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In the 30’s FBI agents prosecuted gangsters, in the 40’s they focused on breaking up spy networks. In the 60’s and 70’s they worked to dismantle organized crime, and went to pursuing white collar criminals in the 80’s and 90’s. Today, the FBI agent is focused on fighting terrorists in addition to protecting American citizens from a variety of threats.
The mission of the Federal Bureau of Investigation is to “protect and defend the United States against terrorist and foreign intelligence threats, to uphold and enforce the criminal laws of the United States, and to provide leadership and criminal justice services to federal, state, municipal, and international agencies and partners.” In order to carry out this mission, the FBI employs over 35,000 employees in a variety of responsibilities and capacities. Of these 35,000 employees, over 13,000 of them were special agents. Other employees of the FBI include support staff, administrative assistants, professionals, analysts, specialists in various fields, scientists and IT. In order to tackle the giant mission of the FBI, their employees must go above and beyond the training required to become a police officer or a parole officer.
The FBI focuses on threats to American society or threats that involve dangers too large or complex for local or state authorities to handle alone. Because of this, the FBI works around the globe. Although they are headquartered in Washington, D.C., the Bureau has 56 field offices located in major cities in the U.S., 380 smaller offices called in cities and towns across the nation, and more than 60 international offices in U.S. embassies worldwide.
The FBI was established in 1908, and for more than 100 years, the agency has protected the American people from threats both foreign and domestic. While many of Americans would immediately think of international terrorism threats, many of our greatest threats are bred on American soil, such as gangsters, public corruption, hate crimes, cyber-attacks, white-collar fraud, etc.
Since 9/11, the Bureau has been sent into a bit of an overdrive mentality. They have adapted to globalization and new technologies in order to fight not only terrorists, but international criminal organizations, sophisticated cyber criminals, fraud and foreign spies. The Bureau focuses mainly on preventing crimes because it does no good to investigate crimes after they occur. In order to do this, the agency specializes in being two or three steps ahead of every other agency. By using an intelligence-driven approach, the Bureau is charged with the responsibility of preventing crimes and terrorism.
The culture of the FBI is centralized around teamwork to create working relationships with colleagues as well as other agencies to accomplish the common goal of creating a safer country for all Americans.
Being a part of the FBI is one of the most rewarding career experiences for any individual. The FBI employees are very proud of the work they do and honored to work at the FBI. Employees must have a direct respect for the Constitution of the United States and her citizens, compassion, fairness, integrity, accountability and leadership.
