americans, including minorities, were the focus of COINTELPRO operations. This section discusses early counterintelligence programs that target Puerto Ricans and African Americans involved with the Puerto Rican Independence movement and the Black Liberation movement. The FBI has acknowledged conducting COINTELPRO operations between 1956 and 1971.

Resources

Notes and References

1. Entry about COINTELPRO and Covert Operations in the Encyclopedia of Race and Crime

See Also