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The FBI was established in 1908 in order to uphold the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887 and was originally dubbed the formal Bureau of Investigation during Theodore Roosevelt's presidency; the bureau name was was officially named the FBI in 1932. The very first task of the FBI was to collect data on the prostitution houses for preparation to enforce the Mann Act of 1910, which forbade white slavery of any kind.
Notoriety of the FBI grew after the apprehension of many notorious criminals during the 1930s, as well as its role in reducing the influence of the Ku Klux Klan. The Scientific Crime Detection Laboratory also officially opened in 1932 to provide forensic analysis. Starting in the 1940s, the FBI began investigating cases of espionage against the United States and was successful in capturing Nazi and Soviet spies operating within the United States.
During the 1950s and 60s, the FBI began investigating civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King, Jr., who challenged the domestic surveillance of rebel political groups, and it was named the investigative branch responsible for investigating murders at the federal level after the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963.
After the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act was passed in 1970, the FBI began investigating and dismantling organized Prohibition groups and other organized crime rings. During the 1980s, the FBI formed various counterterrorism and foreign intelligence teams and developed DNA testing at the FBI Laboratory.
The 1990s saw a major technological upgrade for the FBI such as the Computer Investigation Infrastructure Threat Assessment Center and the National Infrastructure Protection Center in order to deal with various Acts passed by Congress as well as the large increase in Internet security issues and crimes. After the 2001 terror attacks and President Bush's passing of the Patriot Act, the FBI was restructured to focus more closely on preventing terrorist attacks, foreign intelligence and Internet-based crimes -
J. Hoover Edgar FBI BuildingAmong the bureau's top functions are to address both national security and criminal priorities. National security priorities include counterterrorism, counterintelligence and cyberspace crime prevention efforts. Criminal priorities include investigating public corruption, organized crime, civil rights, white collar crime, and major theft and violent crimes. - The national FBI headquarters are located in the J. Hoover Edgar FBI Building located at 935 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., but have about 56 field offices located in major cities and over 400 agencies in smaller cities and towns throughout the United States. The FBI's international presence includes over 60 international offices or legal attaches in U.S. embassies all over the world.
- The FBI use a variety of investigative techniques and operational abilities in order to solve cases and carry out the mission of the Bureau. Investigative techniques include behavioral analysis, cryptanalysis, crime scene reconstruction, composite sketches, crime data management, crisis negotiation, DNA analysis, digital forensics, fugitive and missing persons searches, hostage rescue, SWAT teams, translation services and underwater operations.
- The FBI offers two major employment opportunities: professional staff and field agents. Professional staff opportunities include such fields as intelligence analysis, information technology, linguistics, business management, investigative support and surveillance and various applied science positions. Field agents are responsible for handling sensitive investigations and upholding federal statutes. Those interested in becoming a field agent must meet the minimum qualifications of being a U.S. citizen at least 23 years old with a Bachelor's degree, 3 years of work experience and a valid driver's license. Those meeting the minimum qualifications will then be considered based on the knowledge/background of "critical skills," physical requirements and an investigative background.
