Introduction The FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) is the principal investigative arm of the United States Department of Justice. It has the authority and responsibility to investigate specific crimes assigned to it. The FBI also is authorized to provide other law enforcement agencies with cooperative services, such as fingerprint identification, laboratory.
Thesis Statement examinations, and police training. The mission of the FBI is to uphold the law through the investigation of violations of federal criminal law, to protect the United States from foreign intelligence and terrorist activities, to provide leadership and law enforcement assistance to federal, state, local, and international agencies, and to perform these responsibilities in a manner that is responsive to the needs of the public and is faithful to the Constitution of the United States.
History The FBI was not always known as The Federal Bureau of Investigation. In 1908, this agency was known as the Bureau of Investigation. On July 26, 1908, the Attorney General appointed ten Special Agents to the Bureau of Investigation and called them the Special Agent Task Force. The FBI evolved from this small group. In 1933, the name was changed again to the Division of Investigation and finally, in 1935 they became known has the Federal Bureau of Investigation. (King) .
A director heads the FBI. This director is appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate for a term not to exceed ten years. The current director of the FBI is Robert S. Mueller, III. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is headquartered in Washington, DC. The offices and divisions at FBI Headquarters provide program direction and support to 56 field offices, approximately 400 satellite offices known as resident agencies, four specialized field installations, and over 40 foreign liaison posts known as Legal Attaches. As of January 31, 2002, the FBI had approximately 11,000 Special Agents and 16,000 Professional Support Personnel.