                            FBI Mission Statement

     The Mission of the FBI is to uphold the law through the
     investigation of violations of federal criminal law; to protect
     the United States from foreign intelligence activities; to provide
     leadership and law enforcement assistance to federal, state,
     local, and international agencies; and to perform these
     responsibilities in a manner that is responsive to the needs of
     the public and is faithful to the Constitution of the United
     States.

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The Federal Bureau of Investigation is the principal investigative arm of
the United States Department of Justice. Title 28, United States Code (U.S.
Code), Section 533, which authorizes the Attorney General to "appoint
officials to detect...crimes against the United States," and other federal
statutes give the FBI the authority and responsibility to investigate
specific crimes. At present, the FBI has investigative jurisdiction over
violations of more than 200 categories of federal crimes.

The Bureau also is authorized to investigate matters where no prosecution is
contemplated. For example, under the authority of several Executive Orders,
the FBI conducts background security checks concerning nominees to sensitive
government positions. In addition, the FBI has been directed or authorized
by Presidential statements or directives to obtain information about
activities jeopardizing the security of the Nation.

Information obtained through an FBI investigation is presented to the
appropriate U.S. Attorney or DOJ official, who decides if prosecution, or
other action, is warranted. Top priority has been assigned to the five areas
that affect society the most: counterterrorism, drugs/organized crime,
foreign counterintelligence, violent crimes, and financial crimes.

The FBI also is authorized to provide other law enforcement agencies with
cooperative services, such as fingerprint identification, laboratory
examinations, police training, Uniform Crime Reports, and the National Crime
Information Center.
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