Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is the principal federal law enforcement and domestic intelligence agency of the United States. Operating within the Department of Justice under the Attorney General's authority, the FBI has jurisdiction over more than 200 categories of federal crime — from terrorism and espionage to public corruption, cybercrime, organized crime, civil rights violations, and white-collar fraud. With approximately 35,000 employees including 13,000 special agents, the FBI operates 56 field offices domestically and 63 legal attaché offices internationally.
Current Law (2026)
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Agency | FBI (within Department of Justice) |
| Head | Director (appointed by President, Senate-confirmed; 10-year term) |
| Employees | ~35,000 (13,000 special agents) |
| Field offices | 56 domestic + ~400 resident agencies |
| International | 63 legal attaché offices worldwide |
| Director term | 10 years (to insulate from political pressure; established post-Hoover) |
| Dual mission | Law enforcement + domestic intelligence/counterterrorism |
| NCIC | National Crime Information Center (criminal justice database) |
| UCR | Uniform Crime Reporting program (national crime statistics) |
Legal Authority
- 28 U.S.C. § 531 — Establishment (the FBI is in the Department of Justice)
- 28 U.S.C. § 532 — Director (the Attorney General appoints the Director; the Director heads the FBI)
- 28 U.S.C. § 533 — Investigative authority (the Attorney General may appoint officials to detect and prosecute crimes against the United States; the FBI is the primary agency exercising this authority)
- 28 U.S.C. § 534 — Acquisition, preservation, and exchange of identification records (FBI maintains criminal identification records, NCIC, and related databases; exchanges data with state and local agencies)
- 28 U.S.C. § 535 — Investigation of crimes involving government officers and employees (FBI investigates corruption and misconduct by federal officials)
- 18 U.S.C. § 3052 — Powers of FBI agents (agents may carry firearms, serve warrants, and make arrests without warrant for any federal felony committed in their presence)
- 5 U.S.C. § 3151 — FBI Senior Executive Service (establishes a separate personnel system for senior FBI officials)
How It Works
The FBI's jurisdiction is remarkably broad — it covers virtually every category of federal crime that isn't specifically assigned to another agency. While the DEA leads drug enforcement and the Secret Service leads counterfeiting, the FBI handles terrorism, espionage, cybercrime, public corruption, civil rights violations, organized crime, white-collar crime, violent crime, and much more. When multiple agencies have overlapping jurisdiction (which is common), the FBI typically plays a lead or coordinating role.
The Director's 10-year term is a deliberate structural choice. After J. Edgar Hoover served as Director for 48 years (1924-1972), Congress limited future Directors to a single 10-year term. This term — longer than any presidential term — is designed to insulate the FBI from political pressure while preventing the accumulation of unchecked power. The Director can only be removed by the President.
The FBI's dual mission — law enforcement and intelligence — was formalized after 9/11. The Bureau operates as both a federal police force (investigating crimes and making arrests) and a domestic intelligence agency (collecting and analyzing intelligence on national security threats). This dual role creates tensions: intelligence gathering favors long-term surveillance and disruption, while law enforcement favors building prosecutable cases. The FBI's National Security Branch manages counterterrorism, counterintelligence, and weapons of mass destruction operations.
The National Crime Information Center (NCIC) is one of the FBI's most important infrastructure contributions — a computerized database available to law enforcement agencies nationwide containing records on wanted persons, stolen property, missing persons, and criminal histories. NCIC processes millions of transactions daily, supporting everything from routine traffic stops to fugitive apprehension.
The FBI also administers the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program and its successor, the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), which collect crime statistics from state and local law enforcement agencies. These statistics inform public policy, resource allocation, and public understanding of crime trends.
Criminal background checks through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) — operated by the FBI — are required for all firearms purchases through licensed dealers, processing millions of checks annually.
How It Affects You
If you've been a victim of cybercrime, online fraud, or a scam: The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at ic3.gov is the primary federal intake for reporting cyber-enabled crime — ransomware attacks, business email compromise, romance scams, investment fraud, and more. File a complaint there even if you're not sure it rises to a federal case: IC3 data aggregates individual reports to identify patterns and prioritize investigations. For business email compromise fraud (where someone tricks your company into wiring money to a fraudulent account), there is a specific FBI Financial Fraud Kill Chain process — if you call the FBI and your local field office within 72 hours of the fraudulent wire, there is a chance the FBI can work with the recipient bank to reverse or freeze the transfer. After 72 hours, money moved internationally is almost certainly unrecoverable. Report to ic3.gov AND call your local FBI field office immediately for any business wire fraud involving significant money (find your office at fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices).
If you're applying to work at a company that contracts with the federal government, or seeking a security clearance: FBI background investigation is a central component of the federal security clearance process, including name checks against NCIC (the FBI's criminal records database) and fingerprint checks against the Next Generation Identification (NGI) system. If you have a criminal record — even an arrest without conviction, an expunged record (expungement does not remove FBI records unless you specifically petition the FBI), or an alias — this can appear in the background check. The FBI maintains its own identification records separately from state systems. If you believe your FBI record contains an error, you can request a copy of your Identity History Summary ("rap sheet") at fbi.gov/services/cjis/identity-history-summary-checks and challenge inaccuracies through a formal amendment process.
If you're a gun buyer and your NICS background check is delayed or denied: Every firearm purchase from a licensed dealer triggers an FBI NICS (National Instant Criminal Background Check System) check. About 90% are completed immediately; roughly 8-9% are "delayed" (FBI needs more time to investigate potential disqualifying records); under 1% are denied. If you're delayed, the dealer can transfer the firearm after 3 business days if the FBI hasn't responded (the "default proceed" rule), though some dealers wait for resolution. If you're denied, you receive a NICS Transaction Number (NTN) and can appeal through the NICS Section at fbi.gov/services/cjis/nics — common reasons for erroneous denials include name/date-of-birth matches with a prohibited person (identity theft or coincidence), expunged convictions that weren't removed from federal records, or domestic violence misdemeanor determinations that you dispute. The appeal process is separate from the Brady denial process — you can appeal and also seek a Proceed Status from the NICS examiner if you believe you're wrongly denied.
If you're a business concerned about trade secret theft, corporate espionage, or a cyber intrusion: The FBI's Cyber Division and field office cyber squads investigate intrusions into U.S. businesses, with particular focus on nation-state actors (China, Russia, Iran, North Korea) stealing intellectual property, and ransomware groups disrupting operations. If you've suffered a cyber intrusion, report to both IC3.gov and your local FBI field office — the FBI can provide threat intelligence, assist with attribution, and in some cases recover encrypted data or disrupt ransomware infrastructure. For companies in critical infrastructure (energy, financial services, healthcare, telecommunications), the FBI also operates InfraGard — a public-private partnership with access to FBI threat briefings, classified infrastructure threat information, and direct relationships with local cyber agents. Membership in InfraGard is free; apply at infragard.org with a company email address.
State Variations
The FBI is exclusively federal but works extensively with state and local agencies:
- Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTFs) in every field office include state and local officers
- Safe Streets Task Forces target violent crime through federal-local partnerships
- State and local officers may be deputized as federal task force members
- State criminal laws often overlap with federal jurisdiction — cases may be prosecuted in either system
- State crime labs and identification bureaus exchange data with FBI systems
Implementing Regulations
- 28 CFR Part 0 — DOJ organization (§§ 0.138, 0.157 — FBI organizational authority, FBI-DEA joint task forces)
- 28 CFR Part 50 — DOJ policies (§ 50.12 — exchange of FBI identification records)
- 28 CFR Part 16 — DOJ Privacy Act (§ 16.96 — exemption of FBI systems from certain Privacy Act provisions)
- 28 CFR Part 81 — FBI designation (§ 81.3 — designation of FBI for specific law enforcement functions)
- 28 CFR Part 513 — Bureau of Prisons records (§ 513.11 — procedures for requesting FBI identification records)
Pending Legislation
- HR 7215 — FBI-led government-wide anti-scam strategy, unified scam definition, consistent reporting. Status: Introduced.
- S 3085 — Keep FBI background checks running during government shutdowns. Status: Introduced.
- HR 6563 — Force FBI to notify Congress of watchlist policy changes, report U.S. person counts. Status: Introduced.
- HR 6104 — Criminalize dark web drug sales, create FBI-led task force on virtual currency in opioid distribution. Status: Introduced.
- HR 6806 — Create DOJ/FBI antisemitism offices, require college coordinators. Status: Introduced.
Recent Developments
The FBI has been at the center of political debates about the relationship between law enforcement and political accountability. Congressional oversight of FBI activities — particularly surveillance authorities under FISA, the handling of politically sensitive investigations, and the use of confidential informants — has intensified. The FBI's role in federal anti-terrorism law enforcement, including material support prosecutions, remains central to its mission. Cybercrime and ransomware have become top enforcement priorities as attacks on critical infrastructure, healthcare systems, and financial institutions have surged. The FBI has also expanded its role in countering foreign influence operations and election interference.
- Kash Patel confirmed as FBI Director (2025): After Christopher Wray's resignation in December 2024, Trump nominated Kash Patel — a former Trump NSC official and vocal critic of the FBI's Trump-era investigations — as FBI Director. Patel was confirmed by the Senate in February 2025 on a party-line vote. Patel had previously published a book naming FBI and intelligence community officials he considered corrupt and pledged to restructure the Bureau significantly. His appointment was the most consequential change in FBI leadership since J. Edgar Hoover's death.
- FBI restructuring and political investigations: Under Patel, the FBI announced organizational restructuring — including moving significant FBI functions and personnel out of Washington, D.C. to field offices, a move framed as reducing "deep state" entrenchment. The FBI also dropped or reassigned some prosecutorial teams that had worked on Trump-related investigations. Critics argued the restructuring was designed to sideline career agents who had worked on cases Trump considered politically motivated; supporters argued it decentralized the Bureau and restored political independence.
- January 6 case dismissals: Following Trump's pardons for approximately 1,500 January 6 defendants, DOJ dismissed remaining pending prosecutions. The FBI agents and prosecutors who had investigated January 6 faced the unusual situation of having their case work effectively nullified. Some senior FBI officials involved in January 6 investigations resigned or were transferred; the experience raised significant concerns about the FBI's institutional independence in politically sensitive investigations.
- Trump investigation targeting "weaponization": The Trump administration's DOJ and FBI shifted investigative focus toward prosecuting individuals Trump and allies characterized as having "weaponized" federal law enforcement — including former prosecutors, FBI officials, and others involved in Trump-era investigations. Attorney General Bondi directed DOJ to investigate prior DOJ and FBI conduct. Civil libertarians and former law enforcement officials warned that investigating prosecutors for prosecutorial decisions could fundamentally undermine prosecutorial independence.
- Cybercrime and ransomware priorities preserved: Notwithstanding the organizational disruption, the FBI's cybercrime and ransomware enforcement activities continued. Major operations against ransomware groups (LockBit, BlackCat/ALPHV) had previously seized infrastructure and arrested affiliates. Chinese cyber espionage (Volt Typhoon, Salt Typhoon targeting telecom infrastructure) remained a top priority. The FBI's cyber division has maintained bipartisan support because cyberattacks on critical infrastructure are broadly opposed.