If you have issues viewing or accessing this file contact us at NCJRS.gov. , 1 • \ \ - , \ b \ \ . r - fjr EfI1' -1"i:lf' The story of the FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION The purpose of this report is to acquaint the youth of America with the wor:~ of the FBI. Information which it contains is made available at the suggestion of the Subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations, House of Representatives, composed of the following: Hon. John J. Rooney, New York, Chairman Han. John M. Slack, West Virginia Hon. Elford A. Cederberg, Michigan Han. Neal Smith, Iowa Hon. Mark Andrp.ws, North Dakota Han. John J. Flynt, Jr., Georgia Han. Wendell Wyatt, Oregon Han. Robert L. F. Sikes, Florid1 Jay B. Howe, Staff Assistant to the Subcommittee "THEY WORE MASKS" Two masked gunmen dashed from an Ohio bank and sped away in a stolen car drivt'n by un accomplice. They had just obtained S31.000 ill a robbery of the bank. A few blocks awuy. federal Bureau of Investigation the stolen car careened recklessly into a school parking lot. The bandits jumped out, quit'kly United States Department of Justice removed their disguises, h.>aped into their own ears and roarf'd away. An alert schoolboy, sharp­ ('ning his pencil near a window in the school, carefully observed the robbers' activity. Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, working with the information supplied to theln by the young citizen, quickly identified and arrested the robbers and rt'('()v('red till' money '.:ito len from the bank. The alert youngster is typical of the millions of Americans who respl·ct law and ordl'r and of those who furnish invaluable information to Special Agents of the FBI every day. The Fe-dNal Bureuu of Investigation is the investigative arm of the United States Depart­ ment of Justice, headed by th(' Attorney General, the Nation's chief legal otticer. To le11 thl' story of tht> FBI is to redte th(> history of mt'n and women seeking to maIn' America mort' secUre. It is tlw story of a long lim' of Pwsidpnts, Attorneys lil'lll'ral, ~ll'mt)t'rs of Congress, and millions of honl'st, law-abiding Aml'ricun citizens who togt·ther form a lInitl'd front against crime. 1 + THE ORIGIN matters, fingerprint work, moot court, and a detailed study of violations of Federal law over which the FBI has jurisdiction. • EARLY HISTORY: The FBI was organized in 1908, when Attorney General Charles Bona­ The training program for Special Agents never ends. They receive periodical training in parte directed that Department of Justice investigations be handled by a small group of special the field and at In-Service training at Bureau Headquarters throughout their entire career. investigators. In the following year the name "Bureau of Investigation" was given to this group. As the FBI grew, its records and files expanded and with each passing year its tremen­ The organization grew gradually during the succeeding years. The World War I Selective dous wealth of criminal information became more and more valuable. Congress approved the Service Act and espionage laws brought new duties. Then the National Motor Vehicle Theft Act transfer of fingerprints at Leavenworth Federal Prison and the criminal records maintained by (now the Interstate Transportation of Stolen Motor Vehicle Act) was passed in 1919 to curb the the International Association of Chiefs of Police to the FBI in 1924. These numbered 810,188 transportation of stolen automobiles from state to state. and formed the nucleus for the FBI Identification Division. Today, thanks to the cooperation of In 1924, Attorney General Harlan F. Stone l who later became Chief Justice of the United national and international law enforcement organizations, the Division has the largest collection States, appointed 29-year-old J. Edgar Hoover as Director of the Bureau. of fingerprints in the world. THE NEW LOOK: Young Hoover accepted the Attorney General's appointment with the A crime laboratory was established to make examinations for the FBI and to serve as a understanding that the Bureau was to be a career service in which ability and good character scientific clearinghouse for evidence and crime problems submitted by law enforcement officers were to be the requirements for appointment, and performance and achievement the sole bases throughout the country. This laboratory is now the largest criminal laboratory in the world. for promotion. PIONEER IN POLICE TRAINING: The FBI, for several decades, has pioneered in the field It was apparent that it would take time to build the FBI into a streamlined, investigative of police training and education, conducting schools at the local level and at the FBI National machine to fight crime. New requirements for Special Agent appointments were set up, providing Academy in Washington, D. C. It has provided law enforcement personnel with necessary voca­ for college graduates trained in law and accounting. Each applicant was thoroughly investigated Uonal skills and with a comprehensive body of knowledge necessary in battling today's crime. before appointment. His school records and background were searched for flaws in his honesty In July of 1935, the first session of the FBI National Academy convened in Washington, or ability. D" C., with representation from local, county, and state law enforcement agencies. This acad­ Training schools for Special A.gents of the FBI were initiated in Washington, D. C., to emy was created in view of a pressing need for qualified instructors and administrators in law equip the Agents with modern crime detection methods. This training program gives the Agents enforcement techniques. Since its founding, thousands of law enforcement officers from through­ sufficient knowledge to enter the Bureau's investigative field and handle various assignments out the United States and several foreign countries have been graduated. A new academy facility which preserve and protect the rights of individuals. Carefully designed training curricula opened in 1972 on the Marine Corps Base at Quantico, Virginia. This complex of 11 buildings provide Agents with the knowledge needed to meet the challenges of the ever-increasing respon­ presents a college-like atmosphere including classrooms, library, dormitories, gymnasium and sibilities of the Bureau in the criminal, security, and civil fields. other ancillary services necessary to operate such an institution. With the completion of this The A.gent trainees receive instruction in the use of firearms, defensive tactiCS, legal new academy, the FBI is now able to graduate 1,000 law enforcement officers annually from the matters, arrest problems, first aid, the art of interviewing, investigative techniques, laboratory FBI National Academy, instead of the previous 200. In addition, over 2,000 police officers will be accepted for specialized courses of a shorter duration. The new academy complex is also being used as a primary training facility for New Special Agents of the FBI, and for In-Service training of experienced personnel. Pictorial representation of the new FBI Academy located in Quantico, Virginia. The new FBI Headquarters, now under construction, will be located directly across Pennsylvania The FBI has hundreds of experienced Special Agents assigned to its field offices through­ Avenue from the Department of Justice. out the country who have received special training as instructors. They are available to assist, 2 3 T NEW LAWS To check this wave of lawlessness and bring security to the Nation, Congress passed many new laws to increase the authority of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. In 1932, The Federal Kidnaping Statute was passed. During the following year, the FBI solved every kidnap­ ing case referred to it. Among these were the Cannon, Ottley, Urschel, Boettcher, Luer, McElroy, Hart, Bremer and Hamm kidnapings, in which ransom demands totaled $782,000. The Federal Extortion Act, by which the writer of a threatening letter could be put in prison for as long as 20 years and be fined $5,000, came next. Bank robbers were becoming bolder and their violations more numerous. This problem was met with the Federal Bank Robbery Act, which extends its protection to all National Banks, Federal Reserve Banks and institutions whose deposits are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. The Act has since been amended to include Federal Savings and Loan The FBI rifle range at the United States Marine Carps Base at Quantico, Virginia. Special Associations, institutions insured by the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation, and Agents are shown firing the targets at 200 yards. Federal Credit Unions. The National Stolen Property Act, now referred to as the Interstate Transportation of when requested, in local training schools for law enforcement. Help is afforded in devising train­ Stolen Property Act, made it a crime to transport forged and counterfeit securities or stolen prop­ ing curricula, organizing and implementing training programs, providing classroom instructors and erty valued at'$5,OOO or mo~e from one state to another. The Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecu­ making available audio-visual aids. FBI instructors participate in training schools for recruits tion Statute made it a Federal offense for persons to flee from one state to another to avoid pros­ and in specialized sessions for experienced officers in such areas as Organized Crime, Police ecution fot certain serious crimes. In the years which have followed, other laws have been Management and Administration, Police - Community Relations, Search and Seizure, Scientific passed designed to better protect the citizens of the United States. The FBI's jurisdiction in­ Aids to Investigations, Sex Crimes Investigations, Supervision, Latent Fingerprints, National cludes a wide range of responsibilities in the criminal, civil, and security fields. Examples Crime Information Center, Major Case Investigations, Uniform Crime Reports, Racial Extremists of rer.ent legislation which have increased the FBI's jurisdiction are the Omnibus Crime Control and Violence, Bombings and Bomb Threats, and Civil Rights.