25 Crazy Truths About The FBI We’re Scared To Tell You About
The FBI is one of those organizations whose reputation precedes it. It has become the stuff of legend thanks to Hollywood and other film ind...
The FBI is one of those organizations whose reputation precedes it. It has become the stuff of legend thanks to Hollywood and other film industries. Along with the CIA, KGB, and MI6, the FBI has certainly carved out an important role in both pop culture and the serious world of crime busting. So what does this organization actually do? Well, starting with its name, the Federal Bureau of Investigation…investigates! It is the United State’s primary federal law enforcement agency. This means that the FBI is something like the CIA except it deals in domestic matters, while the CIA handles overseas intelligence. In spite of this, the FBI does have several offices around the globe, primarily so that it can coordinate with international law enforcement agencies. Within the United States, the FBI has jurisdiction over more than 200 federal crimes. It has offices in 56 major cities, and it has secondary offices around the country (more than 400 of them!). The major aspect of the FBI’s work that sets it apart from local law enforcement is the scale. It deals with terrorism, organized crime, and cyber security. So no matter who you are, we are sure you will enjoy these 25 Crazy Truths About The FBI We’re Scared To Tell You About!
Featured Image: wikipedia
The FBI acknowledged that between 1980 and 2000 a forensic analysis unit gave deliberately flawed testimony in nearly every single case (over 95% of 268 trials favored prosecutors). 32 people have been executed as a result of this testimony.
Source: washingtonpost, Image: pixabay
FBI investigators who spend most of their time on the streets are called "brick agents" within the department.
Source: oureverydaylife.com, Image: wikipedia
The FBI has nearly 5,000 bits of hair evidence on file.
Source: rd.com, Image: wikipedia
The FBI has been known to keep files on celebrities like Charlie Chaplin for ties to the Communist party and John Lennon for his protests against the Vietnam War.
Source: wikipedia, Image: pixabay
Forensic Document Examiners stitch together documents that have been shredded, sometimes into thousands of pieces.
Source: afbde.org, Image: wikipedia
In 1908, when President Roosevelt was attempting to establish the agency that would one day be the FBI, Congress forbade using Secret Service agents because they thought the new agency would have too little oversight and would basically amount to a secret police.
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
Although the FBI has jurisdiction on nearly 200 Indian Reservations, many serious crimes often go un-investigated and the FBI does not list crimes in Native American territory as one of its priorities.
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
The FBI was initially just called the Bureau of Investigation. It wasn't until 1935 that it received its present name.
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
The FBI, like many other male dominated fields, can have a slightly less-than-appealing vocabulary when it comes to women. Female support staff who spend most of their time in the office are called "Betty Bureau."
Source: oureverydaylife.com, Image: Kate Ter Haar via Flickr
The FBI oftentimes selects people for its 10 Most Wanted list based on appearance. This is because criminals with tattoos or distinctive facial features are easier to identify.
Source: nytimes, Image: pixabay
If you think this is shocking, wait until you see number 9!
Although the FBI is primarily a domestic agency, it has over 60 offices in other countries.
Source: fbi.gov, Image: freestockphotos.biz
J. Edgar Hoover, the first director of the FBI, was eventually found to have massively abused his power and wielded the FBI as a sort of secret police (as Congress had always feared). In fact, several presidents had even considered firing him but were "afraid of reprisals by Hoover." (Richard Nixon)
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
In spite of the fact that the FBI has law enforcement capabilities, it is not a national police force (or at least it doesn't want to be called one. (According to the FAQ on its website.)
Source: fbi.gov, Image: pixabay
For $18 you can submit a request to the Criminal Justice Information Services Division of the FBI, and they will send you your "criminal record."
Source: fbi.gov, Image: CPOA via Flickr
Unless they are otherwise instructed, agents are required to be armed at all times, and as long as it doesn't violate agency firearm policies, they are allowed to carry their own personal weapon.
Source: fbi.gov , Image: wikipedia
The FBI is the United States' primary counterintelligence agency. This means that the FBI goes up against the "CIA's" of other governments and tries to foil their plans.
Source: fbi.gov, Image: wikipedia
Up until 1972, only 3 women had worked for the FBI. Today, over 15,000 women are employed by the agency.
Source: oureverydaylife.com, Image: wikipedia
Leaked documents revealed that the FBI tried to blackmail Martin Luther King into committing suicide by sending him a "suicide package" (basically a note threatening to reveal past affairs).
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
It wasn't until 2012 that the FBI finally went digital. Up until that point the agency was still tracking cases using paper files.
Source: mashable.com, Image: pixabay
During the 1960's, some parents filed complaints that the lyrics to "Louie Louie" contained pornographic phrases. After 2 years of investigation, the FBI released a 120 page report declaring that the lyrics were completely unintelligible.
Source: wikipedia, Image: pixabay
COINTELPRO (COunter INTELligence PROgram) was a program run by the FBI that planted false media reports to discredit "subversive" civil rights groups (like the NAACP or the Southern Christian Leadership Conference).
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
Robert Hanssen was a double agent for the United States and the Soviet Union. He was arrested for selling secrets to the USSR/Russia and is now serving 15 life sentences. His actions have been described as "possibly the worst intelligence disaster in U.S. history."
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
According to the 9/11 Commission, the FBI (along with the CIA) was partially to blame for not pursuing reports that could have prevented the 9/11 attacks.
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
In 1953, the FBI started the somewhat silly sounding "Top Hoodlum Program" which had the stated goal of gathering information on mobsters.
Source: wired.com, Image: wikipedia
The FBI has actually considered relaxing its position on drugs because it can't find enough hackers. Apparently they smoke too much pot (stated by FBI director Comey).
Source: vice.com, Image: wikipedia
Source: TheList25