By Adam Hart
The FBI is a United States law enforcement agency whose purpose is to investigate violations of federal law. It focuses on major crimes such as domestic terrorism, espionage, and cyber-attacks. The FBI is part of the United States Department of Justice, but it is one of the most well-known and influential agencies in America and worldwide.
The agency has been featured in countless books, movies and television shows over the last century. In this article, we will discuss 14 facts that you may or may not have known about this elite law enforcement agency.
15 Interesting Facts about the FBI
1. The “FBI” is the “Federal Bureau of Investigation.”
2. The first director of the FBI was a lawyer and past member of the Department of Justice named J. Edgar Hoover. He is often referred to as “The Father of the FBI.”
3. The agency started with a small team of about 34 agents from different agencies and law enforcement.
4. The agency was founded in 1908 but got its current name in the 1930s.
5. The FBI has over 30,000 employees and agents, making it one of the largest law enforcement agencies in the U.S.
6. It has an annual budget of roughly $8 billion.
7. The FBI was once part of the Department of Justice, but it is now an independent agency within the federal government.
8. The FBI consistently ranks at or near the top of lists regarding public safety organizations and law enforcement agencies.
9. One of their primary responsibilities is counterintelligence, which means that they investigate cases involving espionage and terrorism.
10. The FBI has also made a significant impact on forensic sciences and forensic techniques.
11. The agency is headquartered in Washington, D.C., but it also has over 50 field offices in cities such as Los Angeles, New York City, Boston, and many more… which serve all 50 states, as well as over 400 other locations around the world.
12. The FBI is responsible for a wide variety of different law enforcement activities. Some examples include: investigating white-collar crime, assisting local law enforcement agencies in significant cases, performing background checks on potential employees for critical jobs in the private sector, upholding and enforcing civil rights policies and much more!
13. The FBI was involved in investigating the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001, that took place in New York City, and at the Pentagon, in Washington D.C. This attack resulted in over 3,000 deaths.
14. The company’s motto is: Fidelity, Bravery, Integrity. The agency is also heavily relied upon by other counterintelligence agencies worldwide.