About FBI

The FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) is an investigative bureau within the United States Department of the Justice. The FBI investigates and researches the various threats that endanger lives and livelihoods; from international and domestic terrorists to spies on U.S. soil, from cyber villains to corrupt government officials, from mobsters to violent street gangs, from child predators to serial killers. Along the way, FBI helps defend and uphold the Nation’s economy, physical and electronic infrastructure, and democracy. 

Changes to the world combined with growing human demands put safety, national security, and the economy at risk. The FBI is focused on mitigating the most prevalent threats society faces, and their investigative science is making a substantial contribution to the well-being and safety of both the Nation and the world.

Protecting Privacy and Civil Liberties

Gathering intelligence has always been critical to fulfilling the FBI’s mission. Some techniques used to do this include interviews, wiretaps, and data analysis. While the need for intelligence hasn’t changed, the threats confronting the country have evolved—and the FBI is constantly adapting to combat the threats faced at home and abroad.

Training the Next Generation of Law Enforcement and Scientists

Located in Quantico, Virginia, the FBI Academy is where FBI special agents, intelligence analysts, law enforcement partners, scientists, and others receive world-class training, including hands-on, real-life scenarios they will encounter in law enforcement. All new FBI special agents and intelligence analysts train together at the FBI Academy. In the Basic Field Training Course (BFTC), new agents and analysts learn the basics of working together in a collaborative approach in one of the FBI’s 56 field offices after they graduate.

The following FBI units host participants with the FBI Visiting Scientist Program:

• Counterterrorism and Forensic Science Research Unit (CFSRU)
  The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Counterterrorism and Forensic Science Research Unit (CFSRU) provides technical leadership for the FBI, as well as for other law enforcement and intelligence agencies through applied research and development. This unit hosts the FBI Visiting Scientist Program.
• The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Critical Incident Response Group (CIRG) consists of a cadre of special agents and professional support personnel who provide expertise in crisis management, hostage rescue, surveillance and aviation, hazardous devices mitigation, crisis negotiations, behavioral analysis, and tactical operations. CIRG also hosts participants with the FBI Visiting Scientist Program.