Catalina Espinosa
Research expert covering society, economy, and politics for Europe and the EU
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) - Statistics & Facts
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, or the FBI, was founded in 1908 to act as the U.S. government’s main law enforcement and domestic intelligence agency. The FBI is comprised of a large number of employees, including over 10,000 special agents in charge of investigative work and more than 20,000 professional staff members, and the Bureau’s expenditure was estimated to reach approximately nine billion U.S. dollars in 2020. The director of the FBI is appointed by the President of the United States and the organization operates within the Department of Justice, reporting directly to the U.S. Attorney General. However, federal law provides the FBI with the authority to investigate all federal crimes in the United States, which has caused controversy on whether the organization has exceeded their boundaries in the past.
